The Band Documentary Screens on Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation's Website

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Winner of Three International Awards

The Band Documentary Screens on Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation's Website


Albaqer Jafeer’s film, The Band, will screen online through the official website of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Coming as part the long-term collaboration between the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and MAD Solutions, the film's screening is slated to be held on Tuesday, October 13, at 5:30 PM (GMT+2) and will be made available only for audiences across the Arab world.

Founded in 1978, Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation is a non-profit initiative launched by the Arab Bank through allocating a percentage of its yearly profits to fund it. It serves as the bank’s arm to raise the social and cultural awareness through three main elements; Thought Leadership, Literature and Arts, and Innovation.

The Band won three international awards, including the Arab World Institute's Best Feature Documentary Film Award at the Festival des Cinémas Arabes in Paris, France, the Karama Feather for Best Documentary Film Award at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan, and a Special Mention at the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria. The film also screened at the Karama Beirut Human Rights Film Festival.

Written and directed by Albaqer Jafeer, The Band is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions. The film tells the story of Hulm Band that is made up of six musicians who are sparing no efforts to fulfill their dream of playing Sufi music in their hometown, Sadr city in Iraq. They only face one dilemma which lies in the fact that they can get murdered for playing music in a city where music is forbidden. In 67 minutes, the film follows the band members as they open up to the film's director, Albaqer Jafeer, on their dreams, aspirations and the reality in which they find themselves.

Albaqar Jafeer is an Iraqi director who studied filmmaking at the Iraqi Independent Film Center in 2009. Later on, Jafeer participated in filmmaking workshops inside and outside Baghdad where he studied screenwriting, directing, editing and production management. Albaqar Jafeer's filmography includes the short documentary film Rafa't Alam (Rising the Flag) and Ghorbat Ghajar (Strangeness of the Gypsies) and the experimental film 50mm Lens. The Band is Jafeer's debut feature documentary film.