On the Banks of the Tigris: the hidden story of Iraqi music
(2015, 79 minutes, producer/director: Marsha Emerman, winner Best Documentary, Baghdad International Film Festival)This musical odyssey tells the story of Majid Shokor, an Iraqi-Australian who seeks the source of songs he loves and discovers a hidden history. To find out more, Majid makes a bold journey around the world to meet Iraqi musicians - Jewish, Muslim and Christian - and unite them in a concert for peace and reconciliation. Featuring: oud master Ahmed Mukhtar, Iraqi-Israeli star Yair Dalal, and the great Iraqi maqam singer Farida and her ensemble.
Co-writers: Majid Shokor & Marsha Emerman; Editor: Lucy Papkinska; Production Manager: Merran Williams; Cinematographers: Sander Snoep, Philippe Bellaiche, Peter Zakharov; Script Editor & Sound Recordist: Bob Phelps
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Trailer
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Screenings & Awards
Awards
- BEST DOCUMENTARY - Baghdad International Film Festival
- AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - Arab Film Festival, San Francisco & Los Angeles
- FINALIST, BEST DOCUMENTARY, Social & Political Issues - ATOM Awards, Australia
- BEST DIRECTOR (DOCUMENTARY), Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival
- MOST INSPIRATIONAL and AUDIENCE FAVORITE, The Archeology Film Festival, Eugene, Oregon
- BEST CULTURAL HERITAGE FILM, Arkhaios Film Festival, Columbia, South Carolina
- BEST LONG FILM, International Folk Music Film Festival, Nepal
Festivals
Montreal World Film Fesitval - Canada - World premiere
Baghdad International Film Festival, Iraq
Global Peace Film Festival - Orlando, Florida - USA premiere
Arab Film Festival, San Francisco & Los Angeles, USA
Jewish International Film Festival, Melbourne & Sydney, Australia
Boston Jewish Film Festival, USA
Ahbab Festival, Cambridge, UK
Washington Jewish Film Festival, USA
Re-Orient, Stockholm, Sweden
New York Sephardic Film Festival, USA
St. Petersburg Arab Film Festival, Russia
Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival, Nepal
Krakow Festival of Jewish Culture, Poland
Los Angeles Sephardic Film Festival, USA
Cineblend Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Shanasheel Iraqi Cultural Festival, Sydney, Australia
Rumman Festival, Glasgow, Scotland
Sonoma Jewish Film Festival, California, USA
Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, New Jersey, USA
Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, Florida, USA
Maine Jewish Film Festival, Portland Museum of Art, USA
Firenze Archeofilm, Florence, Italy
The Archeology Channel Film Festival, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Adelaide International Women’s Film Festival, Australia
Barcelona Jewish Film Festival, Filmoteca de Catalonia, Spain
Arkhaios Cultural Heritage and Archeology Film Festival, South Carolina, USA
International Folk Music Film Festival, Nepal
Kleztival Music Festival, Sao Paolo, Brazil
TV Broadcast
Link TV - national cable broadcast in USA
Cinema & other screenings
Lido Cinema, Melbourne - 3 week seasonNew Farm Cinemas, Brisbane
Cameo Cinema, Belgrave, Vic
Mornington Cinema, Vic - benefit for Refugee Council of Australia
Mercury Cinema, Adelaide - hosted by Graham Smith Peace Foundation
Mercury Cinema, Adelaide - hosted by Arabic Language & Culture Association SA
Theatre Royale Cinema, Castlemaine, Vic
Star Cinema, Eaglehawk, Vic - with Rural Australians for Refugees
Academy Cinema, Auckland, New Zealand
Clinton Street Theatre, Portland, OR, USA
Pickford Film Centre, Bellingham, WA, USA
Northwest Film Forum, Seattle, WA, USA
City Lights Cinema, Florence, OR, USA
Bijou Cinemas, Eugene, OR, USA
Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA, USA
JW3 Community Centre, London, UK
Iraqi Association, London, UK
Karim Wasfi Center for Creativity & Peace Through Arts, Baghdad, Iraq
New Haven Public Library Mid-East Film Series, CT, USA
Temple Beth Israel, Eugene, OR, USA
Gemco Theatre, Emerald, Vic - benefit for Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Initiatives of Change, Toorak, Vic
Sydney Jewish Museum
Longplay, Fitzroy North, Vic - benefit for Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
Bialik College - Council of Christians and Jews, Melbourne
Spertus Institute, Chicago, ILL, USA
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Read archived news
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Music clip
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Press
Reviews
Magnificent! A rich array of personalities and music. - ABC Radio NationalA much needed film that crosses boundaries, uncovers hidden story, and brings home universal truths – Arnold Zable, author 'Violin Lessons', 'The Fig Tree', 'Jewels and Ashes' and many others.
Riveting, moving, joyful and sad. Everything rang so deeply true – Anna Epstein, Curator and Editor
This re-examination of Iraqi-Jewish heritage unearths vital history – Deana Nassar, Artistic Director, Arab Film Festival
A nuanced and sympathetic view of the deep, intertwined roots of Muslim and Jewish people in Iraq – Kelly DeVine, Artistic Director, Global Peace Film Festival
Excellent! A fabulous story of cultural resilience and identity – Robyn Sloggett, Professor and Director, Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of Melbourne
Articles & Interviews
Iraq Music Brought to Life, by Kevin Liepins, Weekend Notes, October, 2017
Interview on KLCC, Oregon National Public Radio, with Marsha Emerman, June 14, 2017
On the Banks of the Tigris to Deliver Hidden History, Daily Emerald, 18 November, 2016Hidden Story of Iraq's Music Hits Big Screen in Bendigo, Bendigo Advertiser, 21 May 2016
Songs of Sadness, Songs of Love: Marsha Emerman's 'On the Banks of the Tigris', Metro Magazine Issue 188 (2016), by Brian Yatman
Interview on ABC Radio National - The Jewish Origins of Iraqi Music, with Marsha Emerman and Majid Shokor on 'The Drawing Room, 29 February 2016
Tracing Iraqi Music Roots Ranges Trader, 23 November 2015
Interview on ABC Radio National - Hidden Origins of Iraqi Music, on 'The Music Show', 8 November 2015
Forgotten Origins of Iraqi Music Celebrated in Award-Winning Doco The Age, 30 October 2015, by Michael Dwyer
Documentary traces the forgotten history of Iraqi music The Conversation, 30 October 2015, by Robyn Sloggett
The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music Review, Middle East Monitor, 2015, by Emanuelle Esposti
Iraqi Music and Peace Film Finished AJDS News, December 2014
The Ballads of Baghdad Australian Jewish News, 10 October 2008
Harmonies in Old Iraq The Age, 22 September 2007
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Photos
Ahmed Mukhtar (visit website)
Yair Dalal and Majid (visit website)
Farida Mohammad Ali (visit website)
Abraham Salman
Alber Elias
Elias Shasha
Majid films in Baghdad
Iraqi Chanting Group
Iraqi musicians in rehearsal
Majid interviews Afifa Iskander
Looking out on the Tigris River
On the Baghdad booksellers street
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Read a full list of links
This film was developed with the assistance of Film Victoria and funded with the assistance of Creative Partnerships Australia, Documentary Australia Foundation and the San Francisco Film Society. Thank you to: Australian Communities Foundation - Dennoch Fund, Harold Mitchell Foundation, Shark Island Documentary Fund, Graham Smith Peace Foundation, Besen Family Foundation, Finkel Foundation, Search Foundation, Annamila Foundation, Victorian Multicultural Commission, and many generous individual donors.
PLEASE HELP THIS FILM TO BE SEEN IN AUSTRALIA & WORLDWIDE
CONTACT: marsha@fruitfulfilms.com.au
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Sales
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