07-05-2025
Saïd Effendi: Iraqi film landmark to showcase at Cannes
Shafaq News/ Iraq's 1956 cinematic classic Saïd Effendi has been officially selected for the 'Cannes Classics' section at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival, the Al-Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham Higher Committee for the Iraqi Visual Memory announced on Wednesday.
The committee, which operates under the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office, hailed the selection as a 'landmark moment' for Iraqi cinema.
According to the committee's statement, the film's inclusion follows an extensive restoration effort carried out as part of the Cinematheque Iraq initiative, with support from the French Embassy in Baghdad, France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the French development agency Expertise France.
Restored in 4K by the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA), Saïd Effendi is now archived in Iraq's national film memory collection. The film, based on the short story Shijar by Edmon Sabri, is regarded as a cornerstone of Iraqi filmmaking from the mid-20th century, with its screening at Cannes seen as a milestone to preserve and elevate Iraq's cultural and cinematic legacy on the global stage.
The broader Cinematheque Iraq project focuses on safeguarding 104 Iraqi narrative films produced between the 1940s and early 2000s.
