Inspired by the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in which millions of innocent civilians died, The Quarter of Scarecrows is a disturbing allegory about tyranny. The film depicts an infestation of crows on a rich landowner’s property and how a group of children become captivated by them. First time director Hassan Ali Mahmood uses heavy symbolism to deliver a brilliant piece on the misery and horrors of war, in a film which introduces a new wave of post-war Iraqi filmmakers.
The previously advertised post-screening Q&A has been cancelled. Unfortunately, the film’s director Hassan Ali Mahmud and producer Shakhawan Idris were both unable to obtain UK visas. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause.
Plus Short Film/ Land of the Heroes (12A)
Dir Sahim Omar Kalifa/BE 2011/17 mins/Kurdish wEng ST
Rural Iraq, 1988. Saddam’s victory propaganda monopolises the TV. While their mother and auntie are polishing artillery, young Dileer and Zienee’s must tolerate cousin Malo – a bullying little spitfire. Under sweltering heat, both adults and children display the desensitising effects of war. A thought-provoking and hard-hitting story from the Eastern home-front.