Hisham Zaman

Zaman was born in Kirkuk, Iraq in 1975. When he was 10 years old, he was forced to flee the country with his parents and siblings.[5] The family spent several years as refugees in Iran and Turkey, hiding from the authorities to evade arrest.[6] They were eventually granted political asylum in Norway, where Zaman arrived at the age of 17.[7]

Although he had an early interest in filmmaking, Zaman was told by his father that ‘cinema will not put food on the table.’[8] However, his mother used to let him and his cousins go to the cinema without his father’s knowledge.[9] After arriving in Norway, Zaman ‘took his father’s advice and began working as a car mechanic for Toyota to support his family. In the evenings, however, he explored his passion for filmmaking by joining an amateur cinema club and using rented and borrowed equipment to begin making his own films.[10]

In 2001, Zaman was accepted to the Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer, from which he graduated in 2004. His diploma film, The Roof, played in a number of international film festivals.[11] The Bridge, a short film he shot with his classmates, was awarded The Norwegian Playwright’s Association’s Award for Best Screenplay at the Norwegian Short Film Festival in 2003.[12]

While refugees are the central characters in all his films, Zaman stresses that ‘I make films about human beings, not about politics.’[41] Through his emphasis on human stories, he seeks to portray refugees and migrants as complex and diverse individuals, rather than a monolithic entity. In his words, “[t]his is what makes us human, because we are so different. But at the same time, we are judged by the politicians, media, society as one group.”[42]

Zaman’s films are all fictional, but they are inspired by real-life events, stories, and personalities. Some of his own experiences as a child refugee influenced the sequence of events in Bawke.[43] He has said that “it was important for me to empty myself of the stories that have bothered me for many years.”[44] When making Before Snowfall, Zaman met with human smugglers and used the details they provided to guide his story development.[45] He regularly returns to Kurdistan and visits refugee camps in Oslo to collect stories.[46] As a result, his films play with the boundaries between documentary and fiction.[47]

Zaman is also notable for his use of non-professional actors to play the majority of the leading roles in his films. His team has recruited refugees from public places such as cafes and community centres to act in his films.[48] As he says, “[f]or me, casting is an important part of the filmmaking process, maybe 50% of the whole film. If you have the right cast, half of the job is done.”[49] He also borrows from amateur actors’ expressions and clothing to lend authenticity to his work.[50] While his scripts are written in Norwegian, the dialogues in his films are often in Kurdish or other languages spoken by refugees.[51]

Despite the harshness of the refugee experiences that influence him, comedy is a feature of all of Zaman’s work.[52] In his words, “lightness and humour are also present in my films: they are often born from the absurdity of the situations.”[53]

Zaman’s work marks a significant departure from mainstream diaspora Kurdish cinema, which has tended to rely heavily on tropes of suffering and political betrayal.[54] His films have also been recognized for the substantial contribution they have made to Norwegian national cinema by exploring the experiences and challenges of migrant communities in the context of an evolving society.[55]

Zaman founded the production company Snowfall Cinema in 2015.[56] He was an associate professor at the Norwegian Film School,[57] where he has also served as Head of the Department of Film Direction.[58] He speaks six languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Norwegian and English.[59]

1. Piraten (2002) - Short
2. The Bridge (2003) - Short
3. The Roof (2004) - Short
4. Bawke (2005) - Short
5. Vinterland (2007)
6. Europa (2009) - Short
7. The Other Ones (2009) - Short
8. Before Snowfall (2013)
9. Letter to the King (2014)
10. Hedda (2016) - Short
11. The Boy in the Picture (2016) - Short

• Hisham Zaman at IMDb