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Cinema season Stories from Iraq
From May 25, 2010 until June 25, 2010
Within the Iraqi Week, which Casa Árabe organizes from 20 to 25 June, from 4 to 25 June the cinema season Stories from Iraq will be replayed including two new titles: War, Love, God & Madness and Open Shutters Iraq, whose directors - Mohamed al-Daradji and Maysoon Pachachi- will take part in different activities with the audience.
A Stranger in his own Country, by Hassanain al-Hani (Iraq, 2007, 10 min.).
The short film portrays the life of Abu Ali, a refugee from Kirkuk who had to flee to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kerbala after the outbreak of the conflict. He is a peace-loving man, with a keen sense of justice who struggles to survive and to provide for his family, despite the difficult situation they find themselves in.
Turtles can fly, by Bahman Ghobadi (Iraq and Iran, 2004, 95 min.).
Inhabitants of a small village in the Iraqi Kurdistan, on the Iraqi-Turkish border, seek desesperately a satellite dish to watch news broadcasts from the upcoming US attack. From another village, a disabled boy arrives with his sister and a son of hers and he predicts the war is coming closer and closer.
Ahlaam, by Mohamed al-Daradji (Iraq, 2006, 105 min.)
In a war-torn Baghdad 2003, after Saddam Hussein's regime is overthrow lead by the United States, Ahlaam guides us in an incredible trip that begins in a mental asylum the night the American forces launch the “Shock and Awe” campaign and prepare for the final invasion.
A candle for Shabandar Cafe, by Emad Ali (Iraq, 2007, 23 min.).
The Shabandar Cafe was a cultural landmark where Iraqis came to discuss and debate literature and politics, a living storage of the country's intellectual history. Emad had filmed most of the movie in 2006, but in March 2007, a car bomb destroyed the Shabandar Cafe and killed many civilians.
Underexposure, by Oday Rasheed (Iraq and Germany, 2005, 67 min.).
The title does not only refers to the material with which it was filmed, but also to the situation of the people that for decades have been ignored by the rest of the world, and that through political and social swings dream of an end to their status of poverty and dessperation.
Life after the Fall, by Kasim Abid (Iraq, 2008, 155 min.).
An intimate documentary film on the changes a Baghdad family experiences after 2003. It juxtaposes the rhythms and concerns of everyday life with events of historical importance.
It is the story of the director's large Baghdad family as they struggle to accommodate the massive changes in their lives since the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003.
Leaving, by Bahram al-Zuhairi (Iraq, 2007, 23 min.).
With kidnappings and violence on the rise in their neighbourhood, a family from Baghdad makes the difficult decision to leave their home of 30 years to live in Damascus. The film records the family’s painful process of leaving Baghdad, their dangerous trip and their arrival at their new home.
Iraq in fragments, by James Longley (United States, 2006, 94 min.).
An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers three intimate portraits: a fatherless 12-year-old is apprenticed by the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at gun point; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the US presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied.
Open Shutters Iraq, by Maysoon Pachachi (Iraq, 2008, 102 min.).
The film records a photography project: a group of Iraqi women, from five cities in Iraq, live and work together in a traditional courtyard house in Damascus. There they are trained in photography, while they tell each other about their "life maps". This film explores the way in which traumatised and silenced people can resist the 'un-making' of their world, and assert their sense of existence with an act of creativity.
War, Love, God & Madness, by Mohamed al-Daradji (Iraq, United Kingdom and Holand 2008, 72 min.).
Al-Daradji portraits in this film the real Iraqi, his survival spirit, after twenty-five years of dictatorship, three wars and finally a military invasion.
At Casa Árabe's Auditorium in Madrid (c/ Alcalá, 62) at 19.30 p.m. –except Tuesday 22nd June, which will take place at 17.00. Original version subtitled in Spanish.
The short film portrays the life of Abu Ali, a refugee from Kirkuk who had to flee to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kerbala after the outbreak of the conflict. He is a peace-loving man, with a keen sense of justice who struggles to survive and to provide for his family, despite the difficult situation they find themselves in.
Turtles can fly, by Bahman Ghobadi (Iraq and Iran, 2004, 95 min.).
Inhabitants of a small village in the Iraqi Kurdistan, on the Iraqi-Turkish border, seek desesperately a satellite dish to watch news broadcasts from the upcoming US attack. From another village, a disabled boy arrives with his sister and a son of hers and he predicts the war is coming closer and closer.
Ahlaam, by Mohamed al-Daradji (Iraq, 2006, 105 min.)
In a war-torn Baghdad 2003, after Saddam Hussein's regime is overthrow lead by the United States, Ahlaam guides us in an incredible trip that begins in a mental asylum the night the American forces launch the “Shock and Awe” campaign and prepare for the final invasion.
A candle for Shabandar Cafe, by Emad Ali (Iraq, 2007, 23 min.).
The Shabandar Cafe was a cultural landmark where Iraqis came to discuss and debate literature and politics, a living storage of the country's intellectual history. Emad had filmed most of the movie in 2006, but in March 2007, a car bomb destroyed the Shabandar Cafe and killed many civilians.
Underexposure, by Oday Rasheed (Iraq and Germany, 2005, 67 min.).
The title does not only refers to the material with which it was filmed, but also to the situation of the people that for decades have been ignored by the rest of the world, and that through political and social swings dream of an end to their status of poverty and dessperation.
Life after the Fall, by Kasim Abid (Iraq, 2008, 155 min.).
An intimate documentary film on the changes a Baghdad family experiences after 2003. It juxtaposes the rhythms and concerns of everyday life with events of historical importance.
It is the story of the director's large Baghdad family as they struggle to accommodate the massive changes in their lives since the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003.
Leaving, by Bahram al-Zuhairi (Iraq, 2007, 23 min.).
With kidnappings and violence on the rise in their neighbourhood, a family from Baghdad makes the difficult decision to leave their home of 30 years to live in Damascus. The film records the family’s painful process of leaving Baghdad, their dangerous trip and their arrival at their new home.
Iraq in fragments, by James Longley (United States, 2006, 94 min.).
An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers three intimate portraits: a fatherless 12-year-old is apprenticed by the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at gun point; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the US presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied.
Open Shutters Iraq, by Maysoon Pachachi (Iraq, 2008, 102 min.).
The film records a photography project: a group of Iraqi women, from five cities in Iraq, live and work together in a traditional courtyard house in Damascus. There they are trained in photography, while they tell each other about their "life maps". This film explores the way in which traumatised and silenced people can resist the 'un-making' of their world, and assert their sense of existence with an act of creativity.
War, Love, God & Madness, by Mohamed al-Daradji (Iraq, United Kingdom and Holand 2008, 72 min.).
Al-Daradji portraits in this film the real Iraqi, his survival spirit, after twenty-five years of dictatorship, three wars and finally a military invasion.
At Casa Árabe's Auditorium in Madrid (c/ Alcalá, 62) at 19.30 p.m. –except Tuesday 22nd June, which will take place at 17.00. Original version subtitled in Spanish.
