Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream

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Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream
Directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
Written by
  • Mohamed Al-Daradji
  • Karim Traïdia
Produced by
  • Mohamed Al-Daradji
  • Hélène Cases
Starring
  • Ameer Jabarah
  • Samar Kazem Jawad
  • Hussein Raad Zuwayr
Production
companies
  • Lionceau Films
  • Human Film
  • Image Nation
Distributed byMPM Premium
Release date
  • 2025 (2025)
Running time
107 minutes
Countries Iraq, United Arab Emirates, France, Qatar, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia
LanguageArabic

Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream is a 2025 film directed by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji which reimagines the Gilgamesh myth in the contemporary context of urban Iraq. [1] It had its world premiere in the Piazza Grande section of the Locarno Film Festival and showed in other festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival. [2] [3] The film's world sale rights were acquired by MPM Premium on August 8, 2025. [3]

Contents

Production

Al-Daradji came up with the idea for Irkalla in 2019. After spending nearly two decades with the stories of children in the crossfire of war in Iraq, he wanted to combine them with the legend of Gilgamesh, a king who hopes to bring his friend back to life by going to Irkalla, the underworld. [4]

During principal photography, Al-Daradji shot real-life protests. On two occasions, police officers attacked his film center and "accused us of hiding people who wanted to destroy the police" despite Al-Daradji getting formal permission from the Iraqi government to film. [4]

Critical reception

Cineuropa found that the film wasn't very original or subtle in its depictions of young, urban street life in a city like Baghdad but still lauded its authenticity and sentimentality, especially with regard to a younger audience in mind. [5]

The New Indian Express lamented that the film was both predictable and didactic, though nonetheless hopeful for its children and critical in its unflinching observations of city life. [6]

ScreenAnarchy concluded that "The film shifts fluidly between intimate character study, societal critique, and kinetic urgency, offering more than genre hybridity, it delivers a sobering commentary on Iraq's lost generation." [7]

References

  1. ↑ Kotzathanasis, Panos (2025-12-11). "Mohamed Al Daradji Reimagines Gilgamesh". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  2. ↑ "Red Sea-backed films set to shine at 2025 Locarno Film Festival". Arab News. 2025-07-09. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  3. 1 2 De Pablos, Emiliano (2025-08-08). "MPM Premium Nabs World Sales Rights to Locarno's Piazza Grande Entry 'Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream,' by Iraqi Director-Producer Mohamed Al-Daradji (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  4. 1 2 "Locarno 2025 Interview: IRKALLA: GILGAMESH'S DREAM Director Mohamed Al-Daradji on Casting Real Orphans, Filming Amidst Baghdad's Unrest". ScreenAnarchy. 2025-08-28. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  5. ↑ "Review: Irkalla – Gilgamesh's Dream". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 2025-08-14. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  6. ↑ Joshi, Namrata (2025-11-11). "Cinema Without Borders: Children of War—Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji's Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  7. ↑ "Locarno 2025 Review: IRKALLA: GILGAMESH'S DREAM Confronts Iraq's Haunted Present Through Myth, Memory and Children as Collateral Damage". ScreenAnarchy. 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
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