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Cinema of Iraq

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Cinema of Iraq
No. of screens300 (before 2003)
Produced feature films
Total100+ (2003)

Iraq has one of the most significant and diverse film industries in the Middle East.[citation needed] The Iraqi cinema consists of film production notably in Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac languages.[1] The film industry of Iraq is primarily based in Baghdad, which is home to numerous filmmakers, artists, writers and musicians.

The history of Iraqi cinema dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, where American silent films were played in cinema halls in Baghdad. Under the rule of King Faisal II, an Iraqi cinema production began and developed during the later regime of Saddam Hussein.[2][3] However, the Iraq War of the early 21st centuryy had a heavy impact on the film industry and brought film production to a near halt. Supporting infrastructure was destroyed and a large number of artists left the country. After the end of the war, a new generation of filmmakers have been exploring opportunities in Iraq. Movies and TV shows produced in Iraq have become popular across the Arab world. The development of film production and cinema-going in Iraq reflects the drastic historical shifts that Iraq has experienced since the 20th century.[4][5]

History

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While Iraq's first film projection took place in 1909, cinema was not truly regarded as a cultural activity or pastime until the 1920s. The first cinemas, like the famous al-Zawra'a Cinema on Baghdad's bustling thoroughfare al-Rasheed Street, played mostly American silent films for British citizens.[6]

In the 1940s under the rule of King Faisal II of Iraq, a real Iraqi cinema began. Supported by British and French financiers, movie production companies established themselves in Baghdad. The Baghdad Studio was established in 1948, but soon came apart when tensions between the Arab and Jewish founders flared up. The country's first feature film, Alia and Essam was produced in 1948. It was directed by French filmmaker André Chotin, and the Iraqi Jewish writer Anwar Shaul wrote the screenplay.[7] For the most part, the films of that early period were purely commercial, fluffy romances with plenty of singing and dancing, often set in small villages.[6] The World of Arts (Dunyat Alfann) studio, which was founded by actors, reached for more serious fare. In 1955, they produced Haidar Al-Omar's Fitna wa Hassan, an Iraqi retelling of Romeo and Juliet that received international attention. But for the most part, the restrictions imposed by the state discouraged any socially relevant films.[citation needed]

In 1959 when King Faisal II's government was overthrown, the General Organization for Cinema and Theater came into existence with the purpose of promoting the political goals of the new regime both in documentaries and features.[6] Typical were documentaries like the 1969 Al Maghishi Project, which showcased the government's irrigation campaigns and the 1967 A Wedding in Heaven, which celebrates the air force and their weapons system.

Ba'ath Party rule

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The 1968 revolution that put the Ba'ath party in power further solidified the government's control of film material, and the state's need to make all films validate its power. During this stage, the Iraqi government, represented by the General Organization for Cinema and Theater, produced several important films.[2]

Saddam Hussein's ascension to power in 1979 pushed the Iraqi cinema in a slightly different direction. The drain on national resources from the 1980 Iran–Iraq War brought film production to a near halt. The few films put into production were mainly intent on glorifying a mythic Iraqi history or celebrating Saddam's rule. In 1981, the government commissioned Egyptian filmmaker Salah Abouseif to make Al-Qadisiya, a period epic recounting the triumph of the Arabs over the Persians in 636 AD. Likewise Mohamed Shukri Jameel's melodramatic The Great Question (al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra) cast British actor Oliver Reed as the vicious Lt-Col Gerard Leachman who is righteously killed in the 1920 Iraqi revolution.

In 1980 Hussein promoted his own mythology with the autobiographical 6-hour epic The Long Days (al-Ayyam al-tawila), the saga of Hussein's participation in the 1958 failed assassination attempt on Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, and his subsequent heroic escape back to Tikrit.[6] The film was edited and partially directed by Terence Young, the British director who made his name helming the early James Bond films Dr. No and Thunderball (film). Hussein is played by Saddam Kamel, a cousin and son-in-law of Saddam's, who eventually ran afoul of the leader and was murdered in 1996.

Prior to 1991, there were nearly 300 cinemas in Iraq.[6] After Iraq started attacks against Kuwait, sanctions against Iraq and later the 2003 invasion made filmmaking an impossibility in the country, although a new generation of filmmakers was coming alive in Baghdad.[8][9] Among the few films produced by Iraq during that period was the 1993 film King Ghazi, written and scripted by Moaz Yousef, and directed by Mohammed Shukri Jamil. The film dealt with the biography of King Ghazi, who ruled Iraq in the 1930s.

2003 to present

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The Iraqi Independent Film Center was established in 2003. In 2014 the Ministry of Culture allocated millions of dollars to fund film production, but as of 2021, only one film project has been supported.[6]

Notable Iraqi Actors

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Notable Iraqi Film directors

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The Iraqi director Abbas Fahdel on the set of Dawn of the World

Films

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Films shot in Iraq

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Assyrian Film Wins Best Cinematography At Baghdad International Film Festival". www.aina.org. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  2. 1 2 الله, ضياء سعد عبد. "السينما العراقية.. تراث الفن ورؤى المستقبل". العربي الجديد (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  3. ↑ عرب ٤٨ (2018-02-18). "السينما العراقية: تاريخ طويل وإنجازات قليلة". موقع عرب 48. Retrieved 2025-02-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ البيان. "السينما العراقية تاريخ متعثر ومستقبل واعد". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  5. ↑ "شهدت أول عرض سنة 1909 والسبعينيات عصرها الذهبي.. السينما العراقية رابع صناعة عربية". بوابة الأهرام (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 de Souza, Noël (2021-09-23). "The Ongoing Struggle of Iraqi Cinema". Golden Globes. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  7. ↑ طاقم العمل: فيلم - عليا وعصام - 1948 [Cast: Film - Alia and Essam - 1948] (Motion picture) (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-09-27 – via elcinema.com.
  8. ↑ Tarzi, Nazli (June 18, 2015). "The rebirth of Iraqi cinema". Open Democracy. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  9. ↑ Battaglia, Laura Silvia (2021-07-13). "A New Generation Is Remaking Iraqi Cinema". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  10. ↑ Granja Núñez, Daniela; Espinoza, Mauricio; List, Jared (2023). "Film and Gender in Central America: Five Voices". In Espinoza, Mauricio; List, Jared (eds.). The Rise of Central American Film in the Twenty-First Century,. Translated by Espinoza, Mauricio; List, Jared; Pérez Méndez, Ana. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 292–308. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Marshall, Lee (13 February 2008). "The Path (El Camino)". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Yasin Gutiérrez, Ishtar. "Bio". ISHTAR YASIN GUTIÉRREZ. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2026.

Further reading

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  • Guardian article on history of Iraqi cinema
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