Discoveries from Iraq World Cinema

Kurdish childhood friends Hussein and Alan want to produce a film about the genocide of Kurdish people in Iraq, the Anfal campaign in 1988. They learn that, to achieve veracity by the means of cinema and to face their own identity, it's worth putting everything on the line - even their own life.

It is the story of a foreign reporter who accompanies Kurdish rebels (Peshmerga) forces reporting on their national movement against the former dictatorship in Iraq. The government is informed about this and attacks the mountainous area to arrest her. What will the Peshmerga do?

A drama centered on the bond formed between different generations of Saudi women during a journey across the desert to Mecca. When the eldest granddaughter disappears, the grandmother travels to the north in search of the missing teenager.

Harun, a Kurdish freedom fighter, is haunted by the memories of war that have left him with post-traumatic stress, and burdened by a profound guilt. In an effort to seek solace, his friend takes him to see a group of Yarsan musicians (an ancient Kurdish religious group), who believe that their sacred Tanbur music can soothe the soul and cure illness. When the music cannot alleviate the burden of war from Harun’s heart, he is guided to Maryam, a traditional Kurdish tattooist who lives in a remote village located in the Triangle of Borders region, where Iran, Iraq, and Turkey cross. When Harun eventually opens up about his past, his memories intertwine with those of the village, and more is subsequently unveiled.

Qala falls in love with a girl, getting him in trouble.

On his wedding day, a Kurdish man must flee through Turkish, then Iraqi and eventually Iranian Kurdistan.

A young filmmaker, unable to express his emotions in reality, retreats behind the lens of his camera to create a surreal 'blue' world, seeking to preserve the simple details of his beloved that are slipping away in the real world.

In 1988 the Iraqi Ba'ath party murdered and buried 182,000 Kurds in 350 mass graves. Only 10 people managed to escape. Faraj climbed out from amongst the dead and was taken to the USA by 'Human Rights Watch'. Realizing that few people were aware of the genocidal 'Anfal' massacres, Faraj formed the 'Iraqi Mass Graves Survivors' group. He returned to Kurdistan where, with four other survivors, he bought 1001 red apples and cloves and distributed them to families who had lost members. These apples and cloves became symbols of reconciliation and peace.

One of the earliest Iraqi films, the plot revolves around a young Iraqi man working as a writer who flees to Cairo after being accused of murdering his uncle. He stays with a friend and gets to know his friend's daughter, eventually falling in love with her. He requests to marry her, and his friend agrees to his proposal. The young man continues to write to newspapers using his friend's name. However, when the murderer of his uncle is apprehended, a young man from Iraq informs him about the developments in the case.

Set during the Iraq-Iran war in the 80s, the film tells of a tragicomic road trip set in Iraq's Kurdistan.

The teenagers Shirin and Soran are in love and want to marry, but Shirin's father has arranged her marriage and forbids them. On her wedding night, Soran kidnaps her for them to be together.

"Inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's seminal work 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', THE GREAT CITY is a profound cinematic inquiry into the ontology of truth within the digital ruins of the modern world. The film navigates the psychological landscape of the 'Last Man', exploring the encroaching desert of the soul and the 'blind point' of human consciousness. Through a minimalist and melancholic visual language, it challenges the viewer to confront the illusions of contemporary existence and the search for authentic meaning in an era of absolute spiritual void."

The film tells the story of two brothers who exchange places so that one of them can escape from prison.

Bahoz is 19 years old and lives surrounded by nature and beautiful landscapes. Every day, he goes to the mountains to hunt although he catches very little. But today will be the day that will change his life forever.

A love story between a poor boy and a rich girl.

Reza is a freelance journalist who accidentally finds clues from Hiwa, an Iraqi soldier who saved Reza years ago in the harsh conditions of war. He leaves for Iraq to answer the issues he has been hiding from those around him for years.

“The Woodman” is a feature film with a thriller theme with a life size wooden dummy as the protagonist. It is a fairy tale about the outsiders in the world represented by the Woodman. This story is the reverse of the usual representation – the Woodman is now on the search of his home, chased by evil powers invisible in the film, he wants to go back to his forest, he wants to go home.

The first Iraqi film in Technicolor narrates the biography of the renowned Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar II, the builder of the Hanging Gardens. It depicts his experiences, bravery, and confrontations with surrounding enemies, highlighting the challenges he faced during his reign.

At a moment when things are falling apart in a marriage, one woman finds a unique solution to shift to another dimension and communicate with her spouse.

A story of a doctor who's in a mentally complicated situation and the events of this story leave him with no hope in life and slowly deteriorate his mental stability even further

Three Kurdish immigrants arrive in the UK, as illegal aliens to seek asylum. Finding they now belong to London's underground.

In a suspenseful and dramatic setting, the story unfolds around a night guard who develops feelings for a beautiful widow in the neighborhood he watches over during the night. In the same residence, a painter resides who creates a painting for her. Believing there is a connection between the painter and the widow, the night guard proposes to her, but she rejects him. Subsequently, a burglary occurs in the house, resulting in the theft of the painting. However, a fire breaks out in the night guard's own house, ultimately aiding in the revelation of his crime.

It begins with a notification, a follow, a view, a possibility. What seems small quickly becomes consuming, as a young woman finds her world quietly reshaped by someone who barely knows she exists. Curiosity turns into fixation, and feeling starts to feel like fate.

Radical Islamist militants attack a village in Iraq where a young Yazidi love couple prepares for marriage. From that moment onwards their lives are turned into a nightmare.

Two homeless Kurdish brothers see Superman in the town's first movie theatre and decide they are going to live with him in the US. It's a long, dangerous road in the hands of ruthless human smugglers.

A love story grows between Aliya and Eesaam, as Aliya is drawn to Eesaam and keeps her love secret. Eesaam reciprocates the same feelings, with members of the tribe recognizing the virtues of each and their personalities, deepening their love. However, the feud between the two tribes stands as an obstacle to their love. Will they be able to overcome it?

Taking place across three different time periods, a child discovers his passion for directing after watching a film crew at work. He embarks on a journey to pursue his dream, facing family and societal challenges. The suspenseful events escalate until a shocking revelation turns the story upside down, leaving viewers in a state of shock.

In 1980s Erbil, five boys from broken childhoods and forgotten streets found their identity behind the wheel of a stolen blue Volkswagen — they called it “The Brazili.” What began as survival soon spiraled into violence, fear, and infamy. The Blue Brazili is a haunting tale of lost youth, crime, and the dark path that trauma can carve through a life.

A detective abandoned his daughter right after his wife's death for a governmental mission. This made her daughter angry. He risks his life to find his daughters missing best friend in order to fix their relationship. Their search leads them to face a deadly organ trafficking band who has blackmailed a doctor for harvesting the organs.

A short film about Frank lampard.

The story follows Tawfiq, a young man who witnesses profound social and political changes that reveal the pervasive and enduring corruption in his country, Iraq.

For Nariman the pilot and Helly Luv, an aspiring singer, being Kurdish is not just an identity; it’s a full-time job. Nariman needs young recruits for his flying school—a goal made darkly comic since he just survived a plane crash—while the illustrious Helly collects Kalashnikov rifles and a sea of Kurdish flags to produce her music video. In the midst of another war against the Kurdish people, Nariman reminisces about a long-lost love, and Helly finds herself connecting with Kurdish children at a refugee camp near the Syrian border, who are in urgent need of inspiration and hope.

The Little Black Fish tells the tale of a small, inquisitive fish who dares to question the limitations of her world—the stream where generations of fish have lived without exploring beyond. Driven by curiosity and a thirst for truth, she embarks on a brave journey beyond the known waters, encountering various creatures, dangers, and wonders. Her journey becomes a powerful metaphor for resistance, growth, and the importance of independent thought.

A true story that occurred during the Iraq-Iran war, where one of the Iranian shells hit the bride Lamia on her wedding night. The story narrates the reality of the border city (Mandali) situated between Iraq and Iran, where the girl Lamia maintains loving relationships with everyone, highlighting the role of infiltrators like the madman who transmits information about the city to the other side.

Before the July 1958 revolution, Abu Saeed decides to incite the peasants to rebel against Sheikh Majid Al-Iqtai, who had burned their crops, exploited them, and enslaved them for many years. He succeeds in rallying the people's spirits against him.

A suicidal person believes everyone deserves to die, but he soon discovers that he desperately needs help. Death is not a solution.

(Nadia), who was born and raised in (France), returns to (Iraq) to rediscover her roots and origins. During this journey, (Nadia) gradually uncovers the story of her grandfather, Haj (Najm) Al-Baqal, the owner of the date shop, and the man who was one of the prominent leaders of the revolution in (Najaf) against British colonialism in 1918. The film sheds light on the impact that Haj (Najm) Al-Baqal's struggle left on the people of (Najaf).

Kurdish Iranian filmmaker Beri Shalmashi travels from the Netherlands to the border with Iran in Iraqi Kurdistan, where she encounters activists who participated in the protests that were sparked by the death of Jina Amini in Tehran in September 2022. She explores first hand accounts of the current uprising and life as a Kurdish person under the oppressive Islamic regime. What is boiling at the edge of the revolution?

Ali has been brought up in Iran and after his mother's death, He finds out that his true family lives in Kurdistan, Iraq. They have been parted because of the Halabja chemical attack in 1988. The movie portrays the torment and suffering families faced, due to the regime of Baaths in Iraq and particularly Kurdistan.

A deminer in the war against Daesh, a Kurdish fighter loses his hand in an accident. He became a taxi driver but, not having a driving license for the disabled, the police seized his vehicle. Under pressure from his wife who wants him to go to Europe, the man is ready for anything...

A solitary Street Vendor navigates his daily routine in a bustling city, his Megaphone his constant companion. He grapples with his inner turmoil and the relentless daily pressures of the urban landscape surrounding him. Can he keep a balance?

Filmed and directed by the Iraqis themselves -- thousands of them, from all walks of life, all over their country. The producers, who distributed more than 150 digital video cameras across the country, condensed more than 400 hours of footage into an unprecedented, and startling, look at life in a war zone. It's a new genre of filmmaking.

Aga is a story about a Kurdish child who escaped the Ba'ath regime during the Anfal of his family and village. Aga is also a reminder of the suffering that Kurds have suffered at the hands of their enemies.

When "Hussain" finds himself powerless to save his mother from the grip of cancer and loses all hope of affording her treatment, a mysterious hand from another world reaches out to him, turning his reality upside down and presenting him with an unimaginable choice.

New Iraqi Film

In a comedic framework, the story follows two friends living in Baghdad, Iraq, as they experience a series of humorous and awkward situations in their everyday lives. The film was not released due to technical issues.

Recording a 24-hour period throughout every country in the world, we explore a greater diversity of perspectives than ever seen before on screen. We follow characters and events that evolve throughout the day, interspersed with expansive global montages that explore the progression of life from birth, to death, to birth again. In the end, despite unprecedented challenges and tragedies throughout the world, we are reminded that every day we are alive there is hope and a choice to see a better future together. Founded in 2008, it set out to explore our planet's identity and challenges in an attempt to answer the question: Who are we?

The events take place between Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Chases and searches occur between the police and smugglers, where a group of villains stole the head of King Santrouk II, who held a significant position in history.

This interactive documentary recreates a time and place that only exists in the memories of Iranian Kurds who are forced to live in diaspora around the world. Many people died during the events recounted here and in the years that followed.

Aza, a mentally challenged young man from a small village, is determined to get married. Ignoring his father's objections, he heads to the city to find a job. What follows is a series of comedic misadventures as Aza struggles to survive in a world he doesn't fully understand—failing at jobs, stumbling into trouble, and eventually turning to begging. After his chaotic city experience, he heads back to his village, where everyone’s been waiting to see what became of him.

A mentally handicapped girl has been raped a few months ago. Her parents, Jalal and Maryam are trying to abort the baby and get rid of it but something worse happens

The film is based on a true story. It talks about the end of War and defeat of forces and the relation between Kurds and Arabs by the end of 1991.

Saleh inherits a building after the death of his uncle, he is surprised to find out that tenants living in the building are suffering from different kind of problems caused by his late uncle especially the high rent that he used to collect from them which is higher than the amount agreed on in the contract. Saleh gets an offer from a rich man who wants to buy the building by any price but Saleh refuses that causes the rich man to ask one of his men to do the job of scaring the tenants so they would leave the building.

Rawa dreams of singing on stage and studying in college of fine arts, after he reaches his dreams what will destiny do to him?

When his friends introduce him to a pretty girl, Aras falls in love with her and wants to propose to her.

a two guys travel on a train for something they searching for

In a small village classroom, a teacher often transforms the blackboard with a simple white sheet. When it is taken for a burial rite, the children refuse to let their moment slip away – and set out to reclaim what they were promised.

An Iraqi romantic comedy