Jana Andert (35) originally planned to spend one day in the Battle of Mosul (from 2014 until June 2017) shooting a story on the attempts of the Iraqi armed forces’ elite Golden Division to push the so-called Islamic State out of their last stronghold in the country.
She ended up staying for eight months and made a raw film from the front lines. Her Inside Mosul screens in the documentary films competition.
How difficult was it to get to the front line?
Extremely difficult. You need the generals’ approval and so on. For them it is of course a security risk to have someone like me there, whom they need to “take care of”. If someone inexperienced starts making mistakes out of fear, it could jeopardize everybody’s life.
Did you go through any training beforehand?
No, I just knew the basic safety rules, such as where to run for cover, but I gradually learned in the field. Before that I had been with the Kurdish Peshmerga for five months on the front line, but that was completely different because ISIS was some 800 meters away, so there was only mortar fire and there was an occasional offensive. Compared to Mosul it was nothing.
Did you have to learn Arabic?
I learned at least some basic sentences, such as “snipers are over there,” “airstrike is coming,” “car bomb,” and so on. I depended on the soldiers and had to gather what was going on from what they said for my own safety.
Why did you go to Iraq in the first place?
I studied photography in the Netherlands and was a freelance fashion photographer for six years. Then I started studying psychology because I had always been very interested in human psychology.
Over time, I became more and more interested in the refugee question and wanted to help the refugees somehow through photography. So I quit fashion and went by myself to take photographs in the refugee camps in Iraq. I returned there repeatedly and realized it was also necessary to show where these people are coming from, their background – the war.
Why does war look different in Hollywood movies? Who are the real people behind the Golden Division? And which risky destination did Jana Andert choose next? Read Iva Roze’s interview on page 3 of Thursday’s Festival Daily.
