Nineveh International Film Festival closes its activities with 20 films competing for awards

Nineveh - INA

The activities of the first Nineveh International Film Festival concluded today, Saturday, with the participation of a number of Iraqi, Arab and foreign artists, while the last day witnessed various activities that included dances, dabkehs and a fashion show, while 20 films competed in the festival.

The head of the first Nineveh International Film Festival, artist Jawad Al-Shakarji, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The festival is a first step towards developing the film industry in Iraq and opening up to international experiences, noting that "the preparations took place within a short period of no more than two months."

Al-Shakarji added that "despite the short preparation period, we were able to launch the festival on its scheduled date, with some quick adjustments to ensure its success, and we look forward in the upcoming sessions to improving the level of participating films and hosting an elite group of guests from all over the world, including Europe, Africa, and the Arab world, in addition to the countries of the Maghreb such as Tunisia and Algeria."

He explained that "this is the first session of the festival, and we hope that it will expand and flourish in the future, to be a leading cinematic platform that reflects the cultural and artistic face of Iraq."

In turn, the film critic and historian Mahdi Abbas, head of the jury of the first Nineveh International Film Festival, explained to the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the festival was a celebration of joy and life in the city of Mosul," noting that it "shed light on the city's landmarks, and what it has been exposed to during the past years, in addition to the reconstruction efforts The ongoing events in it.

He added, "The festival was not just a screening of films, but a festival of love and joy, embodying the spirit of life in Mosul," indicating, "There is a focus on beauty and visual displays, but most importantly, we saw how the city recovered and welcomed the delegations with enthusiasm, reflecting a bright image of its reality today.

He explained, "Nothing prevents Mosul from having its own film festival, and this event is the beginning," expressing his hope that "it will continue and develop to become an annual tradition that contributes to revitalizing the cinematic movement in Iraq.".

Regarding the level of the participating films, Abbas explained that "20 distinguished films were selected from among 398 films, praising the artistic and objective value of the selected works," stressing that "the awards went to the best."