Afghan-born Ali Hakim now lives in Germany. He graduated in cinema in 2011 with Crazy in Love as his thesis film. He has also directed Big Bluff (2007), Rostam (2009), Taksi (2009) and First Date (2012).
HFF: What is your film about, and how did the project come to be?
AH: Taweez tells the story of an old, lonesome talisman-writer, who earns his money with prophecy and has already lost the hope for acknowledgement in life, but suddenly he finds himself as a messiah as a result of the rumors in the village. Some now even call him a charlatan. In the little village acknowledgement comes as the face of power and lures the devastated mullah in.
While the village can’t decide on which side to stand, a little boy finds comfort in seeing the mullah as a mentor and believes all of his magic. The prophecies and curses work as a catalyst for the village people to force powers as structures of hierarchy and give the boy new perspectives. In the microcosm of the village they stand for seeking comfort rather than hard line ideologies. Their lives find fulfillment in either taking a stand against or for the mullah.
I had the idea for this film when I visited Afghanistan in 2006 and met people who adored and believed a lot in talisman writers. But the Afghans are very divided when it comes to superstitions. Also, I wanted to make a film to show how easy people change their minds or get attracted to new ideologies.
HFF: What was your role in the production?
AH: I was producer, writer and director, but somehow I did a thousand other jobs, because we were just a team of four.
HFF: Why did you submit to the Heartland Film Festival? Have you been to the Festival before?
AH: I’ve never been to the Heartland Film Festival. But I heard a lot from filmmakers based in Hamburg.
HFF: This year’s tagline is “Shift Your Perspective” – what lasting effect will your film have on moviegoers?
AH: I think the audience will see a new perspective of Afghanistan, and maybe they will also get a different opinion of the country or its people.
HFF: What has inspired you to become a filmmaker?
AH: It was very clear when I was a kid that somehow I have to leave something in this world or to be a creator. So I decided to become a astrophysicist or an artist, but I could not choose between those. When I got a new teacher in philosophy class, she introduced me to the world of film. She taught me the beauty of films like Citizen Kane, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Godfather and new movies like The Matrix, and she compared it to Plato’s allegory of the cave. I realized that in film, there would be a lot philosophy and poetry, and if you like, you can put also expressionistic art in it. I think film merges all kind of art in one. And I think the only two things that could change something are art and science, so I decided film to be my profession.
HFF: What is something that you know about filmmaking now, but you weren’t told when you started your career?
AH: That Genny is a generator, not a girl!
HFF: What are some of your favorite movies? What’s your favorite worst movie (you know it’s bad, but still love it)?
AH: Over The Top (Sylvester Stallone)
HFF: How many film festivals has your film been a part of? What do you like the most about the festival experience?
AH: I’ve been to a lot of festivals in Europe. My highlights every year are the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale. What I like most about film festivals, are meeting other filmmakers from around the world and watching movies that are not easy to find normally. With Taweez, I was invited to: Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film, Shorts At Moonlight, Signes De Nuit, Montreal World Film Festival, EKA Deshma Film Festival Nepal, and Ecologico International Film Festival. But the only festival I visited, was the Montreal World Film Festival.
See Taweez – The Talisman Writer in Shorts Program 4:Unique Worlds at the 2014 Heartland Film Festival:
- Sunday, Oct. 19 – 7:30 p.m. at AMC Castleton Square 14
- Monday, Oct. 20 – 12:30 p.m. at AMC Castleton Square 14
- Tuesday, Oct. 21 – 7:00 p.m. at AMC Traders Point Showplace 12
- Wednesday, Oct. 22 – 4:45 p.m. at AMC Traders Point Showplace 12
