Iraqi Cinema finds New Direction

The center has managed to show 45 films in 14 Iraqi provinces, reaching the countryside, including al-Ahwar, the marshes in southernmost Iraq. The center has tried to expand its activities, but the Iraqi government bureaucracy has hampered its efforts. Hayal said, “In 2006, the center submitted a 30-page project to the Iraqi parliament explaining a mechanism to establish a fund to support independent cinema. The project was supposed to be brought to the attention of the parliament, but it was ignored.”

The center is now focusing on producing six films by prominent filmmakers, including Rasheed. His new film is an adaptation of the book “Ya Maryam,” by the Iraqi novelist Sanan Antoun. The novel follows the lives of Christians amid the security chaos and spreading violence, including the threats they face.

Hayal noted, “The center seeks to raise a future generation of young filmmakers who are aware of the new techniques in cinema production.” He said he aims to “create independent cinema that does not obey ideologies.” He explained, "This cannot happen unless there are independent cinema productions and enough support from several festivals, in addition to an international fund.”

Young filmmakers meet daily in an old Baghdad house built in the early 1920s. The theater directorate had gifted the house to the center upon its establishment as a place to hold workshops and to develop concepts that would eventually be brought to the big screen.

The future of cinema in Iraq depends on the individual efforts of young directors. It is an emerging experiment requiring workshops and scholarships to European countries to foster growth. The Iraqi Ministry of Culture has not yet turned its attention to the importance of the Iraqi film industry, which is capable of delivering humanitarian messages that could potentially help curb the extremism and sectarian conflict that have afflicted Iraq for more than a decade.

(Cinema image via Shutterstock)