‘Blindfold Shoes’: Bringing Kurdistan to the World

 

“If we cannot put the world on a plane to take to Kurdistan let’s take Kurdistan to the world.” That is the motto behind Blindfold Shoes, which Kurdish director Kae Bahar says is the most ambitious Kurdish film project ever undertaken. Bahar has produced documentaries in El Salvador, Sudan, Congo and The Philippines for major international broadcasters such as the BBC, ITN and Al Jazeera. Here is an edited transcript of his interview with Rudaw:

Rudaw: What is Blindfold Shoes about?

Kae Bahar: It is the story of a 10-year-old boy named Tishko and his struggle for achieving his dreams. He loves football and considers Pele his hero. He sees the world in a different light from the older ones of his harsh and mistrusted world of 1969. He is the new generation, the hope. The story of Tishko’s journey in the film is a metaphor for the story of my people.

Rudaw: Many films have been produced by Kurdish directors and shown at international festivals. So what makes Blindfold Shoes different? Is it the language?

 

Kae Bahar: Blindfold Shoes is going to be the first Kurdish film to be shot in English, but this is not primarily what makes it so very different from the previous films made by Kurdish filmmakers. Other Kurdish films -- and there are only a bunch of feature films -- are very much focused on victimization of the Kurds. In most of those films we are not given cinematic characters or heroic stories but Kurdish political bulletins preaching and calling for help and sympathy by trying to expose our tragic history and the past devastation of our country.

This is not the case with Blindfold Shoes, in which Tishko is taking no chances, except of winning his battle. He is not a victim but a hero. The previously produced Kurdish feature films are not aimed at an international audience, and almost none has ever made it to mainstream cinema because the original story -- the actual screenplays -- are not structured with the cannons of an international screenplay, a film that first and foremost is made for cinema and to entertain a wide audience. No matter where you are you should be hooked on the story by the hero. This can only happen when the screenplay has a universal appeal and only then it should have a Kurdish backdrop.

Rudaw: What are you hoping to achieve with this film? Your own project as a director or something for the Kurds and Kirkuk?

Kae Bahar: Of course, I want to establish myself as a feature film director and the debut work is a very important one. But my aim goes way beyond that and it has a lot to do with my upbringing, with having grown up under the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein, with being arrested by the Iraqi secret police at the age of 14 and tortured for no other reason than being a Kurd.

 

Tishko’s desire to make his dreams come true is not Kae Bahar’s aim to make his dreams come true as a director, but that of the Kurds and their dream for freedom, for an independent Kurdistan. Also, Blindfold Shoes is a very ambitious project, which makes it much harder to pull off the ground. This is a choice I have made and I have been working towards making the first major Kurdish feature film for many years.

Rudaw: Is this going to be the most expensive Kurdish film so far?

Kae Bahar: The budget for Blindfold Shoes is between $8-$10 million, which makes the film the most expensive one to be shot entirely in Kurdistan. But this is a UK-Kurdistan co-production. This is not a huge budget for an exciting and ambitious feature film like Blindfold Shoes, but it is way beyond what has been spent so far in Kurdistan for a film. Blindfold Shoes will set a new mindset for how a film should be approached, from writing the screenplay all the way to shooting, post-production and the international screening market of the film. For this we need to change our mindset also about how to budget a film, especially if we wish to distribute it worldwide and not limit it to the screening of a couple of film festivals.

Rudaw: Do you expect any challenges on the way?

Kae Bahar: There are many challenges in making a feature film, whether it is shot in Kurdistan or in the United States. But of course, since this is the first film of its kind and magnitude to be shot in Kurdistan and in English, I am expecting challenges from the beginning to the end. But we, the producers of Footprint Films & Joka Films, are well prepared for facing these challenges and dealing with them professionally. For example, we are looking to have distributors for the film even before the start of the shooting. However, at this moment our biggest challenge is pulling together the funding. But based on our recent trip to Kurdistan and the amazing welcome we had from everyone we met -- members of the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government), companies, production houses and individuals, we are optimistic about finding the money for making the film. We believe this film is the best opportunity for the Kurds and for Kurdistan to make it to the outside world and to show what the Kurds and Kurdistan are really made of I don’t think the Kurds and Kurdish friends will let go of this opportunity.

Rudaw: Do you think cinema is the best way to introduce the Kurds and their story to the outside world?

 

Kae Bahar: Yes, there is no other media as powerful as films -- documentary and fiction -- and especially fiction, if it is aimed at a large international audience. There are many great examples to mention, but Titanic will do. How many people knew about the disastrous story of the Titanic before the film was made and released? The Kurds have wonderful stories, not all tragic and misery but also amazing fairytales, legends and fables which are told by the older generations because we don’t have them in the form of books, and that is how I first fell in love with the power of storytelling -- my father sending me to bed by telling me a story. And these stories, when told cinematically, will portray and bring Kurdistan to the world with a different light.

Rudaw: Where will you look for funds for this project?

Kae Bahar: The funding of internationally produced films usually comes from different sources, and that’s how we would like to go about it for Blindfold Shoes. But of course the blessing and financial support from the Kurdish government, the Kurds -- and not Kurdish businessmen and companies in Kurdistan -- are vital for the success of the making of this film.

Rudaw: What will happen to the proceeds? Will they be given back to the funders or charity, etc?

Kae Bahar: We like to see our funders get their money back and make a profit. But also, we wish to create a charity for enriching and expanding the culture of film and filmmaking in Kurdistan, to help the youth with learning the skills of filmmaking by running workshops and seminars.

Rudaw: Have you found your actors and extras yet?

Kae Bahar: We have not started casting yet, but we know we want at least two A-list stars – Hollywood actors that bring great international interest to the film. It will not be long before we contact a well-established casting director to start and take on the casting process.

 

Kae Bahar