The Road Appears When You Begin | Joe Eshwar | TEDxOsney
Description: What do you do when you know where you want to go, but the road ahead isn't visible?
Filmmaker and writer Joe Eshwar shares the extraordinary journey behind his film 8119 Miles, a project born from a conversation with a Kurdish man who had survived war, displacement, and loss.
The film seemed impossible. Producers withdrew. Actors said no. The conventional path disappeared. But instead of waiting for certainty, Joe chose to begin with the people willing to take the journey with him.
With a small camera, three lenses, limited resources, and two friends, the team travelled across countries, faced extreme conditions, encountered unexpected people, and eventually completed the film without a conventional studio or crew.
The journey taught Joe that courage is not the absence of fear. It is the repeated decision not to let fear choose the direction.
Sometimes the road does not appear before you begin. Sometimes it appears because you begin. Joe Eshwar is a British-Indian filmmaker, writer and documentary director based in Liverpool. Originally from Kerala, his work explores migration, memory, spirituality and belonging. His films include Kunthapura, recognized at the Kerala State Film Critics Awards; 8119 Miles, inspired by a Kurdish refugee’s story and screened at international festivals; and Dawpech: The Trap, a Marathi film featuring acclaimed actor Prasad Oak. He has directed approximately fifteen documentaries for Shalom World Television. His upcoming Malayalam feature, Garudavruthantham (The Chronicles of Garuda), examines ancestral roots, environmental memory and the complexities of returning home. Through The Unscripted Banyan, he shares stories of ordinary people, forgotten places and cultural heritage, while his Taiga Wisdom series explores faith and spiritual searching. Drawn to Central Asia, the Balkans and the Silk Road, Eshwar approaches storytelling as an act of witnessing the overlooked truths of everyday This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx Close description
Filmmaker and writer Joe Eshwar shares the extraordinary journey behind his film 8119 Miles, a project born from a conversation with a Kurdish man who had survived war, displacement, and loss.
The film seemed impossible. Producers withdrew. Actors said no. The conventional path disappeared. But instead of waiting for certainty, Joe chose to begin with the people willing to take the journey with him.
With a small camera, three lenses, limited resources, and two friends, the team travelled across countries, faced extreme conditions, encountered unexpected people, and eventually completed the film without a conventional studio or crew.
The journey taught Joe that courage is not the absence of fear. It is the repeated decision not to let fear choose the direction.
Sometimes the road does not appear before you begin. Sometimes it appears because you begin. Joe Eshwar is a British-Indian filmmaker, writer and documentary director based in Liverpool. Originally from Kerala, his work explores migration, memory, spirituality and belonging. His films include Kunthapura, recognized at the Kerala State Film Critics Awards; 8119 Miles, inspired by a Kurdish refugee’s story and screened at international festivals; and Dawpech: The Trap, a Marathi film featuring acclaimed actor Prasad Oak. He has directed approximately fifteen documentaries for Shalom World Television. His upcoming Malayalam feature, Garudavruthantham (The Chronicles of Garuda), examines ancestral roots, environmental memory and the complexities of returning home. Through The Unscripted Banyan, he shares stories of ordinary people, forgotten places and cultural heritage, while his Taiga Wisdom series explores faith and spiritual searching. Drawn to Central Asia, the Balkans and the Silk Road, Eshwar approaches storytelling as an act of witnessing the overlooked truths of everyday This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx Close description