Feature Narrative
TOTAL BUDGET
US $1,246,750
CONTACT
zainabhariri2@gmail.com
On her sixth birthday, Aya’s life changes dramatically. As her father, Dr. Ghalib (27), leaves her at the school gates, she is completely unaware that it is the last time she will see him.
The events of the film are based on a true story.
Baghdad, 1979. Saddam Hussein’s regime is in its infancy. On her sixth birthday, Aya’s life changes dramatically. As her father, Dr. Ghalib (27), leaves her at the school gates, she is completely unaware that it is the last time she will see him. That evening, with her party in full swing, Aya waits anxiously at her window for his return. Disappointment and sadness give way to frustration and anger, as her family desperately seeks an explanation for his absence. As the hours pass, it becomes clear that something is wrong.
Throughout the following days and weeks, the family home is looted and vandalized by loyalist soldiers. The family is surveilled, harassed and subjected to brutal intimidation and interrogation. Aya longs for answers about her father, relentlessly questioning her mother and grandparents, but she is quickly hushed into silence. Her father’s name fades away, becoming a forbidden word, but his memory remains strong with Aya.
As the Baathist grip on Iraq tightens, the streets of Baghdad become a breeding ground for paranoia and persecution. Saddam’s domineering presence looms over Aya, scrutinizing her every move. Ridiculed by her friends and unable to satisfy her yearning for the truth, Aya retreats to a world where she can find the answers she so desperately seeks; a place where she can speak with her father. But even in a fantasy world, Aya discovers a heartbreaking reality; she cannot escape the consequences of a tyrannical dictatorship.
In 1979, Ghazi Al Hariri was arrested, imprisoned and executed for his role in a plot to assassinate Saddam Hussein.
I first heard the story of Dr. Ghazi from his daughter, Zainab Al Hariri. My first meeting with Zainab was emotional; the story of her father was fascinating. Yet what struck me harder was Zainab’s own story; the story of a young girl who lost her father for reasons she could not begin to fathom. As she shared her experiences, it elicited feelings of sadness, pain and grief that are difficult to express. Images flashed in my mind; a young girl desperately awaiting the return of her father.
Victims of Saddam’s tyranny struggle to overcome their personal traumas. There are thousands like Zainab all over Iraq, people who lost loved ones
without explanation and were told to let the past rest. But for Zainab, telling her father’s story is a form of closure. Even though this story is personal and unique, in filming it I hope to give a voice to the countless victims of injustice.
Unfortunately, the final days of Dr. Ghazi have been lost to history. But Zainab’s memory of that time remains vividly clear. For that reason, I have chosen to make a film about her perception of the events. In capturing the story of that young girl, I want to capture her childlike optimism, naivety and hope through a fantasy world; a world of the lead character’s creation.
Zainab Al-Hariri was born In Baghdad, Iraq. Following a move to the UK, she completed a BA in Film and Media Production at Leeds Metropolitan University. She started her film career as a post-production producer assistant in Leeds, gaining extensive experience working in the industry on a number of film projects. She later held the position of post-production producer and supervisor at Human Film (UK); a multi-award winning film production company based in Leeds. Highly trained in all aspects of filmmaking, Al-Hariri has also worked as a senior editor on numerous internationally acclaimed feature, documentary and short film projects.
As an Iraqi national, Al-Hariri is passionate and proud of her origins and strives to internationally promote cultural understanding. She is actively involved with Iraqi and Arab groups in the UK, organizing cultural and charity events to raise awareness within the immediate community and bridge cultural divides. This ethos stands out in her work in the film industry as well.
Al-Hariri Is currently taking on a new challenge, as she prepares for her first feature film as a writer and producer, a story close to her heart set in her native Iraq.
The main objective of th Iraq Independent Film Center is to foster cinematic culture in Iraq through the active promotion, development and enhancement of cinema, in order to overcome the present cultural crisis the country is witnessing due to ongoing political turmoil.
IIFC promotes an independent cinematic identity, aims at enforcing modern concepts in the Iraqi film industry, and works to prevent filmmakers from submitting to any kind of authority. In addition, the center works on the production, publication and circulation of printed works on cinema, as well as the development and renovation of movie theaters in cultural and trading centres according to international specifications.