Yazidi Genocide Film

Early April this year, we traveled to the Kurdish region of Iraq to document testimonies of the survivors of the Yazidi genocide by ISIS that began on August 2, 2014, and continues unto this day. While working in the refugee camps, we were approached by a Yazidi tribal council who were desperately seeking awareness for the Yazidi people. They were funding a feature film project that depicted the e

vents that took place in early days of the genocide. They asked for assistance in getting American actors involved in their project. They had little money and, so far, had no success. We reached out to some friends and convinced them it was safe enough and that the cause was a worthwhile endeavor. Things went forward and we went back to our work in the camps. After a few weeks into production, they called us again and asked to visit and perhaps advise and assist. Things were not proceeding well; at this time we discovered that the director of the film had largely stolen or wasted nearly all the resources for the film. Worse yet, there was no cohesive screenplay or plan and the footage they had shot was useless. We were asked to take over the project. At first we declined as we didn't see a way forward for a successful outcome and were afraid of further wasting their limited resources. However, the Yazidi had done quite a bit of local promotion and not completing this film would be a huge humiliation for the community. A community that had endured a genocidal attack and seen their homes destroyed and hence, forced to live for years in refugee camps. Most of the crew were volunteers who live in these camps still and it was their dream to see this film completed. After some careful reconsideration we decided to help them shoot a feature film. We circled the wagons, worked with the actors we had brought and spent six days and nights hammering out a basic storyline and production plan based on the resources that were remaining and the cast and crew they had already assembled. The tight timeline was due to the limited camera and lighting resources available in the region. The equipment was reserved for another project, so we had a hard out date of July 6. What followed was a monumental effort to complete a simple film, small in scope but expansive in story. Our crew was made of Yazidis, Christians, Jews, Atheists and Muslims. They came from Iraq, Iran, Turkey, the US, England and even Poland. There were three main languages on the set: Kurdish, Farsi and English. Arabic was spoken as well. Two translators were required to communicate to the entire crew. We all cooperated and threw ourselves into this effort. Scouting locations at dawn or after wrapping and writing scenes at night. Our actors coaching and casting locals. Working in heat that averaged about 115° for the duration while carting water and equipment into mountainous locations on the backs of donkeys. Working in and around the Shingal region, we were constantly reminded of the sights and sounds of an ongoing war: a war complicated by ethnic, tribal and religious divides. The making of this film became an example of how the people of this region can put differences aside and to come together to create in a collaborative artform. The spirit and of the power of independent film was palpable on set. The overall objective of the film is to tell the story of the first few days of the ISIS advance into the Shingal region and the larger Kurdish region beyond. The Shingal region was mostly populated by Yazidi who were deemed to be devil worshipers by ISIS and targeted for extermination, sparing only young women who were sold into s*x slavery. The film is intended to educate a larger audience of the plight of the Yazidi people, as most are unfamiliar with their story or unaware that almost none have been able to return to their homes even after the collapse of ISIS in recent months because of the strategic location that the Shingal mountain inhabits. The narrative takes place in a time before the world knew what ISIS really was and highlights the events that followed, events that started the largest mass migration in modern human history as locals discovered, at the expense of the Yazidi, what horrors awaited them. While the film is a fictional narrative based on true events, it blurs the line with docudrama at points, as actual survivors recount their stories that would be to horrific to depict. It also highlights heroic efforts of the locals to rescue their friends and neighbors and make tremendous sacrifices to do so. Furthermore, it introduces a female heroine in the film that articulates the shifting roles and perception of women in the region, specifically the metamorphosis of a woman, limited in her role, into a soldier and competent leader. This film was produced independently. Culture Shock Productions has full editorial control of the film. It makes no political statements about the Kurdish region or any other political objectives. The film was created to educate and create a larger understanding of the Yazidi people and their plight as a community, one that is as vulnerable now as any in the world.n