Length: 5 minutes
Category: Animation, Short
Country: Iraq
Year of production: 2015
Screened in:
Synopsis
The city of Baghdad has long been referred to as Ardh Al Sawad (the Black Land) by muslims. The dense palm trees that cover the city appear as black matter from above; since recent wars occupied the city the title has taken on a new meaning where “Black Land” refers to death, blood, religious flags and their Islamic enforcement on the people of Baghdad.
This fairy tale animation, is a metaphorical story. The beautiful woman has lost not only her children to the wars and destruction, but her soul. Starting in the present day, the woman, in black, attempts to find an answer for her future but revisits the past, told through coffee reading (a traditional fortune-telling method in the Middle East).
This classic love story also challenges stereotypical gender roles of the Middle East and shows the resemblance between the woman and the city of Baghdad in surrendering to the wrong powers.
