Zalava is my first feature film. My goal was to make a film that represents me; a portrayal of my childhood, my region, and life experience as an Iranian Kurdish minority. My parents are from two different Islamic denominations: Sunni and Shiite. I remember my grandfathers who were poles apart. One was a simple religious man who believed in the world after death, and the other was a materialist epicurean who was satisfied with earthly treasures. When my religious grandfather told me about Jinn (genie) for the first time, my dilemma began.

As a little boy, I questioned the existence of this supernatural invisible creature made from fire, but did not have the courage to speak up about it. Eventually, I forced myself to believe, because I did not want to be punished by genies in the middle of the night. I outgrew these stories and my fears. Years later, as I searched for a unique story for my first feature film, my dad shared a story about one of my ancestors who enslaved a genie by attaching a pin to his clothes! It was pure magical realism and surprisingly my father believed it. At that moment, I knew I found my film. With a theme of “belief” that would not let me go from childhood until now. The moment I understood we are nothing but what we believe, or what we choose to believe. Meanwhile, we must sometimes look back at our values – to let doubt and uncertainty judge our rigid ideas. This can lead us to a better life, or maybe a tragedy! And tragedy is awareness.