Feature Documentary
TOTAL BUDGET
US $98, 504
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $88, 740
CONTACTS
info@takweenfilmedia.com
tamer.ashry@beemediaproductions.com
info@redstarfilms.net
+201061508623
+201001581578
A former soldier was fleeing war, hiding in dark cinemas and watching his favorite film Papillon. Now, with the help of a documentary film director, he is looking for a copy of the film among the Iraqi cinema ruins.
Nassif Falak is a 60-year-old Iraqi novelist. In his early years, he participated in desert battles during the Iraqi-Iranian war in the 80s, and hid in dark cinemas to keep himself safe. He was affected by Papillon, and even more so by its protagonist—played by Steve McQueen—who spends his whole life attempting to escape from prison, till he succeeds in the final scene of the film. Now, with the help of a documentary film director, Nassif is looking for a long-lost dream, and a copy of the film among the Iraqi cinema ruins.
It happened to put my hands on Nassif's novel, in which he wrote his memoirs. I discovered the similarity between the novel and the film, Papillon. Thus, we started searching for the original film, which Nassif had seen in Baghdad. Several questions emerged in my mind about the place of cinema now, and how the culture of people about cinema has disappeared.
Nassif has never stopped his attempts to escape from Iraq in the 80s—he had no other choice but to surrender to the Iranian army to be captivated, but he continued escaping from the captivity camp to watch movies. It is at that time, that I discovered that Nassif's dream and mine are one, and that cinema is the only thing that unleashes our dreams.
For Nassif's sake, I made a film that ends with the scene that he has always dreamed of—the Steve McQueen scene—where Nassif shouts: “I am here, bastards!” in a small boat south of Iraq.
The hero of the film is an old, socially-isolated man, most frequently shown sitting in his house, specifically his room, which forms his own different environment and world, apart from his surroundings.
We discover Baghdad through Nassif, where he takes us to a street that totally differs from his silent and quiet world. We continue, through my point of view, being the director, to search for the disappearance of cinema from my country. As such, I find Nassif, whose dream looks exactly like mine.
Take Me to the Cinema reflects the reality of Iraqi cinema today. It highlights the deterioration of Iraq infrastructure due to frequent wars. It also tackles the issue of the necessity of rebuilding cinemas and regain film culture in Iraq once again, away from the new commercial cinema complex business.
The film is not limited to festivals, cinemas and cultural centers, nor is only about Albaqer and Nassif’s lives and dreams. We rather aim to highlight the idea of abandoned theater restoration. There will be partnerships with institutions interested in restoring and saving remaining cinemas in Iraq.
At the same time, the film provides an opportunity for Nassif to achieve his dream and be an actor on the big screen—even if it's part of a documentary—a dream that was interrupted by war. We are talking about our dreams and how to achieve them , it’s never too late and we should always keep trying to make it happen.
Is it possible that the new generations could complete the dreams of older ones? Could they understand that we must be well acquainted with the past, as it plays an important role in the development of ourselves at all levels?