Close Up: The Podcast

In this intimate and powerful conversation, developed, hosted, and edited by Close Up Producer Irmak Melek, three remarkable Close Up filmmakers share their compelling stories of displacement, survival, and co-resistance: Mizgin Mujde Arslan from the 2023-2024 Cohort, director of My Mother’s Tale; Yasaman Sharifmanesh from the 2021-2022 Cohort, director of I Am an Olive Tree; and Daham Alasaad from the 2024-2025 Cohort and 2025-2026 Rough Cut Program, director of Ashes. Together, we delve into the deep connections between space, belonging, and rebuilding the concept of "home" against political destruction. The filmmakers discuss the responsibility of capturing the small, overlooked details of daily life, and how these ordinary moments transform into profound acts of resistance against homogenizing mainstream narratives. This gathering becomes a space for thinking through collective practice, solidarity and a genuine ground for building collective power. We hope this episode resonates with listeners and serves as a reminder of the collective memory of resistance we continue to share.

In this intimate and powerful conversation, three remarkable Close Up alumni share their compelling experiences of creative resistance and the ongoing struggle to carve out space for their voices. Featured are Ana Barjadze, director of Bitter Sugar from the 2022-2023 Close Up Cohort, alongside Lala Aliyeva, director of Strange Sea, and Anahit Ghazaryan, director of I Fell in Love with a Dead Woman, both from the 2023-2024 Close Up Cohort. In this episode, we explore the social, political, and personal challenges faced by women documentary filmmakers in their storytelling journeys. These talented artists share their distinctive cultural references and influences from the South Caucasus, offering unique perspectives rooted in their heritage  while navigating the broader complexities of working in the film industry. We hope this episode will inspire and resonate with all who listen and spark meaningful reflection.

NO OTHER LAND (Best Documentary Berlinale 2024) Co-directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham and KAMAY (Interreligious Award Visions du Réel 2024) director Ilyas Yourish discuss how their films and the act of filmmaking itself have become not only an act of resistance against war and brutality, but a means of survival, memory-keeping, re-writing official narratives and understanding of identity. NO OTHER LAND, created by a collective of Palestinians and Israelis (Rachel Szor, Hamdan Balal, Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra), tells Basel’s own story as he films his community of Masafer Yatta, in the West bank, being destroyed by Israeli soldiers and the unlikely friendship he develops with an Israeli journalist, Yuval, who wants to join his fight. KAMAY is set in the remote mountains of central Afghanistan, as a Hazara family embarks on a journey for truth and justice after their daughter Zahra mysteriously dies at Kabul University. In his poetic and poignant film, her sister Freshta narrates countless hours on the road, administrative and technological obstacles to justice. The film is a moving contemplation of love, loss, and perseverance in spite of increasing unrest on the eve of the Taliban takeover of the country.

Our second podcast episode features a conversation between three Iranian artists academics and activists. Sepehr Atefi and Kaveh Azarhoosh are both Close Up filmmakers and activists who participated in our program in 2021-2022 with their project Radio Berlin. In this conversation, they are joined by Maryam Palizban, an Iranian actress and scholar based in Berlin.  

In our first episode, we feature a conversation between filmmakers Jude Chehab and Ruzgar Buski who participated in the Close Up program between 2020-2021. They discuss various aspects of documentary filmmaking, defining oneself in one’s given circumstances, and navigating the international industry while challenging its status quos.