Son of Babylon
Encyclopedia
Son of Babylon is a 2010 Iraqi
drama film
directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
, Variety's Middle Eastern Filmmaker of the year 2010.
The film was developed through The Sundance Institute and was selected as Iraq's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 83rd Academy Awards
, but it didn't make the final shortlist.
. Ahmed, a 12-year-old boy begrudgingly follows in the shadow of his grandmother. On hearing news that prisoners of war have been found alive in the South, she is determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed’s father, who never returned from the Gulf war in 1991. From the mountains of Kurdistan to the sands of Babylon, they hitch rides from strangers and cross paths with fellow pilgrims, on all too similar journeys. Struggling to understand his grandmother's search, Ahmed follows in the forgotten footsteps of a father he never knew. They also go to mass graves, where they ask if he is on the list of identified bodies, and look for papers on the bodies. The grandmother dies.
Cinema of Iraq
The cinema of Iraq went through a downturn under Saddam Hussein's regime. The development of film and film-going in Iraq reflects the drastic historical shifts that Iraq has experienced in the 20th century...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
Mohamed Al-Daradji
Mohammed Al-Darraji is an Iraqi Dutch film director. Al-Daradji is a dual Dutch-Iraqi citizen. He studied theatre directing in Baghdad and fled to The Netherlands in 1995, where he specialised as a cameraman. Later he graduated with two MA's in cinematography and directing in Leeds at The Northern...
, Variety's Middle Eastern Filmmaker of the year 2010.
The film was developed through The Sundance Institute and was selected as Iraq's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
, but it didn't make the final shortlist.
Plot
The film is set initially in Northern Iraq, 2003, two weeks after the fall of Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. Ahmed, a 12-year-old boy begrudgingly follows in the shadow of his grandmother. On hearing news that prisoners of war have been found alive in the South, she is determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed’s father, who never returned from the Gulf war in 1991. From the mountains of Kurdistan to the sands of Babylon, they hitch rides from strangers and cross paths with fellow pilgrims, on all too similar journeys. Struggling to understand his grandmother's search, Ahmed follows in the forgotten footsteps of a father he never knew. They also go to mass graves, where they ask if he is on the list of identified bodies, and look for papers on the bodies. The grandmother dies.
Awards
- 60th Berlin International Film Festival60th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
, 2010 winner of the Amnesty Film Award & Peace Prize - Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalKarlovy Vary International Film FestivalThe Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, 2010 winner of the NETPAC Award - Raindance Film FestivalRaindance Film FestivalRaindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
, 2010, winner Best International Feature Film - Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalThe Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
, 2010, Grand Jury Prize Best Feature Film - Edinburgh International Film FestivalEdinburgh International Film FestivalThe Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
, 2010, Special Mention - Cinema City IFF, Serbia 2010, Special Mention
- Zadar Film Forum, 2010, Best European Co-production
See also
- List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Iraqi submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film