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Its 1993. I’m standing in the lobby of the Holiday Inn, Sarajevo. The front half of this hotel shot to
bits, the back half stacked up with the great and the good of the
press pack - scribblers, snappers, TV reporters. I’m 25 years old and
its just over a year since I first stepped into a war zone. Across the
bar is Robert King. He’s one of the few here with even less war
experience than me. Unlike any hacks I’ve ever met, Robert is
completely honest about his inexperience. He’s propping up the bar
telling me, “Man, I lived in Brooklyn for years. But I had no idea war
would be like this!”. He’s got 800 bucks in his pocket and is
having to scam free lunches from the hotel restaurant then move to
another place setting before the waiters notice.
I really warm to Robert. Amongst the tight-lipped bravado of the
press pack he’s a breath of fresh air. He wears his heart on his
sleeve and is completely honest about all the troubles he’s having. My
friend Vaughan Smith and I have been trying to make a film about
the hacks. Its not been easy. Most of them have made their excuses and ducked
out. All these journalists are quite happy to turn their cameras and
editorial focus on others but when it comes to being the subject
themselves - not a chance!
Robert is different. Its his first time in a war-zone and it’s not
proving easy. He gets shot at on the front line, fired by his agent
and sets light to his flat. His honesty, persistence in the face of
adversity and innate good humor are hard to beat for a documentary.
But who’d have ever thought I’d still be with him, making the same
film 15 years later? I thought he’d give up, burn out, or get killed.
But all these years on, he’s still doing it. He’s one of the few.
I pretty much gave up going to wars ten years ago. I did my stint in the 90's then turned my hand to other things. Its easier when you think you’re invincible. When
you’re in your 20’s and nothing bad has ever really happened. Then the
fear creeps in, the doubt, the cynicism. It gets in your guts and
sickens you. You imagine ever tiny moment after the shell comes
through your wall - the dust and debris swirling and the numbness in
your legs. Its pretty hard to work in these places when your
imagination is firing on all four cylinders.
So people change. Robert has changed and so have I. He’s more
comfortable under fire than most hacks now. Its his mainstay of
income.Iraq is his main pay cheque and he’s had front covers on some of
the world’s biggest publications. He jokes with me when we get kicked
off a convoy in Ghazalia, Baghdad and I tell him “at least we’re
alive”. He thinks I’ve gone soft, lost my nerve. He’s right. We have
all changed. And in some ways this is maybe the strongest asset of the
film we’ve made. It’s sense of change. Robert’s character arcs from
his initial naivety, through success and hedonism in the former to a
more steady period of marriage and family life. There is something
utterly compelling in seeing someone transform as years are compressed
to minutes on film.
I don’t think I could have made this film ten years ago. At that
time I didn’t register how it was Robert’s own family dysfunction that
attracted him to wars. I also didn’t see how my own had. I was
blissfully naive. But ten years on, after several colleagues have
fallen, the world seems a far more complex place. So in some ways this
film - Blood Trail - also
reflects how I’ve changed.
It has always been a tough film to sell. I talked about that
recently with Channel 4 and you can listen to the interview on the 4Talent website. The previous version was more like a comedy set
in a war zone. A coming of age film with comic twists and an engaging,
honest central character. The TV industry was simply not equipped to
deal with such a film, set in an arena that was normally dominated by
‘current affairs’. Maybe they also felt it was too much like navel
gazing.
Co producer Vaughan Smith and I struggled on with the film,
believing that there was a great story to be told. We were turned down
by virtually every channel and the few European sales we did make
trickled in, barely covering costs. Now 15 years on, I find myself
remortgaging my flat to pay the bills, stubbornly believing that this
film can finally find its feet. The feedback has been excellent and
acceptance to great festivals like Toronto a real endorsement. So
we’re hoping that after 15 years, the tide is turning and perhaps we
can close the door on this long standing labour of love.
Since screening at Britdoc there’s been a bit of a buzz growing about the film.
We've had really positive feedback about Blood Trail and acceptance to
fantastic festivals like Torontohas very much helped. We've had a lot
of phone calls and emails from interested sales agents and
distributors not to mention other festivals. All of which has is
extremely heartwarming after spending 15 years on this long standing
labour of love.
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