Page - 149 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/02

| 149www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/2, 149–154 Marie-Therese Mäder Film review Iraqi Odyssey (Samir, IQ/CH/DE/AE 2015) The 3-D documentary Iraqi Odyssey (IQ/CH/DE/AE, 2015) by the Iraqi-Swiss film- maker Samir Jamal Aldin tells the director’s family story in light of several migra- tion biographies and includes in its narrative the director’s own immigration and adaption to Switzerland (he arrived in Switzerland with his Iraqi family in 1963). From a personal perspective, Samir (the director’s official name) tells the story of his grandfather and his struggle against British colonialism, how his aunt and uncles emigrated from Iraq to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s, and finally how his family experienced Saddam Hussein’s dictator- ship within Iraqi territory and from abroad. Samir interviews some family mem- bers, namely his aunt Samira in Auckland (New Zealand), his uncle Sabbah in London (United Kingdom), cousin Jamal Al Tahir in Moscow (Russia), cousin Tanya Uldin in Lausanne (Switzerland), and, as the youngest member of the family, his half-sister Souhair Jamal Aldin in Baghdad (Iraq). The interviews are embedded in a rich selection of footage and material such as photographs and films from Samir’s relatives’ personal archives as well as press sources used to picture their stories. Some sequences, including Samir’s own migration experi- ence, are told by the director’s voice-over. The press kit clearly states the “mission” of documentary: As a filmmaker I eventually came to the realization that my own family history stands for a whole generation and a project: the project of modernity. It captures a univer- sal story involving my grandfather and his children – my aunts and uncles – and their children who have been scattered across the globe due to political circumstances. They are members of a well-educated middle class who, as patriots, rose up against British colonialism in their country, Iraq. Like thousands of others of their generation they fought for a secular society. They saw no contradiction between their Arabic roots, technological advances and the democratization of society. I wanted to me- morialize this generation, for their efforts have been largely forgotten or discredited due to religious fanatics.1 Secularization is thus central to the film’s argument, and in this review of the documentary I will therefore focus on the depiction of religion. The film criticiz- es the process of radicalization and instrumentalization of religion in Iraq from 1 Press Kit 2015, 5.