Hot Docs 2017 Women Directors: Meet Ann Shin — “My Enemy, My Brother”
Ann Shin’s cross-platform project “The Defector” won Best Documentary and Best Documentary Director at the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards. The short version of “My Enemy, My Brother” was shortlisted for a 2016 Academy Award, nominated for an Emmy, and won Best Short Documentary at various international film festivals. Shin is currently working on several feature documentaries and cross-platform projects.
“My Enemy, My Brother” will premiere at the 2017 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 29.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
AS: “My Enemy, My Brother” is a film about two veterans from the Iran-Iraq War who return to the Middle East searching for missing family members.
Najah and Zahed are former enemies who embark on a journey that takes them deep into conflict zones. They share a deep bond, which belies their political and cultural differences as they help one another on their search for redemption. Najah and Zahed are the lost boys of a terrible war that claimed well over a million lives, and this film is about their incredible relationship.
It’s a story that will hopefully jolt you into a surprising new understanding about the Middle East.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
AS: There is a miracle at the heart of their story which compelled me to follow them for four years. Zahed was a child soldier when he risked his life to save a wounded enemy soldier during the war — an astonishingly brave act done quietly out of a sense of humanity. This one act set many things into motion; little did they know that Najah would be able to return the favor years later.
The remarkable set of circumstances around these two men — and their sense of deep respect and humanity for one another — is what inspired me to follow them as the rest of the story unfolded.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
AS: I hope the audience will see people from the Middle East with new eyes, as this story shows two Muslim men in a positive light.
The humanity and compassion they feel for one another is really a beacon for us all, and I hope we’ll reconsider who we assume to be our “enemy” or “the Other.”
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
AS: The biggest challenge in making this film was filming in Iraq, which is a conflict zone. It seemed that we were the only film crew choosing to fly into Iraq who were not covering ISIS.
It was hard to determine how much or how little security would be appropriate for our shoot; I didn’t want to jeopardize anyone’s safety, and, at the same time, I wanted to keep the crew small enough to embrace their family in an intimate way. We conferred with different security companies, many of whom recommended a three-car detail, but that was out of the question for this film shoot. This needed to be intimate and as inconspicuous as possible.
In the end, we just went with our local fixer, an amazing man named Mazin Altayari, who worked with the local police force on our film production. Ironically, the day we arrived, a car bomb was detonated at a hotel that was ten minutes away from ours. But, aside from that, we had no brushes with danger.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
AS: My co-producer, Melanie Horkan, and I first started pitching this documentary to broadcasters and distributors. We got some interest, but no one committed to plunking down the money. After about a year and a half of pitching, I was about to give up hope, but we submitted it for a BravoFact Grant for to make a short film. Luckily, the short version got greenlit.
With the Bravo money, we made the short film, and the overwhelmingly positive response totally took us by surprise — it was viewed hundreds of thousands of times as a New York Times Op-Docs piece, got nominated for an Emmy, and was shortlisted for an Oscar.
I realized that, as a format, the short film is really coming into its own. Many people who don’t have the time to go to a theater and watch a feature film will instead watch a short film streamed online. Short films are lean, punchy, and powerful — and they now have a broad international audience.
With the groundswell from the short film, we got financing for the feature film. This started with development funding and a broadcast license from Super Channel. As the production went on for years, producer Hannah Donegan, Melanie, and I had to keep raising money. In the end, we had funds from the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Rogers Documentary Fund, Kalliopeia Foundation, the Telefilm Theatrical Fund, the Rogers Group of Funds, and the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Fund.
We ran an Indiegogo campaign, which was very helpful in terms of keeping in touch with the audience who knew the short film. As part of an experiment in engaging with our audience, we released an interactive web series between the the short and the feature which was four years in the making. The web series opened up the documentary process to viewers and shared developments as production was ongoing.
Also, I knew not all of the footage would be used in the feature, so releasing some of it as web updates and talking with viewers online was an interesting way to share some of the twists and turns of the story during production.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Hot Docs?
AS: Hot Docs has helped me on many of my film projects, including “The Defector” and the short version of this film, which premiered at the 2015 festival. It’s everything you’d hope for in a film festival. Hot Docs brings in exciting new premieres from across the globe, and it is also strongly committed to supporting the documentary filmmaking community, both at home and worldwide.
It’s exciting to premiere this feature film with our home audience, as well — the film audience in Toronto is fabulous. Our first screening is already sold out and we’re in the running for Best Canadian Feature Documentary, so fingers crossed.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
AS: “Go with your gut” can be both the best and the worst advice. I do believe in going with your gut, but I also think there is a big proviso that comes along with it: You first need to find out everything about the decision you have to make before you can trust your gut.
If you don’t know enough, going with your gut can be as helpful as following a compass without a needle. When you’re younger, this means knowing as much as you can about your subject, actors, story, etc. in order have a good “gut sense” about decisions you have to make.
As you get older and have more experience under your belt, you’ve built up your working body of data, so to speak. You’ll end up getting a good “gut sense” about things much more swiftly.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
AS: It’s fine to “beat them at their game,” but I think it’s even better if you make them play your game.
I didn’t know this early on in my career. As a young journalist, I remember sitting in newsrooms having to pitch stories around a table of men, and I realized I spoke differently than the men. I equivocated and averred. I started to adopt what I considered an authoritative way of speaking.
But the real game-changer came when I found my real voice — that is, I found the form I wanted work in: long-form films. Once I knew that, I had natural authority and confidence in my material and my pitches. Now I make films and series, and I get people on board to make them with me.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
AS: Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker.” It is a gripping story with a very rigorous and beautiful aesthetic and incredible pacing. Due to the way she directs the camera, you have a very visceral sense of what it’s like to be Sergeant James, the bomb-defuser who puts himself into peril day after day.
I love how that film is a completely different kind of war story. It is a very rich and intimate story about the characters, particularly James — you really get inside his head, and that’s new. Along with that, you have tightly paced action — nothing gratuitous — and a moving message about the damages of war and life.
W&H: There have been significant conversations over the last couple of years about increasing the amount of opportunities for women directors yet the numbers have not increased. Are you optimistic about the possibilities for change? Share any thoughts you might have on this topic.
AS: I am optimistic, but I imagine that change will happen more slowly than we’d like. The reason I’m hopeful is because, well, I’m a glass half-full kind of girl, and we’re already seeing more women-led casts and more women producers. Slowly but surely, I think we will see more women directors. It would be great if more film companies led by women came to the fore.
If more women producers banded together, I think we’d see more films coming out by women directors!
