THE PROVERB SESSIONS

In June 2015, we began again, working with Yazidis refugees in the Batman countryside.

 

For two weeks, 12 kids, plus a myriad of other onlookers and hanger-ons, gathered to participate in the film making process. Such an excellent time was had by everyone, with all the participants eager to develop their own films and act. First they brain stormed with each other, and asked their families about Yazidi or Kurdish proverbs, and finally each of them chose one proverb to concentrate on. We had so many!

 

Then they made their story boards, and chose who was to act, what props we need and where we would go. We decided we would go far and wide to make the films, taking advantage of the natural landscape around the camp: corn fields, rivers and scatterings of shepherds and their flocks. We made two films a day, in the unrelenting heat and fierce sunshine! But it was worth it. The final film was shot on the last morning, and in the afternoon, all the participants gathered for a screening and received their Batman tee-shirts.

 

It will become a continuing project in the second part of 2015 and into next year, with regular sessions in the field. We will work in several areas in Turkey, alongside STL/Hayata Destek's beneficiaries and Community Centres: Hatay, Urfa, Istanbul and Batman one more time.

 

The Batman experience took the Proverb Sessions to a new level, with maximum input from the participants and their families, and outstanding outputs. Some of the films look at Proverbs from the perspective of refugees, and in the peculiar Yazidi identity shines through in some of these films. You can watch the films directly here.

 

There are so many more Proverbs to choose from, and have a lot of fun deconstructing and turning into short films, so this is what we will be doing in the near future. Keep coming back to see whats new, especially at the blog page.