This powerfully moving drama follows teen Kabi during the final years of Jewish life in Iraq. In the early 1950s, Iraqi Jews, the oldest Jewish community in the world, fled rising persecution and immigrated to Israel. The film reveals the complex existence of Iraqi Jews who had strong ties to the surrounding Muslim world and Arabic culture, yet simultaneously feared for its safety. It pays tribute to the nearly 130,000 Jews who fled the country. Based on Eli Amir's best-selling novel Farewell Baghdad.

On Thursday, May 18 at 7 PM PST, Iraqi-born author Joseph Samuels will share a very personal presentation via Zoom.

Sponsored by the Independent Jewish World Cinema in partnership with JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa).

Co-sponsored by CCJCC, Congregation B'nai Shalom and Diablo Valley Hadassah.

Joe Samuels was born in the Jewish Quarter of the old city of Baghdad in Dec. 1930. His mother tongue is Arabic, and he grew up believing Baghdad was his home and Iraq was his country. The Farhud – the Jewish massacre of June 1, 1941 – totally shattered this belief at the young age of 10. Fearing for his life, he smuggled to Iran where he flew to Israel and became a homeless, penniless refugee.

In 1956, three years after serving in the Israeli Navy, he left to Montreal, Canada and in 1978, Joe moved to Santa Monica, California with his wife Ruby and his three children, where he is still residing. In 2020, at the age of 90, he published his memoir. Beyond the Rivers of Babylon – which was just translated it to Arabic. He is currently in the final stages of a screenplay adaptation and is looking for a sponsor.