As a new generation of filmmakers from Afghanistan, we aim to reclaim and own our narrative by telling stories that were buried for centuries. For us, Cinema is rather a historic responsibility than an artistic exploration. It’s a medium where we practice to survive and create under constant fear of death and nothingness. It’s a search for identity and understanding of our complex relations with our homelands and the world we are living in.
Ilyas Yourish founded Kamay Film in Afghanistan and later moved its office to Brussels, Belgium, in August 2021. Born and raised in Kabul, he has traveled extensively throughout the country and was involved in various research and media projects. This helped him gain unique access and in-depth knowledge of his homeland. He graduated from the Journalism Faculty of Kabul University in 2014. Ilyas produced two short films in 2016 & 2017 and worked as location manager for the award-winning documentary “Kabul City in the Wind.” He is the producer and co-director of Kamay, a feature documentary currently in the post-production stage. This project has been supported by the world’s most prestigious film foundations, such as IDFA Bertha Fund, The Whickers Award, Sundance Documentary Fund, Berlinale World Cinema Fund, Catapult Film Fund, and Flemish Audiovisual Fund, among others. He is also producing Life in the Shadows, a feature documentary currently in the development stage by director K.D. This project has been supported by Docs Up Fund, IDFA Bertha Fund, Close Up Initiative & Mayfan Films. Ilyas is a pre-selection committee member of the IDFA Bertha Fund Classic and a producer consultant to several other projects in different development stages, including “The Etilaat Roz,” directed by Abbas Rezaie, which won the IDFA Award for the best first feature in IDFA 2022.