Baghdad Night, a 3-d animation film by artist and filmmaker Furat al Jamil, has been shortlisted for the second Artraker Awards for art in conflict zones. The short film, co-produced by the Ruya Foundation, premiered in November 2013 at the Dubai International Film Festival, and was then displayed at the Neighbour’s exhibition at Istanbul Modern in Turkey.
Still from Baghdad Night, 2013, courtesy of the artist.
Still from Baghdad Night, 2013, Courtesy of the artist
Still from Baghdad Night, 2013, Courtesy of the artist
Inaugurated in 2013, the ArtRaker Awards supports exceptional visual arts projects that shape how people and organisations understand, engage and respond to conflict zones. Among the shortlisted were Lebanese artist Tanya El-Khoury for her sound installation Garden Speaks based on oral histories of Syrians fleeing the war, Irish filmmaker Margo Harkin, who’s film The Far Side of Revenge documents over 10 years of violence in Northern Ireland, and Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani.
Baghdad Night places the Iraqi folk tale of Salwa, an enchanting but dangerous woman, in the urban setting of modern Baghdad. Watch the trailer here:
