VOICES OF IRAQ showcases a selection of films produced by SADA and the Independent Film & Television College, two grass roots initiatives founded by independent Iraqi artists with a common goal of empowering Iraqis to tell their stories and shape their own narratives during times of war.
SADA, a virtual and physical ad hoc arts education project for Baghdad-based artists and art students, was founded by artist Rijin Sahakian and operated from 2011 to 2015. It provided a safe space for Iraqi artists to explore and create in the midst of conflict and uncertainty. Almost a decade later, former SADA artists came together to reflect on their experiences and create an experimental anthology film that explores individual and collective art practices in the context of occupation and warfare. This compilation represents a testament to the resilience and creativity of Iraqi artists in the face of adversity.
This June 8th screening at e-flux Screening Room, Twenty Years After the Invasion of Iraq: Sada in Context, an evening with Rijin Sahakian, curated by Ali Hussein Al-Adawy, features a screening of Sada [regroup] (2022), followed by a discussion with Rijin Sahakian and Dina Ramadan. This program will also be presented online on ArteEast’s Unpacking the ArteArchive platform (artearchive.org) from June 9-18.
The online program will also be accompanied by a selection of documentary works created by students of the Independent Film & Television College, co- founded in 2004 by Maysoon Pachachi and Kasim Abid, filmmakers of Iraqi origin. This free-of-charge film training program aimed to give everyday Iraqis a voice by teaching them how to tell their stories through film. Despite the difficult and dangerous conditions in Baghdad, the college’s students completed short documentary films that illuminate ordinary life in Iraq during the war and occupation, from a perspective missing in the mainstream media.
Both SADA and the Independent Film & Television College represent important and independent initiatives that provided training and a platform for Iraqi voices and perspectives that are often overlooked in the global discourse surrounding war and conflict. The artistic and documentary works produced through these initiatives challenge dominant narratives and provide a more nuanced understanding of the human experiences that shape life in Iraq. Together, these initiatives demonstrate the power of art and storytelling to create meaningful connections and foster empathy across borders and cultures.
This program is co-presented by ArteEast and e-flux Screening room and is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents 20 years of film and video programming by ArteEast. The program will be screened online on artearchive.org from June 9-18, 2023, and in-person at e-flux Screening Room on June 8, 2023. For more information on the in-person screening go to e-flux.com.
