In the Sands of Babylon
| In the Sands of Babylon | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mohamed Al-Daradji |
| Produced by |
Isabelle Stead Atia Al-Daradji Mohamed Al-Daradji |
| Written by | Mohamed Al-Daradji |
| Music by | Kad Achouri |
| Cinematography | Mohamed Al-Daradji, Duraid Munajim |
| Edited by | Mohamed Al-Daradji |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Iraq |
| Language | Arabic |
| Budget | $1,200,000 |
In the Sands of Babylon is a 2013 Iraqi, British, Dutch 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 supported by The Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Baghdad City of Culture of the Arab World 2013, Abu Dhabi Film Festival - Sanad Fund, Creative England, San Sebastian Cinema in Motion.
Plot
1991 Gulf War: Ibrahim, an Iraqi soldier, has escaped from Kuwait as the Iraqi Army retreats. Facing the perilous journey home, he must cross the southern desert; a chaotic no-man's land between Saddam's Regime and American Cross Fire. Whilst unrest spreads across the country, he is captured by the Republican Guard and cast into Saddam’s infamous prisons, suspected of being a traitor. 2013: In search of answers about the past and Ibrahim’s journey, the Director of the film encounters three people: A photographer with a painful secret, a farmer who hides his scars to forget and an ex-prisoner who's humanity was savagely taken from him. By unravelling the courageous and tragic secrets of these people, the Director seeks to reveal the truth behind Ibrahim's story. Through the past and the present, fiction and reality, he revisits a fateful climax in the battlefields of Babylon. As Ibrahim’s fate seems written, the Iraqi people are uprising beyond the prison walls, instilling hope in those held captive, that the freedom they long for beckons.
Cast
- Samer Qahtan
- Ameer Jabarah
Reception
Despite not having a score on either Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic, the film has a very high 8.2 rating on IMDb, based on 86 reviews, making it the website's third best reviewed British film 2013, and the tenth best reviewed British film of 2013 overall.
Awards
- Abu Dhabi Film Festival, 2013 winner of the Best Film from the Arab World.[1]
- San Sebastian Cinema in Motion