Digital Docu-fiction: A Way to Produce Kurdish Cinema Author Sonboli, Hassan Published 2017 Thesis Type Thesis (Professional Doctorate) School Queensland College of art DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/2259 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366037 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Digital Docu-fiction: A Way to Produce Kurdish Cinema Hassan Sonboli B. Film &TV production, MA (Hons) Media Production Queensland College of Art, Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Visual Arts January 2017 Abstract This exegesis contextualises my feature-length film The Sultan and the Kings, a studio-based project produced for the Doctorate of Visual Arts. As a Kurdish émigré and filmmaker who left Iran in 1997, lived in Turkey for a couple of years, then emigrated to Australia in 2000, I studied film and also continued the filmmaking practice that I had begun in Iran in 1988. The exegesis examines the shortage of literature about Kurdish films, the misrepresentation of Kurdish filmmaking, the emergence of Kurdish cinema and the obstacles faced by it, as well as the emergence of Kurdish cinematic styles. By considering how my film relates to Kurdish cinema overall, what is referred to as the “cinema under oppression” and the “cinema of diaspora”, this exegesis examines the development of a form of storytelling that I term digital docu-fiction, which blends elements of documentary, fiction and digital film manipulation. Through this form of practice, Kurdish filmmakers aim to take control of the whole process of filmmaking, from production to exhibition. The exegesis discusses this form of storytelling with reference to the development of my own practice and aesthetic, using my short film A Woman with a Digital Camera as an example of digital docu-fiction. In particular, I discuss my major studio work, The Sultan and The Kings, a contemporary version of hybrid Kurdish film in diaspora, which I argue is independent of political and economic interference. Contents Abstract i Contents iii Table of Figures..................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. vi Statement of Originality .................................................................................................... vii Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 A New Form of Filmmaking ................................................................................... 1 My Background ........................................................................................................ 2 Chapter 1 What is Kurdish Cinema?..............................................................................14 The Long but Recently Neglected History of Kurdish Culture........................14 The Scarcity of Literature on Kurdish Cinema ..................................................20 Chapter 2 Issues in Kurdish Cinema and the Emergence of a Kurdish Film Style ...................................................................................................................30 Issues of Kurdish Identity and Representation, and Censorship...................30 Technical Issues ....................................................................................................41 Cinema Under Oppression and Cinema in Diaspora ......................................46 Chapter 3 Strategies for Kurdish Film...........................................................................65 The Kurdish Film Style .........................................................................................65 The Advantages of a Hybrid Genre ....................................................................70 A Woman with a Digital Camera .........................................................................73 The Advantages of Digital Production................................................................91 The Advantages of Digital Distribution...............................................................95 Chapter 4 The Sultan and the Kings ........................................................................... 103 The Sultan and the Kings.................................................................................. 103 Using Non-Actors as “Virtual Characters” ...................................................... 107 Developing the Script During Production ....................................................... 122 Chapter 5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 129 References ......................................................................................................................... 133 Filmography....................................................................................................................... 139 Appendixes ........................................................................................................................ 141 Appendix 1: Filmography of Kurdish Films 1926-2016 ................................ 141 Appendix 2: Kurdish-Australian filmmaker realizes boyhood dream with first feature film ....................................................................................................................... 149 Appendix 3: The Plot of The Sultan and the Kings ....................................... 151 Appendix 4: The Sultan and the Kings (DVD) ............................................... 156 A Woman with a Digital Camera (DVD).......................................................... 156 Table of Figures Figure 1: The Calm Before The Storm (1989). Hassan Sonboli behind a Super 8 camera. ......................................................................................................................4 Figure 2: Sharm (1990). Ebrahim Saeedi (director) front left, Hassan Sonboli (cameraman), Logman Farspoor (sound). ..........................................................................5 Figure 3: Tazrigh (1990). Hassan Sonboli (director) front left, Halaleh Farokhy (nurse), Ebrahim Saeedi (cameraman), Khaled Saeedi (patient with bandaged face)7 Figure 4: Pawana, A Girl from Halabja (still frame), actress Melissa Smith ... 12 Figure 5: Publicity poster for A Woman with a Digital Camera ......................... 74 Figure 6: Publicity poster for The Sultan and the Kings................................... 106 Figure 7: King David’s scene: developing process ........................................... 110 Figure 8: King David’s scene: after development ............................................. 111 Figure 9: Hassan Sonboli directing the actor Cooper Ali-Shabazz ................ 120 Figure 10: Cooper Ali-Shabazz holding the pomegranate............................... 121 Figure 11: Hassan Sonboli with Pinocchio the puppet..................................... 124 Figure 12: Harry Piaggio (Pinocchio) during the rehearsal ............................. 125 Figure 13: Script development process .............................................................. 127 Figure 14: Dancing scene using green screen, The Sultan and the Kings, left to right, Aimee Lepetia, Kezhal Reyhani (makeup team), David Beamish, Hassan Sonboli ................................................................................................................................. 128 Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to my supervisors, who have directed me through the whole process of my doctoral study: Associate Professor Pat Laughren, for his massive support and guidance throughout the exploration and complex journey of my DVA; Associate Professor Trish FitzSimons, for her perceptive view and wise advice during the process of my studio works and while I was developing my thesis; and Dr George Petelin for his intelligence and enlightenment throughout his art theory lectures and during the writing and editing of my final thesis. I would like to thank Dean Chircop for his useful advice during the production and post-production phases of the major studio work and Nick Oughton for his wise comments and valuable guidance. My special thanks goes to all the members and actors who were on the set whenever they were needed. You have all been acknowledged in the closing credits of my films. I am very thankful to my dear friend Margaret Hounslow for her great help and assistance during the writing process. Thanks Margaret – you are the best! Many thanks too for the technical advisers at the Griffith Film School, who have guided me during the production and post-production of my studio works. My special thanks goes to Alex Waller, Brett Wiltshire, Hugh Gormley and James Stafford. Thanks to Anne Demy-Geroe for her useful information and the generous help she offered me. Thanks to Therese Nolan-Brown and Cherie Basile for their advice and help. I am very thankful to my family for their love and support. Gina and Rosina – you have been so good, and thanks for being so patient! The final words of acknowledgment must go to my dear one, Kezhal Reyhni, who has been so patient during all these years of study. Without her support, I could never have accomplished my mission. Kezhal, I love you. Thanks again, to all the people who believed