Say no to war

Kurdish film director Shakhwan Idrees, right, with team member Abdul Khaleq

Kurdish film director Shakhwan Idrees on his maiden film Face of the Ash that’s received acclaim

‘Face of the Ash’ is a feature film that symbolises the Iran- Iraq war in the 1980s that lasted for eight long years. Written, directed and produced by Shakhwan Idrees, this engaging Kurdish film was screened at the All Lights India International Film Festival(ALIIFF) that is currently on in the city. It portrays the story of a Muslim family that receives the corpse of their son who was killed in the war. While preparing for the funeral, they realise that the body has not been circumcised and trouble begins when the neighbouring Christian family begins to claim the body as that of their son. The movie showcases two families from different cultures caught in this strange ordeal and the series of events that unfolds thereafter. The name, ‘Face of the Ash’ was conceived from the fact that the face of the corpse was burnt beyond recognition as is the case commonly among war casualties. Even though the story is rooted in tragedy, the director has tried to blend in a streak of comedy and suspense to keep the audience entertained.

“Ever since I was a child, I wanted to make a movie and I am inspired by great Indian directors like Satyajit Ray. I am the son of the Kurdish culture and I have tried to make an honest film showcasing everything that is native to Kurds and the effects of war on our people”, says Idrees. The making of the film was a very difficult task as the craft is not as popular in Iraq as it is in countries like India. Apart from leading the team and managing finances, the equipment needed to be brought in from another country and there were other legal issues and objections as well. After working in television for a while, Shakhwan produced several short films and documentaries like ‘Ash to Ash’, ‘Bread seller’ and ‘We have Gasoline’. “This is my directorial debut in a feature film and I feel really happy that after all the hardship, the movie is being accepted by such a large audience around the world,” says Idrees. Apart from three nominations to various categories, the film won the best screen play award at the Kazan International Muslim film festival and has been screened at several other international platforms like the Tokyo International Film Festival, Busan International film festival, Erbil International Film Festival and the Gulf International film festival. It will also be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala to be held at Thiruvananthapuram on December 4. The cast includes Taha Aghajan, Naser Hasan, Anwar Shekhani, Hero Hasan, Tahsen Bolbol and Govar Anwar.

Through the film Idrees hopes to convey a message of harmony that every human being is equal, no matter what our religion or language is, we should respect each other and say ‘No to War’ of any kind.