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irak special




                                                                     communities.  Whether  through  the  lens  of                    literature, film, theatre, music, and visual arts.  Iraq, efforts to preserve and
                                                                     a  camera  or  the  pages  of  a  screenplay,  I  see                                                   celebrate this heritage persist
                                                                     storytelling as a catalyst for dialogue, change, and             Because  I  work  in  the  image  industry,  and  I   despite challenges. Overall,
                                                                     connection  in  an  increasingly  interconnected                 strongly believe in the role of the image and its   Mesopotamian   heritage
                                                                     world.                                                           importance  in  influencing  society,  I  insist  that   remains  a  significant  part
                                                                                                                                      the  visual  and  audio arts  have  a major role to   of  our  cultural  landscape,
                                                                     You have been admitted to the Iraqi Society of                   play in changing the condition of the individual   inspiring  storytelling  and
                                                                     Writers.  Could  you  tell  us  something  about  it             and society.                           shaping national identity.
                                                                     and how you fit into it as as both a writer and
                                                                     an artist?                                                       From my point of view, some of the urgent tasks   The  cultural  legacy  of
                                                                     The  Iraqi  Society  of  Writers  is  a  prestigious             in both areas include:                 Mesopotamia  is  a  source
                                                                     organization  that  brings  together  writers  from              1.  preservation  of  cultural  heritage    –   of  inspiration  and  pride
                                                                     diverse backgrounds and disciplines to celebrate                 safeguarding  Iraq’s  rich  cultural  heritage  is   for  many  Iraqis,  myself
                                                                     the rich literary heritage of Iraq and promote the               essential  for  rebuilding  national  identity  and   included.   Its   enduring
                                                                     advancement  of  literature  in  the  country  and               promoting a sense of belonging among citizens;  influence  enriches  our
                                                                     beyond. There is a part of this institution that                 2. education and empowerment – investing in   understanding  of  the  past  while  guiding  us
                               I’m an Iraqi-Canadian filmmaker, TV producer
                               and  video  creator.  My  passion  for  storytelling   is concerned with artists and intellectuals who   arts education and empowering emerging artists   towards  a  future  that  honours  the  remarkable
                               began in my homeland Iraq and has since evolved   work in various specializations. This part is the    is crucial for nurturing creativity and innovation   achievements of our ancestors.
                               into a mission to explore themes of identity and   radio and television forum in the Iraqi Writers     in Iraqi society;
                               belonging  through  my  production.  I  have  a   Union. I am not a formal member of the Iraqi         3.  community  commitment  –  the  artist   I cannot get over the idea of my belonging, which
                               PhD in cinema and have worked as a producer-  Society  of  Writers,  but  I  was  there  as  a  guest.   should actively engage with local communities   is closely linked to my roots in Mesopotamia. My
                               director for many channels since 1993. I started   They wanted to celebrate me because I work in       to  understand  and  promote  their  needs  and   structural and intellectual formation is inevitably
                               with Iraq TV and then moved on to work for the   the  field  of  artistic  creativity  in  television  and   aspirations;                     inspired  by  all  that  historical  splendour,  so  I
                               Aljazeera network based in Qatar, the Al Hurra   cinema,  to  talk  about  my  long  experience.  As   4.  promotion  of  diversity  and  inclusion  –   always  try  to  reflect  that  belonging  through
                               channel (USA), Dubai TV, and the art channel   we know, cinema and television create culture,          embracing  Iraq’s  diverse  cultural  heritage  and   image-making  in  the  artistic  work  I  complete,
                               Baghdad  Bureau.  Also,  I  worked  as  operation   literature, and stimulate the imagination, just as   promoting inclusiveness is essential for building   and I make sure that the images are expressive
                               manager  in  CNBC  Arabia  (based  in  Dubai   books do. Also, my experiences as a filmmaker           a cohesive and resilient society.      and ideal because they represent my civilization,
                               Media  City).  Now  I  am  living  in  Canada,  and   informs my approach to storytelling, infusing my                                        my society, and my country. Even if I live away
                               I still work as a producer for Arabic television   writing  with  visual  imagery,  cinematic  pacing,   Ancient  Mesopotamia,  and  before  that  the   from it physically, it lives within me, in my soul,
                               overseas.  In  Canada,  I  directed  an  Indian   and a keen awareness of the power of dialogue        Kingdom  of  Ur,  are  only  small  parts  of  your   and in my mind.
                               movie  (Punch  Panchangam  Pariharam)  and   and  narrative  structure.  At  the  same  time,  my      country’s rich cultural past. To what extent has
                               documentaries  (Foolish  Decisions,  Archipelago,   background as an Iraqi living in Canada lends      this cultural heritage influenced your work? And   Today, there seems to be a resurgence of creativity
                               Ukrainian Plane Tragedy, House of Mercy, Our   a unique perspective to my work, allowing me            could you tell us a bit about what presence and   among artists in many parts of the world. Is this
                               Beloved and The Other).               with depth and authenticity to explore themes of                 influence  this  heritage  still  has  in  the  country   the  case  from  your  perspective,  and,  if  so,  are
                                                                     identity, displacement and belonging.                            overall?                               there projects you are planning to take part in?
                                                                                                                                      The  legacy  of  ancient  Mesopotamia,  often   I directed and produced a documentary about
                               I also worked as a lecturer at the College of Arts
                               /  Media  Department  at  Qatar  University,  the   For  decades,  your  country  has  lived  through   referred  to  as  the  cradle  of  civilization,  is  vast   conflicts  and  wars  in  history,  which  I  called
                               Institute of Fine Arts / Cinema Department. in   challenging times – to say the least. What role       and  profound.  Its  contributions  to  human   Foolish  Decisions.  The  story  is  about  the  most
                               Baghdad and as a trainer at the Aljazeera Media   do you think art and the artist have to play in      history  include  the  invention  of  writing,  the   stupid decisions made by leaders in the world
                               Training & Development Institute.     the physical reconstruction of your country and                  development of complex societies, advancements   that caused genocide and wars, and that is why I
                                                                     in the revitalization of Iraqi society? What seem                in  agriculture,  and  the  establishment  of  legal   called it Foolish Decisions. Today, yes, I see that
                                                                     to be the most urgent tasks in both areas?                       and administrative systems. These foundational   the world has changed, and conflicts have evolved
                               I created the Cinema Festival in 1996 through
                               my TV program An Appointment with the Iraqi   It is in disputable that art and artists play a vital    elements  have  left  an  indelible  mark  on   even as they continue. But humanity everywhere
                               Cinema.  Currently,  I  draw  inspiration  from   role in Iraq’s physical reconstruction and social    subsequent civilizations and continue to shape   in  the  world  rejects  these  foolish  decisions,
                               both  my  Iraqi  heritage  and  the  multicultural   revitalization. They contribute by creating public   our world today.                    especially  artists.  They  stand  united  towards
                               landscape of Canada, aiming to create narratives   artworks,  addressing  social  issues,  preserving                                         spreading peace, goodness and humanity, and I
                               that resonate with audiences worldwide.  cultural  heritage,  and  promoting  diversity.               As  a  film  maker,  I  am  deeply  influenced  by   am one of them. I am planning a new project,
                                                                     Urgent tasks include preserving cultural heritage,               the  cultural  heritage  of  ancient  Mesopotamia,   which is to establish an artistic media platform
                                                                     empowering  artists,  engaging  communities,                     drawing  on  its  rich  history,  mythology,  and   on social media to promote humanitarian ideas
                               Through my work, I aim to shed light on untold
                               stories, amplify voices that are often marginalized,   and promoting inclusiveness. Through art, Iraq   symbolism  to  craft  narratives  and  visuals.  In   and support artistic works.
                               and  foster  empathy  and  understanding  across   can heal, inspire, and unite its people. This can   my  films,  I  aim  to  evoke  the  timeless  essence
                                                                     be  achieved  through  various  media,  including                of Mesopotamian civilization. In countries like   Overall,  I  am  excited  to  be  part  of  this



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