Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016 presents a series of films from Iraq and the Arab and Muslim worlds with follow-up conversations. The films and discussions will explore freedom of expression, restoring identity from destruction/abandonment, and conveying how literature and daily life in Iraq give hope and understanding.
George Mason University Johnson Center Cinema, 4400 University Dr. Fairfax, VA
Sunday, February 7, 12 pm
A Candle for the Shabandar Café, directed by Emad Ali, Independent Film and Television College of Baghdad (2007).
Sunday, February 7, 5 – 8:30 pm
About Baghdad, A film by Bassam Haddad* (InCounter Productions, 2003).
About Baghdad is a documentary film shot in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. It is the first documentary film to have been made in Iraq following the fall of the Baath regime. It privileges the voices of native Iraqis from all walks of life, as they present their views on life during the regime of Saddam Hussein as well as the United States`s bombing, invasion, and occupation. * Co-Directors include Sinan Antoon, Maya Mikdashi, Adam Shapiro, and Suzy Salamy.
Arabs and Terrorism, A film by Bassam Haddad (Quilting Point Productions, 2007).
Professor Bassam Haddad, director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Mason University, will lead a question and answer session after the presentation of his two films at 8:30pm.
Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016 is a book arts and cultural festival organized for January through March 2016, throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Exhibits, programs, and events will commemorate the 2007 bombing of Baghdad’s historic bookselling street, and celebrate the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, to stand in solidarity with the people of Iraq, who have endured so much; and with people at home and abroad who are unable to make their voices heard. This event is part of Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016 and is co-sponsored by the School of Art and the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program at George Mason University.
The programs are free and open to the public.
For more information, visit www.amsshdc2016.org
Contact: Nikki Brugnoli, nbrugnol@gmu.edu.