This screening presents two illuminating documentaries charting the country’s literary and cinematic heritage, and the lives of its ordinary citizens. The films present intimate portraits of a rich cultural tradition, as well as incredible signs of resilience by individuals in the most testing of circumstances.
A Candle for the Shabandar Café
Dir Emad Ali/IQ 2007/25 mins/Arabic wEng ST
Founded in 1917, the Shabandar Café in Al Mutanabbi Street is situated in the heart of old Baghdad. It was a cultural landmark – a living repository of Iraqi intellectual history and one of the last places where people could gather to exchange ideas.
Tonight, Next Week
Dir Khalid Alzhraou/IQ NL 2009/44 mins/Arabic wEng ST
At its peak, Iraq had more than 80 cinemas and produced over 100 feature films. Today Iraq has lost the majority of its cinemas and with most of its original film prints missing, this film questions: how will the culture of cinema continue to survive?