BARCELONA, Spain - While Kurdish cinema often recalls the suffering and hardships of Kurdish people in the Middle East or in diaspora, a Kurdish-Canadian filmmaker who recently finished his first movie believes that the Kurds are much more than just victims.
Kordo Doski, whose film “Mikael” is awaiting its world premiere, believes that fellow Kurds have other compelling stories to tell.
“With ‘Mikael’ I tried to tell a universal story that we can all relate to: The idea of chasing your dream,” said Doski, an independent filmmaker who wrote, directed and starred in the film.
“To be honest, I feel like we are so much more than victims. Too many Kurdish films focus on those things,” Doski told Rudaw in an interview from Los Angeles, where he lives now. “I know those were very important historical things that happened and we should never forget them. However, I feel like we have many other stories in us,” said Doski, who is in his early thirties.
The filmmaker, who was born in Duhok and moved to Canada when he was four, tells the story of a young man who, after breaking up with his girlfriend, pursues his forgotten first love, the lifelong dream of a professional football career.
Far past his prime at age 33, and left with only one option, the film’s hero travels to Iraqi Kurdistan, his ancestral home, to fulfill his dream of playing professionally.
“Our people are great story tellers. I look forward to the times where we create more works of fiction and tell everyday stories, instead of just stories about the horrible atrocities that have occurred to us,” he said.
Marta Otte, director of the Tromso International Film Festival (TIFF) in Norway, is not surprised by a film that portrays life in Iraqi Kurdistan as it is today.
“This film is perhaps a harbinger of a new impulse in Kurdish cinema, where filmmakers are choosing to tell stories about the new aspects of Kurdish experience and identity,” said Otte who has long experience in organizing Kurdish film festivals.
Doski used the football aspect of the film as a vehicle to tell his story. But he agreed the movie will be particularly welcomed in Kurdistan, where people are crazy about football.
The film stars American and Kurdish actors, as well as the real players on the Nadi Duhok championship soccer team.
Doski lost about nine kilos during filming, since the hero had to get into shape in order to be able to play for the local team. In the movie, the training with the club is real. Also, the final sequence of the film was shot during an actual league game, said Doski.
“Mikael,” a co-production of Iraq, Canada, USA and the United Arab Emirates, still has to finalize its world premiere. The film was completed just a few weeks ago. The filmmakers garnered support from fellow film enthusiasts in the local Kurdish political and tribal communities, Doski explained.
“Being a Kurdish-Canadian, I would love for it to play at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as back home in Duhok. But honestly, there are so many great festivals out there that I’m just excited to find the right venue and share this film,” Doski said.
Doski holds a BA in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada. He currently has two film projects in the works that have garnered interest from established production companies.
Doski himself was once a football player, but in his late teens a knee operation ended his career.
“Honestly, I think my career was derailed before my knee operation. Even though I played at a high level, I don’t think I really understood what sacrifices one must make in order to play in the top leagues,” Doski said.
“It has to be your only focus, and it was difficult to maintain that focus in Canada.”
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