| Cinema of Iraq | |
|---|---|
 | |
| No. ofscreens | 300 (before 2003) |
| Produced feature films | |
| Total | 100+ (2003) |
Iraq has one of the most significant and diversefilm industries in theMiddle East. The Iraqi cinema consists of film production notably inArabic,Kurdish andSyriac languages.[1] The film industry of Iraq is primarily based inBaghdad, 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 silents were played in cinema halls in Baghdad. Under the rule ofKing Faisal II, the trend of cinema began. The Iraqi cinema developed during the regime ofSaddam Hussein.[2][3] However, the Gulf War had a heavy impact on the film industry. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent war brought film production near halt. Supporting infrastructure were destroyed. A large number of artists left country. After the end of war, new generation filmmakers are exploring opportunities in Iraq. Recently, movies and TV shows produced in Iraq has become popular across the Arab world. The development of film and film-going in Iraq reflects the drastic historical shifts that Iraq has experienced in the 20th century. TheIraq War which began in 2003 had an influence on many films being produced.[4][5]
WhileIraq'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 onBaghdad's bustling thoroughfareal-Rasheed Street, played mostlyAmerican silent films for British citizens.[6]
In the 1940s under the rule ofKingFaisal II of Iraq, a real Iraqi cinema began. Supported byBritish andFrench 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. For the most part, the product was 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 strong-fist rule of the state discouraged any socially relevant films.
In 1959 when King Faisel II's government was overthrown, the Cinema and Theater General organization 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.
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 many 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 1980Iran–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 commissionedEgyptian filmmakerSalah Abouseif to makeAl-Qadisiya, a period epic recounting the triumph of theArabs over thePersians in 636 AD. LikewiseMohamed Shukri Jameel's melodramaticThe Great Question (al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra) castBritish actorOliver Reed as the vicious Lt-ColGerard Leachman who is righteously killed in the 1920 Iraqi revolution.
In 1980 Hussein promoted his own mythology with the autobiographical 6-hour epicThe Long Days (al-Ayyam al-tawila), the saga of Hussein's participation in the 1958 failed assassination attempt on Prime MinisterAbd al-Karim Qasim, and his subsequent heroic escape back toTikrit.[6] The film was edited and partially directed byTerence Young, the British director who made his name helming the earlyJames Bond filmsDr. No andThunderball (film). Hussein is played bySaddam 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.[7] After Iraq started attacks againstKuwait,sanctions against Iraq and later the 2003 invasion made filmmaking an impossibility in the country, although a new generation of filmmakers is coming alive inBaghdad.[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.
The Iraqi Independent Film Center was established in 2003.[7] 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.[7]
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