MES presents: Forget Baghdad

Forget Baghdad (Germany, 2002) Directed by Samir Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion (111 minutes) Languages: Arabic/English/Hebrew Iraqi-born, Zürich-based director Samir “achieves a density of ideas and images that extend the boundaries of the documentary form” (Vancouver International Film Festival). This documentary traces four Baghdadi Jews, all former members of the Iraqi communist party, who were forced to emigrate at Israel’s founding. After fleeing to Israel, the men found themselves on the outskirts of a society built and governed by European Jews. Also known as “Sephardis” or “Mizrahim,” Arab Jews represent a little-known community that has long found itself caught between warring worldviews. The divided identities of these men speak to a larger theme of global, political and cultural disorder. (Languages: Arabic, English, and Hebrew). Join us for a reflection on the stereotypes of the “Jew” and the “Arab” in the last hundred years of cinema!