THE LIONS BY THE RIVER TIGRIS

A film by Zaradasht Ahmed

In Mosul, a city devastated during the battle for liberation from the Islamic State, the fight to heal and preserve its identity, culture,and art is far from over.

Three men refuse to let Mosul remain in ruins. Bashar, a fisherman, desperately tries to rebuild what was once his family’s home. Fakhri, a passionate collector, salvages remnants of the city’s past, determined to preserve its history. Fadel, a musician once silenced under ISIS rule, now inspires a new generation to embrace art over extremism.

As Mosul slowly rebuilds itself, we witness a cultural reawaken- ing—women reclaiming public spaces, theaters reopening, music schools emerging, ancient heritage restored. A city with 8,000 years of history, struggling to reclaim its soul through those who refuse to let it fade into oblivion.

Director Zaradasht Ahmed is an IDFA-winning Kurdish- Norwegian film- maker originally from Iraq, renowned for his compelling storytelling in conflict zones. With over 17 years of experience, he has worked extensively across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, captur- ing human resilience through documentary filmmaking. In addition to directing, he has trained local communities in documentation, empowering those living in some of the world’s most volatile regions to tell their own stories.

Zaradasht Ahmed’s most acclaimed documentary, Nowhere
to Hide (2016), has received over 20 prestigious international awards, including Best Feature Documentary at IDFA (2016), Best Documentary at the One World Human Rights Festival (2017), and an Emmy Award nomination (2019).

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