A documentary project 2 years in the making – we follow portrait photographer Joey L on a journey to photograph the guerrilla fighters of Kurdistan as they try to liberate their home from ISIS.

The entire feature-length film is shot by Joey (and some friendly strangers) using only a GoPro and a prosumer drone. This was obviously a delicate, charged, and complicated narrative to construct – balancing the nuances of the complex geopolitical situation, with the humanity of the young fighters, all the while following the emotional arc of Joey himself as he put his life at risk to help tell this story.

Furthermore, the fighters often used humor as a coping mechanism, so we welcomed the challenge of juxtaposing this levity with the painful truths of the war. All around this was a challenging project, but it was also a true labor of love.

DIRECTED BY:        Joey L
EDITOR:             Joe Accardi