09-04-2025
'All The Mountains Give': Poetic Kurdish Kolbar film hits London
Baghdad ( – Kurdish director Arash Raksha's debut feature, 'All That the Mountains Grant,' is garnering praise from The Guardian for its poetic style ahead of its London premiere on April 11th, 2025. The film provides an immersive look into the perilous lives of Kolbar, Kurdish porters smuggling goods across the Iran-Iraq border.
Filmed over six years in the treacherous Zagros Mountains, the movie follows friends Hamid and Yasser, documenting their grueling work carrying heavy loads while facing constant threats from harsh terrain, border patrols, and deadly landmines left from the Iran-Iraq war – dangers claiming nearly 200 Kolbar lives yearly.
The Guardian highlights Raksha's 'poetic cinematic style,' capturing both the somber beauty and immense risks. Despite the tension, the film reveals moments of warmth, friendship, and quiet resilience through scenes of family life, underscored by a poignant score from Aso Kohzadi and Michael Assian.
This impactful debut offers a powerful, artistically rendered window into the Kolbar struggle, showcasing human endurance against overwhelming odds as it launches Raksha's voice onto the international stage.
