Description
BEST DOCUMENTARY Baghdad Int’l Film Festival
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD Arab Film Festival, San Francisco & Los Angeles
FINALIST, BEST DOC, Social & Political Issues ATOM Awards, Australia
BEST DIRECTOR (DOCUMENTARY) Nepal Human Rights Int’l Film Festival
Official Selection
Montreal World Film Festival
Global Peace Film Festival
Jewish Int’l Film Festival (Australia)
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Washington Jewish Film Festival
Re-Orient, Stockholm, Sweden
New York Sephardic Film Festival
St. Petersburg Arab Film Festival, Russia
Krakow Festival of Jewish Culture, Poland
Los Angeles Sephardic Film Festival
Magnificent! A rich array of personalities and music. – ABC Radio National
A much needed film that crosses boundaries, uncovers hidden story, and brings home universal truths – Arnold Zable, author ‘Violin Lessons’, ‘The Fig Tree’, ‘Jewels and Ashes’
This re-examination of Iraqi-Jewish heritage unearths vital history – Deana Nassar, Artistic Director, Arab Film Festival
A nuanced and sympathetic view of the deep, intertwined roots of Muslim and Jewish people in Iraq – Kelly DeVine, Artistic Director, Global Peace Film Festival
Excellent! A fabulous story of cultural resilience and identity – Robyn Sloggett, Professor and Director, Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne
Synopsis
The film tells the story of Majid Shokor, an Iraqi-Australian from a Muslim background, who discovers a hidden history – the Jewish role in Iraqi music. The film follows Majid’s journey from Australia to Israel, Europe and Iraq, to meet exiled Iraqi musicians and unite them in a concert at London’s Barbican Centre, where music and culture transcend religion and politics.
Director
Marsha Emerman (writer/director/producer) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who makes films on the arts, human rights and social issues. Her film Children of the Crocodile, a personal history of East Timor, aired on SBS TV and screened in festivals worldwide. It won Best Documentary at Toronto’s Inside Out Festival and is distributed by Women Make Movies. Emerman holds an MA in Cinema from San Francisco State University and teaches film at the VCA School of Film & TV in Melbourne, Australia.
