One World Festival 2025
Date of publication: April 2, 2025
On 1 April, Filip Sommer, Director of the Prague Center for Middle East Relations (PCMR) at CEVRO University, participated in a debate at the One World Film Festival in Rychnov nad Kněžnou. Specifically, the discussion involved engagement with the films Flavours of Iraq and Tatami.
Basic information about the films
Flavours of Iraq (Le parfum d’Irak)
On the day of his father’s funeral, Iraqi-French journalist Feurat Alani embarks on an adventurous journey into his own memories, creating a vivid picture of Iraq, his parents’ native country. He recalls the poetic details of daily life set against the critical events of 1989 to 2017. He remembers not only the taste of apricot ice cream but also Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. Alongside street sounds, he recollects the arrival of both American troops and Islamic State.
The animated documentary – an intimate portrait of Feurat’s adolescence as well as Iraq’s turbulent modern history – is based on an award-winning biography.
At the World Judo Championships, Leila and her coach Maryam have a great chance to win Iran’s first gold medal. But things begin to crumble when Iran’s Islamic regime meddles in the sport. Ordered to withdraw from the competition, Leila faces the most important decision of her life. The sports drama is set in an isolated world, in a maze of half-lit corridors, offices and gyms. These claustrophobic spaces augment the oppressive nature of the situations in which Leila and Maryam find themselves. Close-ups of the matches vividly capture Leila’s tenacious struggle on the mat and her moral struggle against the repressive political regime.
Both debates focused on the current political, economic and human rights situation in Iraq and Iran. The debate also addressed the question of contemporary local life in the context of significant challenges in domestic politics, but also in the wider geopolitical situation. Last but not least, Filip Sommer shared his personal experiences from his long-term study stay in Iraq.
