30/5 — 5/6/2024
64th International Film Festival
for Children and Youth

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Section: Beyond the Childhood Horizon

Baghdad Messi (2022) 15

Belgium | 2022 | 88 min.

Iraq. Hamoudi (11) lives for football and he dreams of being as outstanding as his hero Lionel Messi. One day, when he is unintentionally involved in an attack, he wakes up in hospital with only one leg. While his parents do everything to keep the family safe, Hamoudi fights to achieve his dream in spite of his injuries.

CountryBelgium
Year2022
Duration88 min
Rating15
LanguageArabic, Kurdish
SubtitleCzech, English
Directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa
Screenplay Kobe Van Steenberghe
Director of Photography Anton Mertens
Edited by Dorith Vinken
Contact Wild Bunch International

Biography

Belgian screenwriter and director of Kurdish origin. He studied at the Luca Art School in Brussels. He's directed short films and documentaries. His feature debut was the drama Zagros (2017), later making the film Baghdad Messi (2023) developed from a short film of the same name (2012).

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