The Kurdish feature film “Baj,” written and directed by Diako Bayz, was screened in Utrecht, the Netherlands, as part of the film’s international presentation.
The film tells the story of a family whose life changes following a tragic incident. Through a nonlinear narrative, the film presents different perspectives on the same event and gradually reveals the circumstances surrounding it.
Bayz said “Baj” is not simply a story about one particular incident, but an exploration of how the same event can be understood differently by the people involved.
“The film ‘Baj’ is not merely the telling of the story of a specific incident. Rather, it places the viewer in a world where each character has a different perspective on the same incident,” Bayz said.
He explained that police investigations and conversations with people connected to the incident are used to revisit the same event several times and from different perspectives.
The story centres on a family whose life is disrupted after a tragic incident. The father struggles with drug addiction and becomes involved in a complicated situation after he and a friend are found responsible for hitting his daughter with a speeding car one night.
As the story develops, each member of the family responds to the incident in a different way. Their differing accounts and perspectives gradually reveal more details about what happened.
Bayz said this structure allows the story to unfold gradually, with the circumstances surrounding the incident becoming clearer as the film progresses.
“As events progress, each member of the family deals with the incident differently, and each side has its own perspective on the facts behind the incident,” Bayz said. “This has caused the film’s story to be revealed to the viewer slowly and on several levels.”
The director also said “Baj” had previously been screened in several cities and areas of Kurdistan and had participated in different cinematic activities and programmes.
According to Bayz, the screenings in Kurdistan provided audiences with an opportunity to see the film and engage with its story and narrative approach.
“The film has previously been screened in several cities and areas of Kurdistan and has taken part in various cinematic activities and programmes,” Bayz said. “Those local screenings became an opportunity for the film to be seen by audiences in Kurdistan and for its story and distinctive narrative style to be conveyed.”
“Baj” features Rizgar Bahir, Shayan Kewan, Rozhan Hama Jaza, Kenar Sarchil, Yasin Omar, Shawnam Ali, and Idris Rashid in the main roles.
The Utrecht screening adds to the film’s screenings beyond Kurdistan and introduces the Kurdish production to audiences in the Netherlands.
