Ahlaam

An energetically bleak portrait of man's inhumanity to man, set in war-torn Baghdad in the early days of the American invasion. Moving back and forth from the beginning of the Gulf War to the carpet bombing of Baghdad in 2003, 'Ahlaam' takes in the stories of shell-shocked soldier Ali (Al Majid), corruption-compromised young doctor Mehdi (Hashim) and Ahlaam (Adel), a deranged bride who sees her husband dragged away by Hussein's police on her wedding day. A powerful debut feature by writer/director Daradji.

• Duration: 111
• Certificate: 15
• Director: Mohammed Al Daradji
• Stars: Aseel Adel, Bashir Al Majid, Kaheel Khalid, Mohamed Hashim
• Year: 2005
• Country of origin: Iraq
• Website: www.ahlaamthemovie.com