Polish movie 'Karbala' to be filmed in Kurdistan
HEWLER (DİHA) - A Polish movie about the Iraq war has started production and will be filmed in the Federal Kurdistan Region.
On July 25th the Representative of Kurdistan Regional Government in Poland, Ziyad Raoof, took part in a press conference to announce the start of production of the feature film 'Karbala'. The film tells the story of a little-known battle between Polish and Iraqi soldiers in the Iraqi city of Karbala in April 2004. It was the largest battle in which Polish soldiers have participated since the end of World War II. During the Muslim holiday of Ashura, an uprising against the multinational forces in Iraq erupted and the City Hall in Karbala – headquarters of legal Iraqi authorities and Police - was the aim of the attacks.
For four days and nights 80 Polish and Iraqi soldiers fought and eventually defeated the militants. They had spent almost all of their ammunition before receiving extra support. The Representative of Kurdistan Regional Government to Poland provided assistance in making the film- organizing the film crew stay in Kurdistan, during which they visited various parts of Erbil and its surroundings. The visit has confirmed that Kurdistan is the ideal location, aesthetically and realistically, for the project.
KRG Representative Raoof was present on the film set. The film crew will set off for Kurdistan again in September or October to shoot desert scenes, as the difficult current situation in Iraq prevents filming in Karbala. “It is important that such large film projects are implemented in Kurdistan. Kurdish help in the realization of this project is a good start for cooperation between Polish and Kurdish filmmakers as well as an opportunity for the mutual exchange of information about both nations,’ said Raoof.
(nt)
