The President of the National Archive and Memory Center of Iraq, headed by Hassan Al-Sudani, participated in the 28th edition of the Moscow International Film Archive Festival, as part of a professional and cultural program that included officials and experts from international cinema and archival institutions.
The events witnessed an Iraqi presence through participation in specialized discussions, alongside the screening of the Iraqi feature film "The Turn" by the late director Jafar Ali, marking a significant moment in the history of Iraqi cinema.
The film, completed in 1975 and adapted from the novel "Five Voices" by the late novelist Ghaib Toma Farman, returns to Moscow after its first participation in the same festival in 1975, amid a significant Iraqi and Arab diplomatic presence and a large Russian audience.
Al-Sudani also participated in professional meetings with officials and experts from international film archive institutions, discussing ways to enhance cooperation in the preservation, restoration, and digitization of audio-visual heritage, as well as the exchange of experiences and modern techniques in film archiving and making it available to researchers and the public.
The Iraqi participation emphasized the importance of preserving the national cinematic memory and reintroducing the works of pioneers of Iraqi cinema on the international stage, contributing to the preservation of cultural and artistic heritage and its transmission to future generations.
The return of "The Turn" to Moscow after more than five decades represents a symbolic milestone in reclaiming a part of the history of Iraqi cinema and highlighting the works of its pioneers in international film forums.