“Hanging Gardens” competes for the “Oscars” and gives Iraqi cinema the opportunity to win the “Best International Film” award.

The Oscar is the dream of all artists, and successful films are nominated to win the distinguished award. An Arab film enters the Oscar competition, as the Cinema and Theater Department of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture announced the nomination of the film (Hanging Gardens) by director Ahmed Yassin to compete for the Oscar for Best International Film in the ninety-sixth session of the award. The most famous cinematically.
Activating cinemas and the artistic movement in Iraq
The department said in a statement that the nomination came “in order to activate cinemas and the cinematic artistic movement to bring it to the ranks of advanced countries artistically and cinematically.”
She pointed out that the film received a production grant from the Ministry of Culture and achieved success in Arab and international festivals and won many awards.
The film, starring Jawad Al-Shukarji and Wissam Dyaa, was first shown at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, after which it toured prestigious festivals in Sweden, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, and was recently shown in cinemas in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Hanging gardens nominated for an Oscar
The film’s director, Ahmed Yassin, wrote on his Facebook page, “I am extremely honored and proud after the official announcement by the Department of Cinema and Theater that our film ‘Hanging Gardens’ has been chosen to represent Iraq in the Oscars.”
He added, “This journey was a struggle full of love, cooperation between exceptional talents, and a testimony to the power of the art of narrative. Our film will represent the richness of Iraqi cinema, and we hope that it will resonate with the global audience.”
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences receives one nomination from each country to compete for the Best International Film Award, which is reserved for non-English speaking films.
What is an Oscar?
The Academy Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit in the field of film industry. The awards are given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The awards are international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as evaluated by the Academy’s voting members. Winners of the various categories are awarded a copy of a golden statue, officially called the ‘Oscar of Excellence’, although it is more commonly referred to by its name, ‘The Oscars’. The statue depicts a knight in the Art Deco style