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Daoud’s Winter

synopsis

DAOUD, a young man in his twenties, is studying for better things in life until he is drafted into military service during the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s. He is sent to the frontline in the desert, but because of his educational background, he is assigned to the morgue. Cataloguing the new arrivals of dead bodies and organising their transport, starts to break his soul until he spots his best friend Ali lying amongst the dead and decides to desert the army base in order to return his deceased friend back to his family. It is a dangerous journey to his friend’s family home because deserters are being hunted down by the army, but he manages to survive. Upon arrival, Ali’s family warmly welcomes Daoud and he does not have the heart to break the bad news. Whilst he is hiding from the army in their home, he falls in love with the people and finds the family he never had. In the meantime, he is consumed with guilt. He does not know what to do with the dead body and the army is still hunting for deserters. When Daoud finally finds the courage to break the news to his friend’s mother, they bring out his body and silently start to dig. They have lost a son. He has found a family.

Director’statement

The film is set in the early eighties, in Iraq’s most difficult period. Our society suffered many wars and no Iraqi family was left unharmed by the effects of war. This period has not been dealt with in films; these conflict-ridden, dark years in the country’s history, in the history of the Arab world. The Iraq-Iran war lasted 10 years and is an era that nobody likes to touch because all those involved from the Arab world and other parts of the globe gave money and support to one side or the other. Everybody had their reasons – but with no regard for the consequences and the victims. I would like to make a film that shows the consequences of these meaningless wars; the effects on the ordinary people, on the young soldiers, their mothers, the train drivers or the shopkeepers. Daoud’s Winter does not show the frontlines, the battles of soldiers and weapons; but instead the fear, the paranoia and grief that this situation inflicted on those trying to carry on with their lives in the country. The film explores life and death during this period, the injustice that marred society and the internal conflicts. Many young people were faced with the choice of either joining the ruling Baath party or going to battle with a very good chance of not coming home. My brother was one of them. I will never forget seeing my mother in her black dress standing at the door waiting for my brother, all day, all night, hoping that he would return from the frontline. This memory, the stories of friends and family come together in the main character, Daoud, a young man who is about to start his service. Joining the army represents an escape for him as he either has to register for military service or face the repercussions from the regime for his political views and activities and end up in the hands of the secret police. He is given the job of registering the dead coming back from the frontline at a sorting station from where the bodies are distributed and returned to families. Whilst in this post, he finds his friend amongst the dead. The ensuing story sees Daoud taking us on a journey with his friend’s body, showing the importance of friendship and relationships.

TFL PROGRAMME:
Interchange 2013

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