Iraqi actress and filmmaker Zahraa Ghandour, who stars in the Locarno Festival screener “Baghdad in My Shadow,” by Iraqi-born Swiss filmmaker Samir, is making her first independent feature document…
, who stars in the Locarno Festival screener “Baghdad in My Shadow,” by Iraqi-born Swiss filmmaker Samir, is making her first independent feature documentary about one of Iraq’s leading women’s rights advocates., known as a fearless champion of human rights in Iraq since the 1960s.
In “Baghdad in My Shadow,” Ghandour plays Amal, an Iraqi woman trying to start a new life in London. The ensemble drama revolves around a group of Iraqi immigrants and once idealistic socialists who regularly meet and work at a local cafe, including Taufiq , an aging poet haunted by his past, and young gay IT specialist Muhannad , who is trying but failing to keep his romance a secret.
“Definitely homosexuality is the biggest taboo in this film,” Ghandour said. “This thing is just death in Iraq, no other discussion, immediately. It’s not getting any better. … A lot of homosexual people live all their lives hiding it, pretending and being miserable because it’s not an option to be open. Or they just dream of a way out, even if they love their city and they’re successful, they just leave and start from zero.
For Ghandour, “Baghdad in My Shadow” marks her second feature film after Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji’s 2017 drama “The Journey,” which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and became Iraq’s entry for the Academy Awards’ best foreign-language film.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. service member killed during combat operation in IraqA United States service member who was advising Iraqi security forces was killed Saturday in the northern Nineveh province of Iraq, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Read more »
US service member killed during combat operation in IraqA United States service member who was advising Iraqi security forces was killed Saturday in the northern Nineveh province of Iraq, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Read more »
Officials identify US service member killed during combat operation in IraqOfficials have identified the United States service member who was killed Saturday in the northern Nineveh province of Iraq while advising Iraqi security forces, according to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Read more »
Kylie Jenner and Khloé Kardashian Filmed a Drunk Makeup Tutorial TogetherShots, shots, shots, and...eye shadow?
Read more »
There is a need for fresh thinking on human rightsAn administration that wanted to lead a good-faith review of human rights could have drawn support from across the political spectrum
Read more »
How Love, Antosha Became Exactly the Kind of Film Anton Yelchin Would Have MadeWith the Yelchins’ blessing, producer drakedoremus and director Garret Price crafted a provocative and unflinching examination of a young talent
Read more »