Iraqi Flag is raised for First time at Cannes Film Festival

By Pune Media On May 19, 2025

[Mon, 19 May 2025 12:52:08 +0300]

Baghdad – (Saba):

The 2025 Cannes International Film Festival witnessed a historic moment when the Iraqi flag was raised for the first time in its history.

This took place during the official screening of the classic Iraqi film “Saeed Effendi” (produced in 1956, directed by Kamran Hosni), marking Iraq’s first official participation in this prominent international cinematic event.

This participation was the result of the efforts of the Cinema Support Initiative and the selection of the Al-Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham Committee for the Visual Memory of Iraq, affiliated with the Prime Minister’s Office, in cooperation with the French National Institute of Audiovisual Arts (INA). The film was restored using 4K technology, using the original negative, to be displayed in a high quality befitting its artistic and historical stature.

The screening was attended by a large number of film lovers and critics from around the world, in an exceptional celebratory moment that evoked Iraq’s visual memory and presented its creative heritage to a distinguished international audience. This participation falls within the framework of the “Cinematheque Iraq” project, which aims to preserve and enhance the Iraqi cinema archive.

The project includes the restoration and preservation of 104 feature films produced between the 1940s and the beginning of the second millennium, with support from the French Embassy in Baghdad and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and implementation by Expertise France.

For its part, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities expressed its pride in this cultural achievement, affirming its commitment to continuing to support film archiving projects, preserving Iraq’s cultural heritage, and promoting it locally and internationally.

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