Iraqi Indie Drama 'Mikael' Premieres This Month

Art & Culture

"Mikael" is a film from Kordo Doski, writer, director and star of the project which sees its premiere at the 3rd Duhok International Film Festival this month. Following the departure of his fiance, the titular Mikael gives his dream of being a professional footballer one more shot. Travelling back to his war-torn, ancestral home in Duhok (less than 30 miles from the ISIS stronghold) and breaking the sullen routine he's settled for, the film shows the unsteady journey of a man taking action against unlikely odds, his age, physical condition, along with the language and cultural barriers he must face. The film's story mirrors the production process in that passionate endeavors are worth pursuing, however uncertain they are, considering the skeletal budgdget and production crew that travelled to Iraq during unstable circumstances. It also draws on the personal history of it's director/star who was an aspiring footballer when he was younger.

It aims to transcend stereotypes of the Middle East by focusing on the life, not war, which details Iraqi culture, and is one of the first collaborative productions of Kurdistan, Canada and the United States.