A producer, director, and cinematographer, Polish filmmaker Hanna Polak received an Academy Award and a News and Documentary Emmy nomination for the documentary short “The Children of Leningradsky.” Her other credits include the feature documentary “Something Better to Come,” “Love and Rubbish,” and “Battle of Warsaw 1920 in 3D.” Screened at festivals around the world, including Sundance, IDFA, and True/False, Polak’s films have appeared on major television networks such as HBO and Canal+.

“Angels of Sinjar” is screening at the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, which is taking place April 28-May 8. Find more information on the fest’s website.

[Warning: this interview contains discussion of disturbing activity.]

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

HP: The film is a testimony of the Yezidi genocide. It includes testimonials of ISIS brutality and systematic ethnic and religious cleansing — crimes committed against Yezidis because they are a religious minority. This genocide is an ongoing one. In Sinjar the homes of the Yezidis remain destroyed, and this disputed territory of Sinjar, Northern Iraq, remains unstable and dangerous.

Most of the 350,000 Yezidis that survived ISIS massacres live as IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) in tents, in overcrowded camps in the territory of Kurdistan. There is no work for them there, no schools, and no future. There is no psychological assistance for those who were tortured by ISIS and who returned to their people after they had spent years in ISIS captivity. They are not granted asylum in other countries where they could experience safety and start rebuilding their lives.

Traumatized, Yezidis feel betrayed by those who were tasked with protecting them from the horrendous suffering they’ve had to face as an entire nation and society. Thousands of women and children are still, to this day, in captivity — and thousands remain missing. Year after year, no help is forthcoming — from anywhere on Earth.

The film is, specifically, a tribute to the greatness of some Yezidi individuals who feature prominently in the film: Hanifa, Saeed, and other amazing Yezidis. This is a tribute to the human spirit: proof that the best of humanity always prevails. We see beautiful human beings who are motivated by love, kindness, and friendship, who are brave and who sacrifice themselves to save others, who smile and laugh in the face of constant danger and despair. “Angels of Sinjar” reflects on the light of human nature, which is shining especially brightly against the heart of darkness in Northern Iraq at this particular moment in time.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

HP: One of the first stories of the Yezidi genocide that I heard was about children. An ISIS militant tortured and killed a one-year-old baby in front of her mother’s eyes, whom he kept captive. Another story was of the Yezidi children who were brainwashed into becoming ISIS fighters and suicide bombers. After the training, two brothers, 10 and 12 years old, went on a suicide mission. These stories were so horrific they left me speechless, sleepless, and physically unwell. I knew that a comprehensive story of this twenty-first-century genocide must be told, and places of the massacres of the Yezidi genocide needed to be documented for history and posterity. But what especially drew me to the subject of the film were the Yezidi people: peace-loving, friendly, beautiful as a nation, and extremely kind and principled human beings who became the tragic victims of this carnage.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

HP: I hope viewers will think about why we cause wars and why neighbors kill neighbors. Why do we allow ourselves to become so polarized and divided instead of showing respect, patience, and kindness to one another, because in my opinion, that is where wars begin.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

HP: There were many challenges in making this film. The rare local language spoken by the Yezidi posed a challenge when filming. Access to remote and dangerous locations required a lot of luck and many permits to get there and film. And tough choices had to be made in the editing room, as I had filmed many survivors in order to capture as much evidence of the genocide as possible.

Another challenge was keeping my sanity after being immersed in the fumes of war and those heartbreaking testimonies. But perhaps the biggest challenge was experiencing the despair and hopelessness of the film’s protagonists at the time.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

HP: The film was produced by my company Hanna Polak Films LLC, Saxonia Entertainment, HBO Max, ZDF/ARTE, Czech TV, Polish Film Institute, and Media Creative Europe, with some additional small grants and awards.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

HP: I love art. I first studied acting. However, in 1999 I met homeless children on the streets and at the railway stations in Moscow. There were hundreds and thousands of them living and dying there. In addition to the direct help that I tried to deliver to them with a group of my friends, I thought of using the camera to tell their stories to the world. To do this in the best way possible, I went to film school in Moscow to learn cinematography from the masters. Vadim Yusov, the DoP of some of Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpieces of cinema became my teacher. As a result, those homeless kids are the direct inspiration to use the camera for telling stories and saving the world with it.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

HP: Bruce Davidson, Magnum photographer, advised me: “Stay, stay longer.” By that he meant that just when you think you are done filming and are ready to turn off the camera and leave, you should be patient. He knew that if you “stayed long enough” or even longer, something magical might happen in front of the camera.

My wonderful friend Ricky Leacock, one of the pioneers of documentary cinema, advised me to learn how to put down the camera and no matter what, just be with my protagonist as a friend, to not kill the relationship with the constant filming. When he filmed a movie on Leonard Bernstein, he noticed how the camera was destroying his friendship with Leonard. Despite temptations, he would put the camera down for days and just be there, listen, spend time together with this man who was also the subject of his film.

Stan Neumann, a wonderful editor and director, taught me to think about what the particular edited scene “is really about.”

I don’t know if I ever received any bad advice. Even if the advice was not so great, I could bounce back from it and get inspired to find a better solution.

W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?

HP: When you are faced with something too big, too demanding, remember, “How do you eat an elephant?”

The answer: “A little at a time – bit by bit.”

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

HP: I especially love the movies by the Czech director Helena Trestíková, which are filmed over a long period of time! Amongst those films are “Katka” and “René – The Prisoner of Freedom.” Her time-lapse documentaries spanning many years are a unique mirror of life.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

HP: This should come to an end and never repeat again.

W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes, and reinforcing—and creating—negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?

HP: People of color have their unique, inspiring stories and history. We need to hear those stories and see them onscreen. The universal stories bring us closer to each other, so we just need more such universal stories to be told.