Layth Abdulamir is an Iraqi-French

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

born on 24 October 1957 in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. He studied film in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, from 1977 to 1980, and in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

(then in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

) from 1980 to 1986. Since 1994, he defended his dissertation at the Rylsky National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, (Thesis: Characteristics of Extreme Documentary Films Direction). He received his PHD degree in Cinematic Critic he has made several documentary films for various TV channels in France and for

Dubai TV Dubai TV is a TV channel offered by the Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI). It replaced Emirates Dubai Television on June 14, 2004. Dubai TV broadcasts programmes predominantly in Arabic. The programming caters to family Arab audience specifically ...

in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

(1999-2004). In 2021, Layth Abdulamir's book ''Extreme cinema, transcending the borders of aesthetics'' was published by Arwegh مؤسسة أروقة للدراسات والترجمة والنشر Editions in Cairo. The book explores the use of extremes in world cinema, the origins and philosophy as well as aesthetic and political ties.

Biography

Layth Abdulamir left Iraq in 1977 to study film at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris, moved to the

in 1980, and obtained his

MA Degree A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1985 (majoring in film) at the Kiev National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University, He has won a number of International Awards for his films. Layth Abdulamir has become prominent following the emergence of a new generation of Iraqi filmmakers, in exile or still working in the country, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period of cultural and artistic achievements which unveiled other notable names including

Abbas Fahdel Abbas Fadhel (Arabic عباس فاضل) is an Iraqi-French film director, screenwriter and film critic, born in Babylon, Iraq. Based in France since the age of 18 years, he studied cinema at the Sorbonne University until Ph.D. In January 2002, ...

, Hayder Mousa Daffar, and Zahavi Sanjavi. In 2005, after 28 years of absence, Layth Abdulamir returned for the first time to Iraq to make the documentary '' Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men'', but he felt like a complete stranger in the country where he was born and the making of the film was rather difficult in a land still plagued by the harsh realities and consequences of the American military post-occupation. In an interview with AlloCiné, the director explained: "Most of the time I had to 'steal' images of reality, I was never able to install myself in a shot, in an interview, and thereby benefit from the time necessary for this type of operation." He added: "Iraqi identity was broken, everyone retreated to hide behind his community, his religion, his religious allegiance." As of 2014, Layth Abdulamir began working as a

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

for a number of Arabic language newspapers, and also as a

Master class A master class is a Class (education), class given to students of a particular Academic discipline, discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are b ...

instructor.

Work

The book "Extreme cinema, transcending the borders of aesthetics” explores the use of extremes in world cinema, the origins and philosophy as well as aesthetic and political ties. As a director and screenwriter, Layth Abdulamir made the following films, among others, in a career spanning more than three decades: The Cradle (fiction, 21', 1985) in the former

; Yemen, a Time for the Sacred (documentary, 52', 1994), a French-Belgian co-production; a quintet of documentaries for Dubai Television, in the

, from 1999 to 2004; '' Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men'' (documentary, 93', 2005), an ethnological reading of post-occupation realities in Iraq; The Executioner's Tear (documentary short, 26', 2013), a condemnation of barbarian executions in Egypt that was co-produced by French

public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

channel

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...

and Orok Films. With the exception of a couple of early short fictional films, Layth Abdulamir makes a full-time living as a

documentary filmmaker A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

, building a field of specialization in topics related to the Arab world and filming mainly in the

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and

Irak Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Awards and nominations

* 1987: “The Cradle”, winner in 1986 of the Grand Prize in the Damascus Film Festival in Syria. *2005: '' Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men'', Winner - Hossam Ali Award for Best Arab Documentary, ''Ismailia International Documentary Festival for Documentaries and Shorts'', Ismailia,

* 2006: ''Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men'', Nominee - Youth Award,

Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema The Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (French: Festival international des cinémas d'Asie) is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Asia. The festival is held annually in Vesoul, France. It was create ...

Vesoul Vesoul () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern France. It is the most populated municipality of the department with inhabitants in 2014. The same year, the Communauté d'agglo ...

* 2013: The Executioner's Tear, Winner - Best Short Documentary (Jury Prize),

Tirana International Film Festival The Tirana International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the major annual events taking place in Tirana each year. It was the first international cinema festival in Albania. This cultural event was created in 2003 and is currently the most importan ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

* January 25, 2014: The Executioner's Tear, Winner - Best Screenplay (Jury Prize), ''Festival du Film Court Francophone de Vaulx-en-Velin'',

Vaulx-en-Velin Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône. History The rivers, including th ...

*2014 : Winner - Best Short Documentary FMCE Festiival Veracruz - Mexico. *2014 : Prix du meilleur court-métrage, Festival de cinéma Vues d'Afrique de Montréal – Canada. *2014 : Festival de court métrage de Limoges France, Mention Spéciale du Jury. *2014: Lanzarote international film festival 14eme Edition-Mention special: ‘Las lágrimas del Verdugo. *2014 : Festival de Larissa en Grèce. Mention spéciale. 2015: Special mention in AfryKamera African Film Festival- Poland. * 2014: The Executioner's Tear, Nominee - Official Selection, ''12th 'In The Palace' International Short Film Festival'',

Balchik Balchik ( bg, Балчик ; ro, Balcic) is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is in Dobrich Province, 35 km southeast of Dobrich and 42 km northeast of Varna. It spr ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

* 2014: The Executioner's Tear, Winner - Best Mediterranean Short Documentary (Sponsored by

Orange S.A. Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 59,000 elsewhere. In 2015, ...

), ''18th International Festival of Mediterranean Documentary Film and Reportage'',

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

Filmography

* 1982-1985 - 3 short features: Night Chat,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, and

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

. * 1985 - The Cradle (''Le berceau''), short fictional film, 21 min., Beta SP,

* 1987 - Kurdistan, Chemical Bomb (''Kurdistan, bombe chimique'') * 1994 - Yemen, a Time for the Sacred (''Yémen, le temps du sacré''), in collaboration with French poet, essayist, musician and experimental filmmaker

Michel Bulteau Michel Bulteau is a French poet, essayist, occasional musician and experimental filmmaker, born on 8 October 1949 in Arcueil. Biography When he was twenty-two, he contributed with seventeen other young poets, including Matthieu Messagier, Jean- ...

(script and texts) * 1998 - Naseer Shamma, from Baghdad to Seville: Portrait of the Great Iraqi Lute Player (''Naseer Shamma, de Bagdad à Séville''), co-directed with Francis Lapeyre, a musical roadtrip with Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma, 45 min., TV documentary * 1999 - Yemen, Music from the Heart of Arabia (''Yémen, musiques du coeur de l'Arabie''), TV documentary * 2000 - Twilight Exotic Dancer, TV documentary for Dubai Television * 2001 - The Birth of the Euro (''La naissance de l’Euro'') * 2002 - Africa, Africa (''Afrique, Afrique'') * 2003 - Do Not Cry, Africa (''Afrique, ne pleure pas'') * 2004 - Baiyaa, Baghdad (''Bayaa, Bagdad'') * 2005 -

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

, short fictional film, 20 min., 16 mm * 2006 - '' Iraq: The Song of the Missing Men'' (''Irak, le chant des absents'') * 2011 - Christians of Iraq, Chronicles of an Announced Exodus (''Chrétiens d'Irak: Chronique d'un exode annoncé'') * 2013 - The Executioner's Tear (''La Larme du bourreau'')

References

External links

*
Layth Abdulamir
on AlloCiné
Layth Abdulamir
on

Layth Abdulamir
on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulamir, Layth 1957 births Living people University of Paris alumni Iraqi emigrants to France Iraqi film directors French people of Iraqi descent Iraqi expatriates in the Soviet Union