KURDISTAN IS ONE OF THE EMERGING TERRITORIES ON INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS’ RADARS THANKS TO ITS AFFORDABILITY, MULTIPLE CLIMATES, GENRE POSSIBILITIES, AND LESS FAMILIAR FILMING LOCATIONS. | Producer/director Patrick Evans and the production team of BBC Asia series Tangled Worlds set out to find a fresh story among forests less familiar to viewers… this brought them to Kurdistan, where conservation biologist Hana Raza had discovered Persian Leopards inhabiting oak and pistachio woodlands high up in the mountains. But in search of the evasive wild cats, Evans and the team were led to a sensitive border zone, covered with unexploded mines from fighting during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s. To navigate this, local brothers Bahez and Nabaz Faruq were enlisted to aid the filming process, establishing their own camera trapping and photography to find safe spots to film the leopards. “We received tips and hearty Kurdish hospitality from a former deputy minister of the Interior, Mamosta Jalal, who was passionate about the last remaining pockets of wilderness on his doorstep,” Evans recently wrote for the BBC. Ultimately, their journey proved successful, not only in finding the leopards, but also capturing the surrounding scenery, particularly the Qara Dagh mountain valleys and oak trees. Oak trees also dominate the expanse of the Zagros Mountains, whose rugged peaks provided the backdrop for French language documentary Nomades d'Iran – L'instituteur des monts Zagros. With snow-capped summits in winter and vibrant greenery in spring, the mountains offer year-round visual diversity. Across Kurdistan (a semi-autonomous federal region of the Republic of Iraq) there are a range of potential locations, including the man-made Lake Dukan, surrounded by mountains; the town of Warte with its green vistas, freshwater and walnut trees; and striking religious locations like Lalish with its unique architecture marked by conical temple roofs. The Sulaymaniyah Governerate region is also very popular, where the historic Slemani old town is situated, and the gorge of Tuni Baba, which offers landscapes similar to those found in Morocco or Jordan, but at a more affordable price. “Our commission provides access to these locations, meaning you would not need to pay to film at them,” says Bavi Yassin, head of the Kurdistan Film Commission Slemani. “Slemani airport serves international travellers, and our commission has access to the military and its tanks.” “Although we currently do not offer tax incentives, our crew services, accommodation, and other production-related expenses are significantly more affordable compared to other countries.” International streamers are also backing projects shooting in the country, such as Netflix series Secrets of the Neanderthals, which filmed in the Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where a neanderthal skeleton was discovered by British archaeologists. Hasan Oswald’s documentary Mediha, about a Yazidi girl who survives ISIS and searches for her missing siblings, which was executive produced by Emma Thompson, also filmed in Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdish films often grapple with themes of resilience, displacement, and identity, reflecting the region's tumultuous history and its people's enduring spirit. Directors like Bahman Ghobadi, whose films include A Time for Drunken Horses and Turtles Can Fly, have brought Kurdish stories to international audiences, earning critical acclaim. Zagos, a 2017 drama exploring the changing role of women from Kurdish filmmaker Sahim Omar Kalifa, premiered at Ghent International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. There’s growing support for the culture sector in Kurdistan in recent years, with events such as the Duhok International Film Festival providing a platform for local and international filmmakers to showcase their work. The signs are positive for Kurdistan with more projects heading there and a new generation of local filmmakers and crew emerging to boost its standing. |
“WE RECEIVED TIPS AND HEARTY KURDISH HOSPITALITY FROM A FORMER DEPUTY MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.” |
