Son of Babylon’ to premiere at The Middle East International Film Festival as part of narrative feature competition

Pyramedia’s film production unit PyraMovies announced today its latest project under the recently launched division established to produce and finance feature films.  PyraMovies joins forces with production companies Human Film (UK + NL), and Iraq Al-Rafidain (Iraq) in co-producing the 90 minute feature film which is confirmed to have its world premiere at the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) in October.

Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO of Pyramedia, joins as Executive Producer of Al-Daradji’s film.

The film begins in Northern Iraq in 2003, 3 weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein.  Ahmed a 12-year-old Kurdish boy begrudgingly follows in the shadow of his grandmother who on hearing the news that prisoners of war have been found alive in the South, is determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed’s father, who never returned from the Gulf War in 1991.

From the mountains of the North to the sands of Babylon, they hitch rides with strangers and cross paths with fellow pilgrims on all too similar journeys.  Struggling to understand his grandmother’s search, Ahmed follows in the forgotten footsteps of a father he never knew, leading the boy to the coming of age.

The co-production deal comes as the second in a slate of productions that PyraMovies has scheduled over the next few years.  CEO of Pyramedia, Nashwa Al Ruwaini said, “I am delighted to be working with such a talented and emotional Director, the story is heartfelt and I hope it receives the attention from the world’s media that it deserves, I have every faith that this production will go on to receive an accolade of awards in the future.”

‘Son of Babylon’ is Al-Daradji’s second feature length film, his first feature, Ahlaam, was screened at over 125 international film festivals and received more than 22 Awards also representing Iraq for the Oscar and Golden Globe Awards in 2007.

Since it’s launch earlier this year PyraMovies has also produced feature-length documentary ‘Changing Sands - The story of Abu Dhabi yesterday, today and tomorrow’, directed by award winning British-Yemeni filmmaker Bader Ben Hirsi who is also a co-producer of ‘Son of Babylon’.  The documentary begins telling the story of Abu Dhabi through the eyes of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger, and his two bedouin guides Bin Kabina and Bin Gubaisha and goes on to document the dramatic changes that developed in Abu Dhabi after the formation of the UAE and gives viewers an insight into the future projects defining the Emirate. ‘Changing Sands’ is currently in the final stages of post-production.

‘Son of Babylon’ is a Co-production between different countries including Iraq, UAE, Palestine, Qatar, UK, France and Holland, with support from organizations including the Sundance Institute, UK Film Council and CNC France. The film’s world sales agent is Roissy Film (FR) and it’s Arab world distributor is Sunnyland ART (Egypt).