Through a mix of narrative, documentary and experimental shorts produced all around the world, we present seven stories chronicling the struggles faced by Iraqis over the past 50 years. From the Iraq-Iran War to Desert Storm to ISIS and the persecution of the Yazidi people, these films offer us windows into a world that many of us don't see.
This program includes the following films:
In the Shadow of Paradise (United States) dir. Sahar al-Sawaf & Thomas Helman
Mother is Back (Iraq) dir. Rami Al-Shatri
The Black Veil (Qatar) dir. A.J. Al-Thani
Aziz (United States) dir. Ramiel Petros
Grace (Australia) dir. Brian Patto
Safia (Iraq) dir. Ahmed Abd
Ido (Iraq) dir. Saman Mustefa
Safia is an intimate portrait of the life of a young Iraqi girl post-ISIS. Set in the lavish nature of mount Sinjar, the film observes the psychological impact of war and atrocities on the young Yazidi girl and her family. At the tender age of twelve, Safia assumes the role of a mother rather than a carefree child. The film is a poetic depiction of life in the shadows of conflict.
About the filmmaker:
Born and raised in Baghdad, Ahmed Abd is Iraq’s most promising filmmaker. Growing up in the aftermath of the 2003 war, he escaped the daily violence by joining the Iraqi Independent Film Centre where he fell in love with cinema. There, he made two award winning films: The War Nest and Birds of Sinjar which won the best journalism award at the BBC Arabic Festival in 2019. His feature length documentary The Fifth Storywon the IDFA FIPRESCI award in 2020 and he is currently developing his first fiction film film.
- Year2021
- Runtime21 minutes
- LanguageKurdish
- CountryIraq
- PremiereWorld
- DirectorAhmed Abd
- ProducerArij Al-Soltan, Ahmed Abd
- CastSafia Barakat
Through a mix of narrative, documentary and experimental shorts produced all around the world, we present seven stories chronicling the struggles faced by Iraqis over the past 50 years. From the Iraq-Iran War to Desert Storm to ISIS and the persecution of the Yazidi people, these films offer us windows into a world that many of us don't see.
This program includes the following films:
In the Shadow of Paradise (United States) dir. Sahar al-Sawaf & Thomas Helman
Mother is Back (Iraq) dir. Rami Al-Shatri
The Black Veil (Qatar) dir. A.J. Al-Thani
Aziz (United States) dir. Ramiel Petros
Grace (Australia) dir. Brian Patto
Safia (Iraq) dir. Ahmed Abd
Ido (Iraq) dir. Saman Mustefa
Safia is an intimate portrait of the life of a young Iraqi girl post-ISIS. Set in the lavish nature of mount Sinjar, the film observes the psychological impact of war and atrocities on the young Yazidi girl and her family. At the tender age of twelve, Safia assumes the role of a mother rather than a carefree child. The film is a poetic depiction of life in the shadows of conflict.
About the filmmaker:
Born and raised in Baghdad, Ahmed Abd is Iraq’s most promising filmmaker. Growing up in the aftermath of the 2003 war, he escaped the daily violence by joining the Iraqi Independent Film Centre where he fell in love with cinema. There, he made two award winning films: The War Nest and Birds of Sinjar which won the best journalism award at the BBC Arabic Festival in 2019. His feature length documentary The Fifth Storywon the IDFA FIPRESCI award in 2020 and he is currently developing his first fiction film film.
- Year2021
- Runtime21 minutes
- LanguageKurdish
- CountryIraq
- PremiereWorld
- DirectorAhmed Abd
- ProducerArij Al-Soltan, Ahmed Abd
- CastSafia Barakat