The French filmmaker and journalist Caroline Fourest tells the story of Kurdish women, the defeated the IS. Your movie “Soeurs d’armes” (weapons sisters) faces criticism from Turkey.
DW: “Soeurs d’armes” is her first feature-length film. How did the idea to make a Film about the Kurdish fighters against the so-called Islamic state (IS)?
Caroline Fourest: It is primarily a Film about women as a source of resistance to fanaticism. He tells the story of the young Jesidin Zara, who was deported from the IS and enslaved. She managed to escape and joined as part of an international women’s fighting force, the Kurdish resistance.
The Film is a metaphor for this war. There are no groups or places to be designated. He shows how the violence of fanaticism encounters the resistance of the women. I’ve been working for almost twenty years on this issue. When I realized that the IS-fighters had a morbid fear of being killed by a woman, because you think that Paradise is denied to them then, because I thought only a movie could tell the story of the power of this symbolic Revolution.
The film Director Caroline Fourest on the Set of “sisters-in-Arms”
At which locations have you shot?
We have mainly filmed in Morocco, with the best film team for a war film. But I wanted to shoot some scenes in Kurdistan. I have to say that the government of the Autonomous Kurdish province in Iraq was very open. They wanted to get a screenplay is submitted and made no conditions. It was important to turn to so that we could tell the whole story of this genocide, even the less glorious sides. I wanted to cover both the Iraqi and the Syrian Kurds that have led this war against the IS. Therefore, none of the groups in the Film is named, they should be accessible for all. It was important to show that the Kurds have preserved for us, in spite of their differences, and sometimes also of their divisions together against the same enemy.
The conditions under which you have worked? There were difficulties?
It was difficult to Finance the Film. We finally tell the story of American GIs, the fight against terrorism. But from the war of the women, the Kurds. From the start we had the support of France 2, the public broadcaster. But we have none of the usual public funding from the state. It was thought our project was too risky, too ambitious for a debut work. But I didn’t want to have to limit my ambition. I wanted this Distance, this force, as a tribute to the courage and heroism of those who freed us from IS. We received great personal and financial risks, but we managed.
Turkey considers the Kurdish YPG militia, which stand in the fight with the IS, as with the PKK verbandelte terrorist organization. How are you with this charge, this issue dealt with?
Our Film does not mention the PKK at all. Even if the Turkish Propaganda claims otherwise. The trolls flood every Internet Post that advertises our Film, with lies. Our Trailer was retrieved within a few days, more than 800,000 Times the alarmed. But no, our Film tells the story of the PKK. He told the for Erdogan to be far more painful history of the Kurdish female fighters who have defeated the jihadists. I understand that Erdogan gets into a panic. The Film will help the world to remember what we are the Kurds of debt. In a time in which many would like to forget, while they are slaughtered in Syria slaughtered.
Watch the Video 03:31 Share
Kurdish women fight for their freedom
Facebook Twitter google+ send Tumblr VZ Xing Newsvine Digg
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3HqKi
Kurdish women fight for their freedom
But you will be accused of Pro-government media in Turkey, to advertise for terrorists and an enemy of Islam.
To fight the IS does not mean that Islam is to attack. Islam is something quite different than the IS. This is a popular means of fundamentalist Propaganda: Every Time you defend against fanatics, accuse you to be “hostile to Islam”. In my case, these attacks started, I also started me with the fundamentalism of the Muslim brotherhood to deal. Before that, I had fought for more than ten years against the Christian fundamentalism and the extreme right and racism. I am an anti-racist activist, I have always fought against the National Front, I have even denounced their anti-Muslim racism. But I am determined feminist, and secular, advocate the separation of Church and state. Turkish trolls can write what you want. The Film will speak for itself.
Resolved: Fourest Film shows the struggle of women
In which European countries your Film is shown?
In France and Italy. We are looking for a distribution partner in Germany, however, this is difficult. I really hope that someone has the courage. Finally, it is important to show this Film in a country where many of the Survivors of the Yezidis, and nearly a Million Kurds live, want to see this movie. It would be crazy if this Film would have been distributed in many Arab countries, but not in Germany or the United States. I will continue to fight for it.
Caroline Fourest is a Director, essayist, co-founder of the magazine ProChoix, and a columnist for “Marianne”. From 2004 to 2009, she worked at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.