Kurdish filmmaker finds Hollywood success
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Tekin Girgin grew up in eastern Turkey’s Kurdish city of Agri watching films of his idol Yilmaz Guney and envisioning a future where he too would create and tell stories on the big screen, inspiring generations to come. Now, he writes and directs films for some of Hollywood’s biggest production companies, urging aspiring artists to follow their passions and never give up on their dreams.
Girgin began his film career by taking on small, non-speaking roles in Turkish films and TV shows, while pursuing an education in Ankara’s Hacettepe University. He moved to the United States in 2005, and received a scholarship at Santa Barbara's Brooks Institute Film School in California five years later, allowing him to pursue his filmmaking aspirations.
“As soon as I went to America, I found out there is opportunity here. That opportunity kept me there, and I decided to stay there. My journey starts from there,” Girgin told Rudaw English on Thursday.
The filmmaker said that one can still find success in the film industry even if they decide not to go to film school, but stressed that such an education is “very important” to teach young filmmakers the technical aspect of the business.
He directed his first feature-length film, Troy the Odyssey, in 2013, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The film was shot in Thailand.
“When you try to do something, you got to love that thing. You got to have passion for it. You got to have courage for it. You got to sacrifice for it… Follow your dream. Follow your passion. That will take you to the right place.”
The director is known for incorporating comedic elements into many of his films, even if the subject of the picture is not necessarily a comedy, noting that the reason why most fellow Kurdish filmmakers tend to focus on tragic stories is because “we have grief and drama in our DNA.”
“Sometimes you need to get out, try to do action, do comedy, do Sci-Fi and other things. Because it is not all about tragedy. We have good times too. We have good culture. We have good friendship, good hospitality, good food, and so many other things,” said Girgin, adding that he felt fixating on solely telling pessimistic stories blocks the artists’ creativity.
“I have to tell the different stories.”
In 2018, Girgin co-wrote and directed a pilot titled Muzo for Netflix, revolving around a Middle Eastern man who moves to New York City to live with his cousin, finding himself in comedic situations due to his inability to speak English.
According to the filmmaker, they are currently holding discussions with Netflix to reach an agreement that satisfies both parties before the show is picked up for a full season, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic had previously halted the process.
“My dream project is that I really want to do my own culture,” Girgin said, expressing his desire to do a film about the Peshmerga’s fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) to deliver the story to a wider, international audience.
“We already know, we are in the story. We need to show the people that haven't seen this story,” he added.
The director said that the reason he is visiting the Kurdistan Region for the first time in 20 years is to give back to the Kurdish filmmaking community, hoping to create a commission to help up-and-coming artists to get more opportunities to make the films they want and tell Kurdish stories.
The Kurdish filmmaker is currently working on his second feature film, Hope, a passion project he described as “a character-driven drama.”
Girgin began his film career by taking on small, non-speaking roles in Turkish films and TV shows, while pursuing an education in Ankara’s Hacettepe University. He moved to the United States in 2005, and received a scholarship at Santa Barbara's Brooks Institute Film School in California five years later, allowing him to pursue his filmmaking aspirations.
“As soon as I went to America, I found out there is opportunity here. That opportunity kept me there, and I decided to stay there. My journey starts from there,” Girgin told Rudaw English on Thursday.
The filmmaker said that one can still find success in the film industry even if they decide not to go to film school, but stressed that such an education is “very important” to teach young filmmakers the technical aspect of the business.
He directed his first feature-length film, Troy the Odyssey, in 2013, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic. The film was shot in Thailand.
“When you try to do something, you got to love that thing. You got to have passion for it. You got to have courage for it. You got to sacrifice for it… Follow your dream. Follow your passion. That will take you to the right place.”
The director is known for incorporating comedic elements into many of his films, even if the subject of the picture is not necessarily a comedy, noting that the reason why most fellow Kurdish filmmakers tend to focus on tragic stories is because “we have grief and drama in our DNA.”
“Sometimes you need to get out, try to do action, do comedy, do Sci-Fi and other things. Because it is not all about tragedy. We have good times too. We have good culture. We have good friendship, good hospitality, good food, and so many other things,” said Girgin, adding that he felt fixating on solely telling pessimistic stories blocks the artists’ creativity.
“I have to tell the different stories.”
In 2018, Girgin co-wrote and directed a pilot titled Muzo for Netflix, revolving around a Middle Eastern man who moves to New York City to live with his cousin, finding himself in comedic situations due to his inability to speak English.
According to the filmmaker, they are currently holding discussions with Netflix to reach an agreement that satisfies both parties before the show is picked up for a full season, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic had previously halted the process.
“My dream project is that I really want to do my own culture,” Girgin said, expressing his desire to do a film about the Peshmerga’s fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) to deliver the story to a wider, international audience.
“We already know, we are in the story. We need to show the people that haven't seen this story,” he added.
The director said that the reason he is visiting the Kurdistan Region for the first time in 20 years is to give back to the Kurdish filmmaking community, hoping to create a commission to help up-and-coming artists to get more opportunities to make the films they want and tell Kurdish stories.
The Kurdish filmmaker is currently working on his second feature film, Hope, a passion project he described as “a character-driven drama.”