To mark UN Peace Day (21st September) Tipping Point’s next film club night at the Lexi Cinema in London will screen Mohamed Al Daradji’s Iraq, War, Love, God, Madness followed by a Q&A with the film’s co-producer and editor Danny Evans.

Truth is stranger than fiction, as seen in this personal journey into war-torn Iraq. Exiled Iraqi director Mohamed Al-Daradji returned to Baghdad in 2004 with the idea of shooting a feature film (Ahlaam) in the midst of war and violence.

The horrific toll on cast and crew during the making of Iraqi feature “Ahlaam” is told by its helmer, Mohamed Al-Daradji, in “War, Love, God & Madness. “More than merely a companion piece to the 2005 drama, (the) docu provides a disturbing look at the situation in occupied Baghdad, when safety was illusory and kidnapping and torture became not merely a hypothetical fear but a reality.” Jay Weissberg,Variety

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The Film

Undeterred by the volatile situation and very real dangers, Mohamed visits his Baghdad home that he fled years previously. He realises the Iraq of his memories is long gone as he witnesses the effects of 35 years of dictatorship, 3 wars and the toll of occupation.  Finding the once-vibrant streets filled with unemployment, poverty and madness, he strives to make his film as planned. He is challenged by unimaginable risk and reverses as his camera reveals, instead, a world unravelling around him. As Mohamed rediscovers his homeland we see through his eyes the real Iraqi people and their spirit to survive.

The powerful title refers to the fact that, in Arabic, there is only one letter’s difference among the words war, love, god and madness.

“An amazing and uplifting documentary, which shows precisely how dangerous shooting in Iraq can be.” – Mark Kermode, BBC

The film has screened at many festivals amongst which it was voted one of the top 10 Best Films at the Tribeca International Film Festival (2008);  won the Grand Jury Prize at the Ismailia International Film Festival (Egypt);  Jury Special Mention at the Moqavemat International Film Festival (Iran) 2010.

Post-film discussion and Q&A with Danny Evans

Danny Evans, a core member of the Humanfilm team, has in-depth knowledge of Iraq and the Middle East. He went to Iraq at the start of filming for their latest award winning film SON OF BABYLON and has spoken at many events including a panel with Michael Moore on the situation in Iraq. Humanfilm is currently leading Iraq’s Missing Campaign – an effort to bring attention and funding to the campaign to help families find and identify their missing relatives.

Tickets

Tickets cost £5 and can be purchased through The Lexi Cinema website or by calling the box office on 0871 704 2069  (£1 Booking Fee). Tickets are free to TPFF regular givers and annual donors of more than £60.

Getting there

The Lexi Cinema is located at 194 Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise, NW10 3JU. It is around 7 minutes walk from Kensal Rise over-ground station and a good bus service runs from central London. The 52 (from Victoria) and the 6 (from Oxford Circus) stop directly outside the cinema. To map your route by public transport click here, and for a streetmap click here.