In My Mother's Arms

In My Mother's Arms

Fi Ahdan Ummi

In a dangerous suburb of Baghdad, an idealistic social worker Husham is looking for orphaned street children, most of whom are boys. They live under viaducts and survive by begging. He provides them with refuge in a small house, where several children sleep in one bed and eat on the ground. When the landlord gives them their notice and demands to vacate the premises within two weeks, a panicked search for new shelter ensues. Tirelessly, Husham knocks on the doors of uncooperative agencies, and even his wife thinks he cares more about the orphaned children than his own family. Meanwhile, we see how the boys help each other with homework and practice singing an emotional song that recalls their mother. The film follows several of these orphans, many of whom have been traumatized by the loss of their families and by events in war-torn Iraq. This film gives the viewer a real sense of being in the orphanage - especially when a bomb explodes.

About director:

Mohamed Jabarah Al Daradji (b. 1978 in Baghdad, Iraq) studied at the Media Academy in Hilversum, the Netherlands and at the Northern Film School in Leeds. After Saddam Hussein’s regime was overturned in 2003, he returned to Iraq and directed "Ahlaam" (2005). The follow-up feature "Son of Babylon" (2009) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010. He was named Variety’s Middle East Filmmaker of the Year 2010.

Atia Jabarah Al Daradji (b. 1979 in Baghdad, Iraq) graduated from the Final Art Academy in Hilversum, the Netherlands. After Saddam Hussein’s regime was overturned in 2003, he returned to Iraq to produce "Ahlaam" (2005) with his brother Mohamed directing. Their follow-up feature "Son of Babylon" (2009) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010.

Selected filmography: "Ahlaam" (2005), "Son of Babylon" (2009), "In My Mother's Arms" (2011, doc, "Kino pavasaris").

Trailers: