This film is only available to Michigan audiences.

When As’ad, a 12-year-old rubbish picker, adopts an American sex doll from the Baghdad dumps, he crosses into a perilous red zone, finding himself caught in the crossfire between abusive forces of commercialism and fundamentalism in a world where defenders of humanism have lost their power. He embraces the courage it takes to not just survive, but live. About the Filmmaker <img src="https://themarkaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ahmed-yassin-al-daradji-the-markaz-review.jpg" width="272"> Ahmed Al-Daradji was born in 1986 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was involved as a sound recordist on the feature film&nbsp;Ahlaam&nbsp;made after the American invasion of Iraq in 2004. After graduating with a Bachelors in Audio &amp; Visual from the University of Baghdad, he then worked as a director of photography, writer and director for satellite stations and companies based in Baghdad. Ahmed was involved as a script writer, editor &amp; sound recordist on the short film&nbsp;My Name is Mohammed&nbsp;then worked as production assistant &amp; sound recordist in a second feature film&nbsp;Son of Babylon. He moved to London to study the MA filmmaking at London Film School. Whilst in London he shot his third short film&nbsp;Between the Two Banks. Recently he worked as part of the Iraq 35mm short film workshop, writing and directing the short film&nbsp;Children of God.

Hanging Gardens

When a young Iraqi rubbish picker rescues an American sex doll from the Baghdad dumps, he crosses into a perilous red zone, where friends become enemies and nothing is certain in an explosive mix of love, war and madness.

Talkback with Director Ahmed Al-Daradji

Michigan

Hanging Gardens & Talkback with Director Ahmed Al-Daradji

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