HANGING GARDENS
Genre
Drama
Running time
107 minutes
Year
2022
Language
Arabic
Subtitle
English
Country
Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia
Director
Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji
Bio
Producer
Huda Al Kadhimi, May Odeh, Margaret Glover
Cast
Hussain Muhammad Jalil, Wissam Diyaa, Jawad Alshakarji, Akram Mazen Ali
Scriptwriter
Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, Margaret Glover
Taha and his younger brother As'ad (Wissam Diyaa) scrape a living searching for discarded metals and plastics at the vast, stinking Baghdad rubbish dump ironically named for the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The dump section reserved for refuse from the US military regularly yields girlie magazines, which As'ad, who is only twelve, with a mix of innocence and the toughness he has needed to survive, sells off page-by-page on the sly. As'ad hits the jackpot - and causes a huge rift with his older brother - when he brings home a discarded rubber doll. He cleans up the intimacy toy tenderly, then puts it to work in a makeshift brothel. Working with a local cast, director Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji tells an intimate, affectionate and often humorous story of kids growing up, making some hard points about the corrosive effects of poverty and consumerism along the way.
This film is supported by the Red Sea Fund.
Other movies
MY FATHER'S SCENT
Director: Mohamed Siam
A tense, poetic odyssey unfolds over one night as a father and son confront each other, aiming to settle old scores. Confined to a single apartment, their raw, emotional confrontation quickly escalates, peeling back layers of a fraught relationship. This gripping family drama forces a poignant reflection: if granted one final night with a lost loved one, would you seek vengeance or reconciliation? With powerful performances, the film is a sensitive, intimate and profound exploration of the complex, enduring bond between father and son.
THE SETTLEMENT
Director: Mohamed Rashad
When 23-year-old Hossam's father dies in a factory accident, management of the factory offer a deal: a job for Hossam and his younger brother, 12-year-old Maro, in exchange for burying the truth. With a criminal record and a disabled mother to support, Hossam has little choice but to accept the job, even as his brother insists on working beside him. Hossam is pulled in multiple directions — between the truth of his father's death, a first love affair with a disappearing coworker and his community's dark reputation. This thriller has an intriguing atmosphere, and to emphasize the characters' oppression, director Mohamed Rashad uses sound — especially the overwhelming noise of the factory machines — to immerse the audience in a corrupt world.
LOST LAND
Director: Akio Fujimoto
In this quietly powerful, first-ever Rohingya-language feature, Japanese filmmaker Akio Fujimoto offers a haunting, intimate portrait of two siblings fleeing persecution in Myanmar. With nothing but vague directions and each other, nine-year-old Somira and her younger brother Shafi begin a harrowing journey to join an uncle in Malaysia, crossing borders by sea and land and navigating a world shaped by smugglers, fear and exploitation. With a cast of non-professional actors, most of whom lived refugee experiences, the film blends realism with lyrical restraint. Eschewing melodrama for quiet observation, Fujimoto captures the disorientation of displacement and the uncertainty of fragile hopes. Lost Land is a timely, deeply human reflection on survival, resilience and the Rohingya’s eternal search for a place to call home.
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The Voice Of Hind Rajab is an emotional and innovative hybrid of documentary and drama that recounts the heart-wrenching story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed during the Israel-Gaza war. In January 2024, Hind was trapped for hours in a car after it came under fire, squeezed between the bodies of her aunt, uncle and cousins, leaving her the sole survivor. For hours she remained in contact with Red Crescent volunteers, who navigated a maze of military and governmental approvals in an attempt to reach her. The film transcends traditional cinema, becoming a powerful act of resistance and a vital work of memory. Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania delivers a haunting testament to the tragic reality of war, resonating with audiences long after the credits roll.