Leeds film company makes movies that matter

A young Leeds film production company is learning how to become a serious contender in the competitive world of international film making, thanks to the help of UK Trade & Investment and Yorkshire Forward.

Established in 2005, Human Film is dedicated to making cutting- edge films with a conscience that break down cultural divides and bring a wider understanding of complex international issues. The company’s first film ‘Ahlaam’ shot in Iraq, and set among the bombed ruins of a psychiatric facility, won 18 awards.

Isabelle Stead, company director, studied an MA in Film at Leeds Metropolitan University, after her career in film making had already taken her to Los Angeles and Canada. It was while on the MA course in Leeds that she met filmmakers Danny Evan and Mohamed Al Daradji, who is originally from Baghdad.

Stead said: “In setting up Human Film we have combined Mohamed’s skills as a writer and film director with Danny’s technical skills and my own experience as a producer and in marketing. When we met, Mohamed had already shot ‘Ahlaam’ in a gruelling 55-day shoot under the very volatile political and military conditions in Baghdad. In fact, the situation was so unstable that the project involved wielding an AK47 in one hand while filming with the other. Because of the unique perspective it offered on the situation in Iraq for everyday Iraqis, we knew that ‘Ahlaam’ was an important piece of film making and we were committed to getting it screened as widely as possible.”

She added: “We especially wanted to get to the Cannes Film Festival where we knew we could make some valuable contacts in the film world. In talks with Melanie Potts from UK Trade & Investment we learned about Yorkshire Forward’s Targeted Export Support Scheme (TESS). The financial support we were able to get with this programme allowed all three of us to go out to Cannes with our publicist and really pitch the film and the company to all the right people. It was at Cannes that we met people from Al Jazeera, the UK broadcasting channel in the Middle East. They were very interested in the challenging circumstances surrounding the shooting of the film in Baghdad, and together with them we produced a thirty-minute feature film on the making of ‘Ahlaam’.

“In Cannes we also met people from the US film industry as well as from the British Film Council. All in all, it turned out to be an opportunity that opened doors in lots of different directions internationally for us. Even though it was a lot of hard work, our presence at such a prestigious festival in the film industry has allowed us to get a real foothold in the business.”

The company’s most recent film, “Um Hussein”, explores the journey of a mother to find her missing son in Iraq against a background of devastation and loss.

Stead said: “Just like ‘Ahlaam’, our latest film offers an insider view of modern Iraq. It’s the one you don’t see in the news bulletins or read about in the newspapers. We see how the war has affected the lives and hopes of everyday people, and once again it is an important piece of film making that has the potential to affect viewers deeply as well as being inspirational.

“We have also been granted further funding from UK Trade & Investment with another TESS application that will allow us to hold a film making workshop on “Um Hussein” that will enable us to expand our company further in the Middle East. In this way we will have an opportunity to trawl for future film making talent in Iraq, where it is difficult to operate with a foreign film crew.”

Melanie Potts is an international trade adviser for UK Trade & Investment in the West Yorkshire region. She commented: “Human Film was delighted with the support we were able to offer them through the Yorkshire Forward scheme. TESS funding can assist all kinds of local companies in their bids for international trade in the most innovative ways. Human Film found it to be instrumental in building up their international profile and getting them the right connections in the film world.”