EN - Iraq 1988. In a land devastated by war, Dileer (10) and his sister want to watch cartoons on television, but that seems to be more difficult than expected.
Info
| Title | Land of the heroes |
|---|---|
| Original title | Land of the Heroes |
| Original version | Kurdic/Arabic |
| Status | Completed |
| Production | Majority Flemish |
| Category | Shorts |
| Genre | Drama |
| Year of production | 2010 |
| World première / first public presentation | 2012-11-08 |
Credits
| Cast | Ahmed Nisret, Zana Gandi, Adla Bapir, Naima Abdo, Faryal Bozan, Ali Zebari, Raad Said, Sama Sami, Noor Sami |
|---|---|
| Photography | Kobe Van Steenberghe - Robrecht Heyvaert |
| Editing | Joren Desmidt |
| Music | Hannes De Maeyer |
Technical specs
| Running time film | 17' |
|---|---|
| Release format | Red one (4k) |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1.85 |
| Sound format | Stereo |
| Colour | Colour |
Partners
| Supported by | Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Directorate of Cinema Arbil, University College of Art and Design Sint-Lukas Brussels |
|---|
Festivals
- Worldwide Short Film Festival Toronto
- Gulf Film Festival Dubai
- Festroia International Film Festival Sétubal
- Hamburg International Short Film Festival
- Curtocircuito International Short Film Festival Santiago De Compostela
- International Short Film Festival Leuven
- Cinepublic Short Film Festival Gent
- Brussels Short Film Festival Courtmétrage
- InDPanda International Short Film Festival Hong Kong
- IFI Film Festival Dublin
- Kavalan International Short Film Festival Taiwan
- Manchester Kurdish Film Festival
- Leiden International Short Film Festival
- Prend ça Court Montréal ‘Best of’ Selection
- I’ve Seen Films International Film Festival Milan
- Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival Prizren
- Film Festival Della Lessinia Bosco Chiesanuova
- Film Festival Oostende
- Festival Int. de Cinema Les Percéides, Perce
- Off Courts Int. Film Festival Trouville
- Kurdish Film Festival Frankfurt am Main
- Nederlands Film Festival Utrecht
- Bagdad International Film Festival
- Images en Vues Short Film Festival Magdalen Islands
- Festival Le Printemps du Cinéma Arabe, Paris
- Cinemagic International Film Festival Belfast
- Calamartes Film Festival Antwerpen
- Arab Shorts Cairo Film Festival
- London Kurdish Film Festival
- Seoul International Youth Film Festival
- International Film Festival Gent
- International Film Festival Regiofun Katowice Poland
- International Film Festival Ankara
- Kurdish Film Festival Berlin
- Latin Arab International Film Festival Buenos Aires.
- Rio De Janeiro International Short Film Festival Curta Cinema
- Moscow Short Film Festival
- Travelling Film Festival Rennes
- IFVA Asian New Force Awards Hong Kong
- Latin Arab International Film Festival Buenos Aires
- Istanbul International Film Festival
- Festival du Court Métrage Maghribo-Asiatique Tissa, Morocco
- Zoom Zblizenia Film Festival Jelenia Gora
- International Film Festival Izmir
- Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen
- Tampere Film Festival
and many more. Over 100 selections worldwide at the moment.
Awards
- Jury Award Best Short Film Generation International Film Festival Berlin
- Jury Award Best Film Busan International Short Film Festival South-Korea
- Award Best Cinematography Busan International Short Film Festival South-Korea
- Award Best Film San Gio Short Film Festival Verona
- Special jury award Human image films competition Baghdad International Film Festival
- 16ORO - Winner of Golden Short Sedicicorto Film Festival Italy
- Zavattini Award at the Reggio Film Festival in Emilia, Italy
- Third prize in the Yilmaz Guney Short Film Competition at the 7th edition of the London Kurdish Film Festival
- Muhr Arab Short Second Prize at the 8th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival
- Honourable mention at the 29th edition of the young audience festival Ale Kino - Poland
- Golden movie award at the 17th Honk Kong independent short film festival
- Rio Tinto Alcan award at the International Short Film Festival Saguenay -Canada
- Jury Award- Best Short Fillm - Kingbonn international film festival - China
- Jury Award - Best International Short Film - Film Leben Festival in Ilmenau - Germany
- Best Short film award - Amed International Film Festival - turkey
- Best Direction award - LAW International Short Film Festival - Erbil
- Best Editing award - LAW International Short Film Festival - Erbil
- Silver award Best Short Film - Duhok International Film Festival - Duhok
- Silver public award - Hangzhou International film festival - China
- Silver jury award - Hangzhou International film festival - China
Best Short for Baghdad Messi in Dubai
At the 6th edition of the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai (11-17 April) Sahim Omar Kalifa’s Baghdad Messi grabbed the Award for Best Short presented in the Official Gulf Short Film Competition. With the award, the film’s first international recognition, comes a cash prize of $10,000. At the same time Kalifa’s previous short, Land of the Heroes, keeps on touring the festival circuit and has reached over 100 festival screenings.
This year the Gulf Short Film Competition showcased about 35 short films, all created by Arab directors or shot in the Arab World. As was Land of the Heroes, Baghdad Messi is once again set against an Iraqi backdrop. Kalifa, himself from Kurdish-Iraqi descent, tells the story of 10-year old Hamoudi who, just like his soccer-obsessed friends, is looking forward to the Champions League finale between FC Barcelona and Manchester United. The long awaited clash between Messi and Ronaldo. But then Hamoudi’s television breaks down...
Batman awards Kalifa’s Land of the Heroes
Sahim Omar Kalifa’s short film Land of the Heroes has won the Best Short Film Award at the Yilmaz Güney Film Festival (19-23 December) in Batman, Turkey. The prize, worth €3,000, makes it award number 21 for the short film.
Land of the Heroes travels back to the post-war Iraq of 1988. Three children are waiting in vain for the cartoons to air on television, as Saddam Hussein’s victory propaganda is all there is to see. While their mothers polish abandoned artillery, the children try to find ways to kill time.
Best Short Film in Turkey for Land of the Heroes
Sahim Omar Kalifa’s Land of the Heroes won Best Short Film at the Amed International Film Festival Diyarbakir (28 Oct – 5 Nov) in Turkey. The award at Amed marks the 20th international distinction for the Flemish short which already won awards in Berlin, Busan, Shenzhen, Verona and many more.
Director Sahim Omar Kalifa attended the closing ceremony to receive the award (pictured on the left). Land of the Heroes is set in 1988 post-war Iraq. In the movie, Kalifa, himself of Iraqi Kurdish descent, tells the story of Dileer and his sister, who want to watch cartoons on television, but are finding it more difficult than they expected. The short was produced by Hendrik Verthé and Kobe Van Steenberghe for a team productions (Injury Time).
Land of the Heroes makes it sweet 16
At the Duhok International Film Festival (9-16 September), Sahim Omar Kalifa’s Land of the Heroes grabbed the second spot on the podium when the short film was awarded silver in the fest’s Best Short Film competition.
Director Sahim Omar Kalifa was especially pleased with the recent award – the film's sixteenth – as he was born in the province of Duhak, Iraq, where the festival is held. The jury praised the short for the depth and detail of the story and its link to society and history.
LAW makes it 15 for Land of the Heroes
Sahim Omar Kalifa’s Land of the Heroes, has won both Best Direction and Best Editing awards at the LAW International Short Film Festival (8-12 August) in Erbil, Iraq. The successful short can now boast no less than 15 awards and 80 festival selections in total.
At the festival, the film came out on top in a competition of 26 short films. It was the short’s first ever official screening in Iraqi Kurdistan, the birth region of director Sahim Omar Kalifa. The film also received a Special Mention for Extraordinary Achievement from the Kurdish Minister of Culture. After Iraq, Land of the Heroes has screenings lined up in Xian, New York, Revine and Douk.
Last edited on 22 November 2012