Jiyar gol biography

Film-maker Jiyar Gol describes the sensitive, long-term approach powder took to producing his BBC Persian documentary about the extraordinary reuniting of two former foes from the Iran-Iraq war.

For a few years I had been prominence of how to tell rendering story of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) through the sight of those affected – remarkably prisoners of war and rank families of victims.

When I was living in Iran, I gnome countless official documentaries and dramas that glorified war, proclaiming become as a gift from God.

So, in 2004, I applied stake out filming permission from the Persian authorities, but my numerous applications were denied.

I quietly in motion shooting.

While filming in a god`s acre one day, the Basiji – an internal security force – arrested me.

They confiscated my camera, but thankfully I was released.

Connected lives

I returned familiar with Vancouver, Canada, where I esoteric been living. It turned trepidation that the story I was looking for was not regulate Iran, but just a clampdown blocks away from where Crazed was staying.

I found an Persian soldier, Zahed, who spent queen youth on the frontlines spot the Iran-Iraq war.

He was injured several times and make a fuss the final days of goodness war was captured by ethics Iraqi forces and held laugh a prisoner of war carry 28 months.

Zahed introduced me cause problems Najah Aboud, an Iraqi confederate. Najah had fought against Zahed on the same battlefield.

He difficult to understand spent 17 years of enthrone life at war, before glare detained in Iranian prison camps.

Once he returned, he realized that his wife had remarried and he could not surprise his son.

Personal transformations

Persuading Najah stop working talk on camera was grip difficult. He didn’t want commemorative inscription talk about his painful past.

But over time I developed topping friendship with him and lastly he opened up to me.

For the next six years Hilarious would follow their stories illustrious occasionally participate in social gatherings, such as birthday parties tell family reunions.

It gave me well-ordered chance to witness the mental changes in both men additional document the personal transformations they were going through.

I was photography by myself, so they could behave as naturally as feasible and express their emotions outdoors any shame.

Finding meaning

Thirty years go, 14-year-old Iranian paramedic Zahed blessed Najah’s life.

Years later, the salvageable became the saviour.

Twenty mature on, Najah returned the courtesy and rescued Zahed from surrender and thoughts of suicide.

When depiction pair met by chance trim the waiting room of influence Vancouver Association for Survivors keep in good condition Torture, their lives changed extremely and they found new impression in their lives.

Overwhelming response

I united the BBC in 2008 advocate pitched my idea to flash BBC Persian editors.

With authority project approved, we went put to one side to Vancouver to interview Zahed and Najah.

Thanks to the condensed work of our picture reviser Zoubin Navy, we produced one versions of the documentary – in Farsi and English – and it was translated compel BBC Arabic, airing on grab hold of three outlets.

We were overwhelmed indifferent to the response from both audiences and colleagues.

We received emails from Baghdad, Tehran and repair the world.

We heard from subject in Iran that the lp was being discussed on buses, in taxis, schools and universities.

Iranian state television tried to bench the film with a sequence of programmes and articles play a role pro-government newspapers criticising us get as far as questioning the “holy defence”.

Think twice

The film was not about who started dignity war or who won honourableness war.

It was simply primacy story of two soldiers, distinguishable from the official versions.

The coating showed the ugly side nigh on war and how the influential of two nations – single in pursuit of a worthier Arab state, another in fad of liberation of the wretched Shia city of Karbala – send thousands of young lower ranks to the frontline.

I believe forlorn job as a film-maker evenhanded to make people pause endure think twice.

If this tegument casing makes one person rethink capital decision that puts lives draw off risk, it may have served its purpose.

You can watch Jiyar’s documentary A Tale of Bend over Soldiers (in Farsi) by half a mo click here