Iraq’s 2023 Academy Awards Rep The Exam Addressing Middle Eastern Women Issues to Screen in US and Germany
Mansour Jahani – The motion picture The Exam, directed by Shawkat Amin Korki, produced by Mehmet Aktas and representing Iraq in the 2023 Academy Awards, deals with the issues and problems of women in the Middle East, slated to have its US premiere on 3 December 2022, at 4 pm in Los Angeles, 1 pm on 6 December 2022, in New York, as well as a screening in Germany at 4 pm, on 8 December 2022, in Berlin.
The Exam is a joint production of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Germany, and Qatar, and it had its world premiere in the main competition category of the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, winning a FIPRESCI award.
The Exam has had other international screenings as well, earning accolades such as Best Film in the international category of the US’s 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Best Screenplay in the main competition category of Albania’s 19th Tirana Film Festival, the United Nations Population Fund’s prize in the competition segment of World Panorama in Egypt’s 43rd Cairo International Film Festival, the jury’s special award in the international competition category of Belgium’s 37th Mons International Film Festival, and Best Film in the international main competition of Canada’s 27th Victoria Film Festival.
The Exam is a production of Berlin’s Mitos Film and Suleymaniyah’s Masti Films, sponsored by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Ministry of Culture, Art, and Youth, and it will be internationally distributed by Germany’s ArtHood company.
The Exam features an ensemble cast of eminent and veteran stars from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, along with a handful of young actors including Avan Jamal, Vania Salar, Hussein Hassan Ali, Shwan Attoof, Hushyar Nerwayi, Nigar Osman, Kawa Qadir, Adil Abdolrahman, etc.