Private Project

THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY

In Kurdistan, the last residents of an ancient town watch helplessly as centuries old traditions disappear when the Turkish government floods their land.

  • Natalia Pietsch
    Director
  • Grzegorz Piekarski
    Director
  • Natalia Pietsch
    Writer
  • Grzegorz Piekarski
    Writer
  • Katarzyna Kostecka
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary, minorities, political impact
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 15, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    121,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Natalia Pietsch, Grzegorz Piekarski

Natalia Pietsch - director and cinematographer
A graduate of Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School and the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. She has received awards for titles “I’ve Got Something for You Too” and “The Frog King”. Recently, she has been working as a cinematographer for “New Mistakes” by Michel Franco and is working on her feature debut “Milk” which was screened in the Work In Progress section at New Horizons.

Grzegorz Piekarski - director, screenwriter, cinematographer
A graduate of Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School and Master of Science in Mechatronics at Warsaw University of Technology. He is a Scholarship holder of the „Młoda Polska” programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. His most recent feature film “The Slave” was screened at main Polish film festivals, including the Gdynia Festival, Warsaw Film Festival and Camerimage.

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Director Statement

We aim for a cinematic experience richer than television documentaries. Our observational narrative style immerses the audience in Hasankeyf's atmosphere by showing "how it happens" rather than "what is happening," avoiding interviews and focusing on visual storytelling. Static, painting-like frames capture both foreground and background, with camera movement reserved for underwater shots. Sound design leverages off-screen space, creating a spatial atmosphere that conveys events beyond the frame.