Kurdistan teahouse
to make their country and people safe, and to show
the beauty of the region and its possibilities. Now the
Kurds have been dragged into a war they did not want
and that has nothing to do with them.
For me, that afternoon in Slemani taught me
something no script, no call sheet and no studio
office ever could. For me, the most powerful lesson
is that not only are we storytellers, but we are also
history keepers. Beyond our immediate work as
location managers in the entertainment industry, we
are recording history. We capture places in time with
our photos, our maps, the connections we make and
the people we meet—much like location managers
and scouts in Los Angeles did after the Altadena and
Palisades fires in 2025. By sharing photos of homes
that were lost, they were able to help homeowners
in the recovery and rebuilding process. As Kurdistan
is quite literally caught in the middle of a war, the
photos taken months ago will serve as historical
documentation of places that may cease to exist. We
may not have the opportunity to visit this area and
the mystery and majesty it contains again. Slemani
and Erbil, Kurdistan, are now under attack, and I am
certain our colleagues who shared those four days
with John and me last November are out there, taking
pictures and recording these places and these latest
events. This is their history.
I often say I have the best job in the film industry—
and I still believe it. But at this moment, with these
photos in hand, our job feels a little heavier and
perhaps a little more important. It is not just about
finding the right place for the camera; it is about bearing witness to
the places that must not be forgotten.
For further information on filming in Kurdistan, please visit
Kurdistan Film Commission Slemani
https://www.kfo.krd/
For more images from Kurdistan, please visit:
www.locationmanagers.org
Great Mosque in Sulaymaniyah. L-R: Badr Naser Kurdistan Film Office,
Andrea Keener/LMGI, Mzgawtz Gawk Security, John Rakich/LMGI, Bavi
Yassin Kurdistan Film Office, Lina Amir Kurdistan Film Office, Farhad/
Driver. Photo by Aka Mzgawtz
