It’s northern Iraq, 2003. Two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Ahmed, a 12-year-old boy begrudgingly follows in the shadow of his grandmother who has heard that prisoners of war have been found alive in the south. She is determined to discover the fate of her missing son, Ahmed’s father, who never returned from the Gulf War.

From the mountains of Kurdistan to the sands of Babylon, the two of them hitch rides from 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.

Beautifully directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, and featuring a magnificent performance from young Yasser Talib as Ahmed, Son of Babylon is fulfilling as both a cinematic and emotional experience. It is a rugged road movie, a story of hope and forgiveness; one that palpably, and with great humanity, illustrates reality for many Iraqi and Kurdish people in the aftermath of Hussein’s reign.

FESTIVALS

• Variety’s Middle Eastern Filmmaker of Year 2010 – Mohamed Al-Daradji
• Winner, Raindance British Independent Film Award
• Official Selection Sundance IFF World Cinema Dramatic Competition
• Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival, Panorama and Generation X
• Winner of Amnesty Film Award and Peace Award
• Winner of Seattle International Film Festival, Emerging Master Award
• Official Selection Competition Edinburgh International Film Festival, Special Mention
• Winner of Artistic Achievement Award, Cinema City International Film Festival
• Winner of Grand Jury Prize, Brussels Mediterranean International Film Festival
• Official Selection Sydney Film Festival
• Official selection Melbourne Film Festival

Watch the trailer