Latest news with #Marshlands
Al Jazeera
02-06-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Iraq probes fish die-off in marshes
Iraqi authorities have opened an investigation into a mass die-off of fish in the country's central and southern marshlands, the latest in a series of such incidents in recent years. One possible cause for the devastation is a shortage of oxygen, triggered by low water flow, increased evaporation and rising temperatures driven by climate change, according to officials and environmental activists. Another is the use of chemicals by fishermen. 'We have received several citizens' complaints,' said Jamal Abd Zeid, chief environmental officer for the Najaf governorate, which stretches from central to southern Iraq, adding that a technical inspection team had been set up. He explained that the team would look into water shortages, electrical fishing, and the use by fishermen of 'poisons'. For at least five years, Iraq has endured successive droughts linked to climate change. Authorities further attribute the severe decline in river flow to the construction of dams by neighbouring Iran and Turkiye. The destruction of Iraq's natural environment adds another layer of suffering to a country that has already faced decades of war and political oppression. 'We need lab tests to determine the exact cause' of the fish die-off, said environmental activist Jassim al-Assadi, who suggested that agricultural pesticides could also be responsible. Investigations into similar incidents have shown that the use of poison in fishing can lead to mass deaths. 'It is dangerous for public health, as well as for the food chain,' al-Assadi said. 'Using poison today, then again in a month or two … It's going to accumulate.'
LBCI
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LBCI
Iraq's first-ever director at Cannes Festival wins best feature debut
Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, on Saturday won a top prize for his childhood adventure under economic sanctions in "The President's Cake." His first feature-length film follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein's birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty. It is the early 1990s, the country is under crippling U.N. sanctions, and she and her grandmother can barely afford to eat. The pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients. Hadi dedicated his Camera d'Or award, which honors first-time directors, to "every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship, and joy amid war, sanctions, and dictatorship. "You are the real heroes," he said. He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival's Palme D'Or top prize for his "It Was Just an Accident," the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail. "The President's Cake" has received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors' Fortnight section. Cinema bible Variety called it a "tragicomic gem." Deadline said it was "head and shoulders above" some of the films in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize, and "could turn out to be Iraq's first nominee for an Oscar." Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film "I'm Glad You're Dead Now." After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza. "In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip," he said. Outside the main competition, Gazan twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser on Friday received a directing award in the Certain Regard parallel section for "Once Upon A Time In Gaza." One of them dedicated the award to Palestinians, especially those living in their homeland of Gaza, which they left in 2012. He said that, when they hesitated to return to Cannes to receive the prize, his mother had encouraged him to go and tell the world about the suffering of people in Gaza. "She said, 'No, no, no, you have to go. Tell them to stop the genocide," he said. AFP
The National
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
First Iraqi director at Cannes wins top prize with The President's Cake
Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to win a top prize at the Cannes Film Festival said he's optimistic about the future of cinema in his country. "I think this proves that our story matters and if you can tell them and tell them well, people around the world will respond positively," he said. At the festival on Saturday, Hadi's childhood adventure film, The President's Cake, won the Camera d'Or, which honours first-time directors. Set in the 1990s when Iraq was under crippling UN sanctions, the drama follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein's birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty. Along with her grandmother, the pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients. Speaking at a press conference following his win, Hadi called the win "overwhelming and exciting". "It means more responsibility and that you have to make films in the same level," he said. "We are an emerging industry. There's still a lot to be done, there are lot of artists that are coming up and I'm optimistic about the future of cinema." The President's Cake received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors' Fortnight section. Hadi and his team shot the feature entirely in Iraq, filming predominantly amid the ancient wetlands in the south of the country, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2016. He spoke to AFP about how the near-total trade and financial embargo imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait "demolished the moral fabric of society," Hadi said. It sent the country "hundreds of years back", he said, adding that he did not taste cake until he was in his early teens, after the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam and sanctions were lifted. "Sanctions empower dictators," he said. "In the history of the world, there was no one time when they imposed sanctions and the president couldn't eat." Following his win, Hadi dedicated his award to "every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship and joy amid war, sanctions and dictatorship". "You are the real heroes," he said. He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival's Palme D'Or top prize for his film It Was Just an Accident, the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail. Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film I'm Glad You're Dead Now. After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza. "In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip," he said. US President Donald Trump sparked controversy this year by saying he wanted to turn the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East". Agencies contributed to this report
Malay Mail
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Iraqi director Hasan Hadi wins top Cannes debut prize for childhood tale set under Saddam's rule
CANNES, May 25 — Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, on Saturday won a top prize for his childhood adventure under economic sanctions in 'The President's Cake'. His first feature-length film follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein's birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty. It is the early 1990s, the country is under crippling UN sanctions, and she and her grandmother can barely afford to eat. The pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients. Hadi dedicated his Camera d'Or award, which honours first-time directors, to 'every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship and joy amid war, sanctions and dictatorship. 'You are the real heroes,' he said. He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival's Palme D'Or top prize for his 'It Was Just an Accident', the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail. 'The President's Cake' has received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors' Fortnight section. Cinema bible Variety called it a 'tragicomic gem'. Deadline said it was 'head and shoulders above' some of the films in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize, and 'could turn out to be Iraq's first nominee for an Oscar'. Palestinian films Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film 'I'm Glad You're Dead Now'. After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza. 'In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip,' he said. US President Donald Trump sparked controversy this year by saying he wanted to turn the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'. Outside the main competition, Gazan twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser on Friday received a directing award in the Certain Regard parallel section for 'Once Upon A Time In Gaza'. One of them dedicated the award to Palestinians, especially those living in their homeland of Gaza, which they left in 2012. He said that, when they hesitated to return to Cannes to receive the prize, his mother had encouraged him to go and tell the world about the suffering of people in Gaza. 'She said, 'No, no, no, you have to go. Tell them to stop the genocide',' he said. Amnesty International last month said Israel was carrying out a 'live-streamed genocide' against Palestinians in Gaza, claims Israel dismissed as 'blatant lies'. — AFP
Malay Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Iraqi filmmaker makes Cannes debut with moving tale of childhood under sanctions
CANNES, May 19 — Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, said that economic embargoes like those imposed in his childhood under Saddam Hussein do not work. 'Sanctions empower dictators,' he told AFP, claiming that they concentrate scant resources in their hands and only make them 'more brutal'. 'In the history of the world, there was no one time when they (imposed) sanctions and the president couldn't eat.' Hadi's first feature film, The President's Cake, has received very good reviews since premiering on Friday in the Directors' Fortnight section, with Variety calling it a 'tragicomic gem'. Deadline said it was 'head and shoulders above' some of the films in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or top prize, and 'could turn out to be Iraq's first nominee for an Oscar'. The film follows nine-year-old Lamia after she has the misfortune of being picked by her school teacher to bake the class a cake for the president's birthday, or be denounced for disloyalty. It is the early 1990s and the country is under crippling UN sanctions. She and her grandmother — with whom she shares a reed home in Iraq's southern marshlands — can barely afford to eat. As they set off into town to hunt down unaffordable ingredients, with Lamia's pet cockerel and their last meagre belongings to sell, the film plunges into the social reality — and everyday petty corruption — of 1990s Iraq. The near-total trade and financial embargo imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait 'demolished the moral fabric of society', Hadi said. It sent the country 'hundreds of years back'. 'Selling their door frames' The filmmaker said he did not taste cake until he was in his early teens, after the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam and sanctions were lifted. Instead, with processed sugar and eggs out of reach, there was 'date cake' — whose main ingredient was squished dates, sometimes with a candle on top. 'As a kid you're sad that you're not getting your cake,' he said. But as you grow up, you realise what your parents must have gone through to put food on the table. 'Not only my family, but all of these people had to sell literally everything,' he said. 'There were people that were even selling their door frames.' Hadi and his team shot the film entirely in Iraq. It beautifully captures the ancient wetlands in the south of the country, listed as a World Heritage Site since 2016 and reputedly the home of the biblical Garden of Eden. Saddam drained them in the 1990s, trying to flush out rebels hiding in the reeds. But after the US-led invasion, authorities opened up the valves and the wetlands flourished again—even if they are now threatened by climate change. Hadi said he chose the location partly to make the point that 'the marshes stayed and Saddam went away'. Infamous eatery To re-create the Iraq of his youth, Hadi and his crew paid close attention to detail, amassing vintage clothes and bringing a barber on set to trim the hair and moustaches of everyone down to the extras. They scouted out the best locations, shooting one scene in a small eatery reputed to have been frequented by Saddam himself. They chose non-actors to play ordinary Iraqis under the ever-present eyes of the president in posters, picture frames and murals. Hadi said that hearing US President Donald Trump say recently that he planned to lift sanctions on Syria after Islamists toppled former president Bashar al-Assad last year was 'amazing'. 'I don't think the sanctions helped in any way to get rid of Bashar, but definitely empowered him to kill more people, and torture more people,' he said. — AFP
