Take Me to the Cinema

At a glance

Take Me to the Cinema, is a 2022 Iraqi movie, directed by Albaqer Jaafar, and starring Nassif Falak. with a runtime of 61 minutes.

Overview

Take Me to the Cinema is a poetic Iraqi documentary following Nassif, a former soldier who survived the war by retreating into the darkness of Baghdad's cinemas, where he watched his beloved Papillon (1973) starring Steve McQueen again and again. Years later, Nassif roams the ruins of the city's once-vibrant cinema district in search of a lost print of the film — a quest that becomes far more than archival. Directed with quiet melancholy, the film uses Nassif's search as a journey through memory, loss, and the transformation of Baghdad from a city of culture to one scarred by war, where cinema halls have given way to markets selling military uniforms. A deeply personal meditation on refuge, nostalgia, and the cities we refuse to let go.

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