Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men

Irak 2005 – D: Layth Abdulami – 54 min - OV with English subtitles

Layth Abdulami takes a look into the special historic background and unique sensitivities of the different groups which make up Iraqi society, thus exploring their common roots. The camera catches the cultural, social, and historic heritage of the men and women who form the essence of the Iraqi nation: Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Yazidi, Shiites, Sunnis and Christians in rural and urban areas.

Underexposure

Deutschland/Irak 2005 – D: Oday Rasheed – 74 min – OV with German subtitles

After the American attack on Iraq, Hassan, an Iraqi filmmaker decided to document the life of people (especially his friends and neighbors) in the destroyed city of Baghdad. Playing the part of the documentary filmmaker in the movie, Hassan takes us through ruins, side streets and apartments in Baghdad in which he shows us a city after war – and the life of some people who find their own way of dealing with their new situation.

Beginning in September 2010 and continuing until February 2011, the Filmmuseum will feature a series of 20 films from various genres which will take their audiences into the most remote regions of the Islamic world. The films to be shown couldn’t be more diverse and together form a cinematic kaleidoscope that addresses ongoing political tensions and themes such as modernisation, globalisation, violence and perceived departures from tradition, the power of reason, and life and poetry in our contemporary global world.

Organisers: Munich Museum of Film [Münchner Filmmuseum], Munich Adult Education Centre [Münchner Volkshochschule]