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Bahman Ghobadi
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Kurdish
film director Bahman Ghobadi is passionate about many things –
his Kurdish roots, the situation of Iraq, but above all his need
to tell stories. Stories abound all around Ghobadi. He sees them
from the time he opens his eyes in the morning to the end of a
long day. And he prefers his stories to take shape on the turn of
a dime. No long, thought-out planned process for this
award-winning director. His latest gem, Marooned in Iraq, is
reflective of his cinematic style and loyalty to his roots.
The
film, which won The Francois-Chalais Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film
Festival (among many other awards), sets a simple story of an
elderly musician and his two sons searching for his ex-wife in
Iraq against the complicated backdrop of Kurdish life. The film
tells about a “nation of wanderers so used to war … that they
take it as a game and console themselves by celebrating life with
their music.” Here Ghobadi discusses with Islam Online his
movie-making process and his love for Kurds. The interview was
conducted through a translator for Ghobadi.
Islam
Online: You draw a lot of inspiration for your films from your
own life and culture. How much of your own life is part of
Marooned in Iraq?
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Bahman
Ghobadi: In my career, I am in search of a film that is
believable. The most important thing is for a story to be
believable. The story must mesh with my own experiences in
Kurdistan. Three months of the year I travel throughout Kurdistan,
and in my travels I meet people with whom I share experiences. My
movies are based on those experiences.
IOL:
You’ve shot two features and a lot of short films, yet you never
finished film school. How did you learn your techniques of
filmmaking — the cinematography, the direction? Because in this
film you had a lot of jobs. How did you learn that?
BG:
I did go to film school, but I didn’t learn anything! No
college, no university can create a filmmaker. All it does is give
you a slight push into the realm of films. It’s your own
personal experiences, short films, being a photographer and life
experience — those things are good. Then the mix of these things
can make you a good filmmaker.
IOL:
It’s more learning on the job than sitting in a classroom.
BG:
That is the only way to learn. To go out there and to learn from
your mistakes. You have to learn by doing.
IOL:
How did you conceive the idea for the film?
BG:
The place I come from in Kurdistan is filled with stories. If you
were thrown by parachute down into a village in Kurdistan and you
did a 360 degree turnabout, you’d probably find 36 different
things to write about.
IOL:
If there are so many stories, how did you come up with the idea of
the search for Hanareh (a main character in Marooned in Iraq), and
then the individual stories of the two sons? When there’s so
much, how do you narrow it down?
BG:
It depends on the circumstances, how I’m feeling at the time. I
have a lot of stories to tell. I throw them down like cards on the
table when I’m playing solitaire to gain ideas. For instance,
the woman who is abducted, the child who is blinded — I consider
all those stories and base my decisions on instinct. I wanted to
film a road trip, and I thought, “What is the best way of
telling a road trip?” And I decided this family of musicians —
full of life, full of humor, full of love — would be the vehicle
for that. You have to make quick decisions on how your story is
going to evolve, and it has to be instinctual — like a good card
dealer.
IOL:
Did the film follow your original ideas, or did it develop
differently as time went on?
BG:
When I start to shoot, I have one page of a basic outline and
maybe one line of dialogue. Each night, night by night, I revise
the storyline. This is my habit. It’s like weaving something
together.
IOL:
It’s not stressful to work that way?
BG:
I’m addicted to this craft. I take snapshots in my head of
everything I see and store it away as a potential story for a
film. It’s not the easiest way to make a film, but it is a way
I’ve become accustomed to. I try very hard not to be like anyone
else. There’s no rest.
IOL:
The main characters are so powerful, but equally powerful is the
landscape itself. Did you mean for the countryside to play such an
important role?
BG:
Nature is a very big character. Kurdistan has an unbelievably
beautiful landscape. One of the reasons why I shoot only in winter
is that if it were any other time, the [landscape] would take
emphasis away from the tragedy of the story. If you were to see a
suffering child in a field of green, it’s not going to have much
of an impact. The land and weather doesn’t let up on Kurds.
Nothing is easy for the Kurds. There has been so much suffering at
the hands of other people, there is now also suffering at the
hands of the land because of landmines that are strewn along the
country. In this area, every step that you take, you’re fearful.
IOL:
Was shooting the film difficult? The weather and terrain seemed so
rugged. How did you manage?
BG:
It’s my love for the medium. When you have a passion for what
you do, hardships — and hard winters — are not an issue.
IOL:
The smaller characters were so fascinating and colorful — the
collective mass seemed almost to eclipse the main characters at
times. How did you develop such interesting bit characters? You
seem to know the people so well.
BG:
I know these characters. They are a part of my life. I’ve lived
with them; I’ve had intimate relationships with these people.
Even if the character is on the screen for a very short amount of
time, it doesn’t matter because I’ve shown them in a way that
has an impact. I never sit still. I’m always shooting
photography, meeting people. I’m very much a part of their
lives.
IOL:
In this country, in the West, the knowledge of that region comes
from what people hear in the media. The people of Kurdistan seem
to get lost in the commotion of current events. Marooned in Iraq
is a good alternative to all that. What would you like a Western
audience to learn about Kurds and Kurdistan?
BG:
To see a more accurate picture of what my homeland is like. Kurds
are not the people you see with guns and weapons. They have a very
profound and deep history and culture. They are more than the sum
of the things shown in the mass media. I want to show their
humility, their humor. Two very important aspects of the Kurdish
culture are music and humor. Humor is one of the ways in which
they overcome their hardships.
IOL:
Religion is simply part of the background in this movie, with the
greetings of “salaam” and such.
BG:
“Salaam,” by the way, is just a form of greeting, like
“hello”.
IOL:
Yes, but for the people here, salaam is very much a part of
religion and culture. The culture of Iraq and the religion of the
people seem to be synonymous in the minds of the West. Why did you
choose to downplay religion in this film?
BG:
There’s so much out there right now regarding religion that I
don’t need to put it in my film. If a really astute person wants
to see religion, all they have to do is look in the eyes of an
innocent child. With the ongoing war, and the airplanes flying
overhead, the bombs being dropped, you can see the impact of
religion.
