Short film, 17 min.
Shaheen, an Afghan refugee, has lost contact with his brother who is travelling the perilous migration route to England. To cope, he makes and flies colourful kites. But when his kite crashes with a neighbour's toy drone he is forced to ask himself if belonging to a new earth is possible without sacrifice.
Director: Nima Shahmalekpur
Producer: Adriana Kytkova & Anna Merryfield
Only When You Bury
Me In This Earth
SYNOPSIS
Torn from his homeland and unable to reach his family, Afghan refugee Shaheen finds solace in making and flying paper kites. His only comfort, the kites line the walls of his flat, creating a cocoon of colour at once protecting him and holding him hostage – a reminder of all he has lost. When his kite collides with an electronic toy drone one afternoon, he takes the drone home to mend it and return it to its young owner, his neighbour. The ensuing events push Shaheen to his limit, forcing him to confront the agony of his forced migration and to wonder how he could ever build a new life from the shattered fragments of his past.
This gentle, meditative film is imbued with the symbolism of the competing elements of wind and earth and is inspired by contemporary Iranian cinema. It is a beautiful reflection on the constant pain of new beginnings, the endings they bloom from and the sacrifice at the heart of migration.
Directors STATEMENT
In this film I have sought to explore the quiet struggle of a migrant trying to build a new life in the UK. My intentions is to convey the humanity of a soul struggling to find belonging in the new earth he has come to, while asking the viewer to consider the sacrifice that migration entails.
The title of the film was inspired by a stanza in Athena Farrokhzad’s poem White Blight, where she beautifully captures the pain of migration, exile and belonging. Meanwhile the heart of the story is based on the life of our lead non-professional actor, Ahmadzia Baktyari, a real life kite maker and refugee.
All characters are played by non-professional actors, portraying versions of themselves set in real locations truly connected to their lives. With this type of filmmaking, a long time fascination of mine, I have sought to draw compelling narratives from real lives and to collaborate with non-actors to tell these stories. A more honest and earth-bound type of cinema is the result; one that can be both realistic and poetic.
Directors BIO
Nima Shahmalekpur is an award-winning London based Swedish-Iranian director and producer. As a producer, his film SKIN OF WATER, was nominated for best UK Short at Raindance 2024. Only When You Bury Me In This Earth is his debut as a fictional director, revealing his interest in symbolism, poetry and observational cinema. The film has won multiple awards and been selected to screen at a variety of festivals including Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Brighton Rocks and the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival.
Directed & Written by
Nima Shahmalekpur
Produced by
Adriana Kytkova & Anna Merryfield
Cast
Ahmadzia Baktyari
Michael Alimi
Corina Shoy
Ghassem Sudani
Yewande Osinfolarin
Anna Alimi
Aderemi Alimi
Director of Photography: Nina Moog
Editor: Matilda Lind
Sound Design: Ines Adriana
Colourist: Olesya Kireeva
Title and Poster Design: Mahya Soltani
Made with the support of
Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers
Plan To ActionFund
CAST & CREW
1st Assistant Camera: Ashley Raim
Additional 1st Assistant Camera: Christy Leung, Flor Hidalgo Pintado & M. Hosom
2nd Assistant Camera: Brodie McBride
DIT: Giacomo Esposito
Sound Recordist: Stefanos Stafylas
Additional Sound recording: Marcin Switalski
Acting Coach: Esan Paydar
Art Director: Johanna Trost
Runner: Lewis McQuarrie
Drone operator: Giacomo Esposito
Kit Hire: Focus24
Lighting Hire: D-LUX Rentals
Catering: Genet
Post Production: Nordisk Film Shortcut
Post Production Producer: Birgitte Ilm
