The Quarter of Scarecrows (Garaqi Daholakan)
Arab Film Competition
Hassan Ali Mahmood / Feature Narrative / Kurdistan, Iraq / 2010 / 76 min / Color / 35 mm
In Kurdish, Arabic / English, Arabic subtitles
Interests: Drama, War
Middle East Premiere
Rated: General Audiences. Suitable for ages 4 and up.
Synopsis
Inspired by the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in which millions of innocent civilians died, this drama is a disturbing allegory about tyranny. Sad yet powerful, it depicts an infestation of crows on a rich landowner's property and how a group of the village's children are captivated to become live scarecrows. Symbolic imagery manifests itself throughout the film, as scarecrows take over the land when children and soldiers are hired to shoot and repel crows, but when one child unexpectedly dies things take another turn.
First-time director Hassan Ali Mahmood delivers a brilliant treatise on the misery and horrors of war with this shocking story that introduces a new wave of post-war Iraqi filmmakers.
About the Directors
Hassan Ali Mahmood
Born in 1967 in Erbil, Iraq, Ali Mahmood has been assistant director on four features and produced the film "Crossing the Dust" in 2007. He is also an artistic director of the Erbil Film Department, with his filmography including titles such as "Friends of the Mountain," "Heart Melody," and "Death Dance."
Credits
- Director
- Hassan Ali Mahmood
- Screenwriter
- Sherzad Hassan
- Editor
- Rajab Ahmed
- Director of Photography
- Mohammad Jano
- Music
- Wedad-Qardash Turklar
- Cast
- Valid Marouf Jaro, Abdal Shawkat, Solav M. Khared, Taha Akhajan