Culture

Big Village documentary nominated for Dutch Directors Guild Award

"Big Village was an adventure to make - not in the last place because of its digital form. We made something we had never seen before," Shalmashi told Kurdistan 24.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/06/17 22:01

Beri Shalmashi with her father in the village of Gewrede in Iraqi Kurdistan (Photo: Beri Shalmashi)

Kurdistan Netherlands Dutch Directors Guild Big Village Gewredê Kurdish Diaspora

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The online documentary Big Village directed by Dutch Kurdish screenwriter and film director Beri Shalmashi and documentary film researcher Lyangelo Vasquez was nominated for the Dutch Directors Guild Award.

"Big Village was an adventure to make - not in the last place because of its digital form. We made something we had never seen before," Shalmashi told Kurdistan 24 on Friday.

"I am happy the industry and my fellow directors at the respected Dutch Directors Guild show us recognition and support for such a marginalized story: that of the Iranian Kurdish diaspora, struggle and history.'

‘Big Village' tells the story of members and families of an Iranian Kurdish political party operating from its headquarters in a former village called Gewredê, tucked in the mountains of Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the 80s.

"We went back to the roots of my parents their political veins in Kurdistan and Iran, a journey that asked a lot from a lot of people," Shalmashi also tweeted. "This is not a movie, it's a monument. Thank you fellow directors for your recognition."

BIG VILLAGE IS NOMINATED FOR A DUTCH DIRECTORS GUILD AWARD. We went back to the roots of my parents their political veins in Kurdistan and Iran, a journey that asked a lot from a lot of people. This is not a movie, it’s a monument. Thank you fellow directors for your recognition. pic.twitter.com/nPJfNYpBOa
— Beri Shalmashi (@BeriShalmashi) June 16, 2022

Founded in January 1998, the Dutch Directors Guild (DDG) is the Dutch association for audiovisual directors.

The association has more than 400 members that work in film, television, radio, digital storytelling, animation, and commercials.

On Wednesday, June 29, the DDG will present the awards in eleven categories.

Big Village has already received several nominations, including Prix Europa, and awards such as the First Prize Zilveren Camera, a top photography award in the Netherlands in 2021.