It's not every day you see a ski movie that involves political unrest and military warfare. But the first film from b4apres, called "AZADI: Freedom," is exactly that. Directed by Anthony Bonello, the film was shot last winter in the disputed region of Gulmarg, Kashmir. "AZADI: Freedom" will premiere September 16 at the International Freeski Film Festival in Montreal. We spoke to Bonello about the making of the film.
A recent news report stated that 64 civilians have been killed in police and paramilitary action in Kashmir since June 11. Why the hell would you want to go skiing there?
That's a really good question and I ask myself that as we finish up the film while Kashmir is in turmoil again. Strictly in terms of skiing, the mountains there are stunning and the snow is incredible. The recent unrest has happened since our crew left and from speaking to Kashmiri friends, things are the worst they have been in many years. The thing I would point out though is that Kashmiris are now making their demands through protests and demonstrations, which is a significant shift from the militant activities of the 90s. This makes this outburst different from recent history in terms foreigners' safety.
Courtesy of b4apres.Guns, powder skis: just another day in Kashmir.So, the place isn't as dangerous as the media makes it seem?
It probably is if you are in the middle of a march through Srinagar, the capital. From personal experience, I know that Kashmiris have no ill feelings toward foreigners, and the military has no desire to deal with the consequences of infringing with a foreigner, so with some tact and due caution I believe Kashmir is a viable place to visit. It is yet to be seen though how the flare up this summer subsides as the winter approaches.
You call your movie a documentary. So what's it a story about?
We really struggled with what the film was: documentary, ski film, travel documentary. It's all of those things, I think. In terms of the story, there is no narrative, but more a collage of local characters articulating their dreams, frustrations and current situations, mixed with our experience as visitors, with a little geography and history lesson thrown in.
You skied off "the world's highest skiable gondola" at almost 13,000 feet. What was the skiing like?
Skiing in Gulmarg really is an adventure. There is no piste, you can venture in any direction from the top of the gondola, and there is no one to help you if you get in trouble. If you ski five runs in a day you have most likely had the best day of life. Lots of people compare it to heli skiing without the heli and I tend to agree.
Craziest experience you had while shooting this film?
I would have to say witnessing the Kashmiri ski patrol building bombs with the military. In order to control the one inbounds bowl in Gulmarg, the ski patrol sources their explosives from the military. It was astounding to see these two factions working together after the tension between Kashmiris and the military during the 90s. The fact that they were making bombs together was not lost on me.
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