The 1956 film Said Effendi has been selected to officially represent Iraq at the 78th International Cannes Film Festival, where it will be featured in the Classic Films section. This marks a historic first for Iraqi cinema, as no Iraqi film has previously been chosen for Cannes through the Iraq Cinematic project—an initiative focused on restoring and promoting Iraq’s cinematic heritage to a global audience.
Directed by Kurdish filmmaker Kameran Husni, Said Effendi is based on the story Demaqala by Iraqi author Edmond Sabri (1921–1975). The film was nominated for an award at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1959, underscoring its early international recognition.
The meticulously restored version of Said Effendi was preserved by the National Institute of Audiovisual Arts in France. It was selected from a collection of 140 Iraqi films produced between the 1940s and early 2000s, highlighting its significant cultural and historical value.
The film’s selection is a key achievement of the Iraq Cinematheque project, which has been working to revive Iraq’s cinematic heritage by restoring and digitizing important films from the country’s past. The project aims to preserve these works for future generations and introduce Iraq’s rich film history to audiences worldwide.
This milestone not only honors the legacy of Kurdish director Kameran Husni but also shines a spotlight on the contributions of Kurdish filmmakers to cinema. The inclusion of Said Effendi at Cannes is expected to increase international interest in Iraqi and Kurdish cinema and encourage further preservation efforts.
