Opening 25 May 2006
Directed by:
Hiner Saleem
Writing credits:
Hiner Saleem
Principal actors:
Nazmi Kirik, Eyam Ekrem, Belcim Bilgin, Ehmed Qeladizeni, Nezar Selami
Iraqi Kurdistan director Hiner Saleem looks into how Kurds were treated under Saddam Hussein. He begins in 1988 with Ako (Nazmi Kirik), a husband and father who is forced to join Saddam Hussein’s army and is sent to the frontline of the Iran-Iraq War, where not only does he experience the realities of war, but must suffer abuse because he is Kurdish. Ako is ordered to escort the corpse of a fellow soldier back to his family. Unfortunately, the driver is an anti-Kurd Arab. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the film is when the two decide they should talk about their differences, but then neither knows where to start. For much of the film, however, something was lost in translation. (Mary Nyiri)
