Archive of films Land of Heroes / Ard al abtal

Belgium / Iraq
2011, 17 min

Section: Focus on Kurdish Film
Year: 2013

The Iran-Iraq War is coming to an end. A boy and girl collect weapons for their mother to sell. The kids are looking forward to watching cartoons but Saddam Hussein is speaking on every single TV station. Maybe it will be more fun playing war and torture with their brutal cousin.

Synopsis

A sleepy afternoon on April 18, 1988 during the last phase of the Iran-Iraq War. Ten-year-old Dileer, wearing a Spider-Man costume, and his sister Zienee are in the war zone collecting weapons and munitions for their mother to clean and then sell on the black market. Aunt Zeyneb has come for a visit with her son Malo. The kids are looking forward to watching cartoons, but Saddam Hussein is speaking on every single TV station. Maybe things will be more fun playing war and torture with their brutal cousin. The director, who drew on his own memories of the First Gulf War, took the title of the film from Saddam’s propaganda.

About the director

Sahim Omar Kalifa (b. 1980, Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan) has lived in Belgium since 2001, and there he studied audiovisual arts. He shot the movies Laatse Beslissing (2005), Zwart Water (2006), and Face to Face (2007), and graduated with the short Nan (2008). Land of the Heroes earned, among other prizes, a jury award from the Generation section at the 2011 Berlinale. In 2012 he shot another short film about war, children, and television entitled Baghdad messi.

Contacts

a team productions
Schipstraat 60, 9550, Herzele
Belgium
Tel: +32 497 464 180
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.ateamproductions.be

About the film

Color, DIGIBETA

Section:	Focus on Kurdish Film

Director:	Sahim Omar Kalifa
Screenplay:	Sahim Omar Kalifa
Dir. of Photography:	Robrecht Heyvaert, Kobe Van Steenberghe
Music:	Hannes de Maeyer
Editor:	Joren Desmidt
Producer:	Hendrik Verthé, Kobe Van Steenberghe
Production:	a team productions
Cast:	Ahmed Nisret, Zana Gandi, Adla Bapir, Naima Abdo, Faryal Bozan
Contact:	a team productions