The little boy on the big screen hops frustratedly, although truth be told, even if he was exhausted or exhilarated, he would still hop, since he has only one leg.
He is playing football on a dusty plain in Iraq and wearing a Barcelona shirt with Messi 10 on the back. He is the goalkeeper and is being cruelly told by a teammate to go sell tomatoes: “You don’t need both legs for that.”
The film on the big screen is called Baghdad Messi and tells the tale of Hamoudi, 10, who is obsessed with the beautiful game. It was given its Brazilian premiere last week as part of CineFoot, an annual film festival based in Rio de Janeiro that screens only films related to football.
With the World Cup less than a week away, Baghdad Messi is set to travel Brazil as part of the CineFoot Tour and is expected to be shown at several of the 12 host cities.
For more World Cup stories, visit our dedicated microsite – thenational.ae/worldcup
Sahim Omar Kalifa, the film’s writer and director, will remain at home in Belgium during this month’s World Cup, but as a football fan – he supports Manchester United over Barcelona – he is delighted to know his film is being screened in the country renowned as the game’s spiritual home.
“In Iraq, Brazil has the most fans,” Kalifa said. “They like Brazil very much because the Iraqi people are as crazy as Brazilian people for football. It is said that around 90 per cent of the men in Iraq play football. To have our film shown during the World Cup has a very special and symbolic taste. Why? Simply for the fact the tournament is taking place in Brazil.”
Kalifa was born in Kurdistan in 1980 and moved to Belgium in 2001 to be with his parents. The idea for Baghdad Messi, he said, came from his own melancholy at not being able to play football with his friends any longer.
In Portuguese, the Brazilians have a special word for such longing – “saudade” – and Kalifa was evidently a sufferer.
“When I was in Iraq, I played football every day and football made me really very happy,” he said. “When I went to Belgium, I stopped with football and after a while I discovered that I am not as happy as I expected to be. I concluded that, by not playing football anymore in Belgium, this was the reason for my sadness.
“Baghdad Messi is a film about love and how love can make your life so soft and happy.”
The 16-minute film took more than five months to complete, cost between US$130,000 and $150,000 (Dh477,500–Dh551,000) and was partly funded by Enjaaz, a Dubai Film Market initiative. It is co-produced by the Dubai Entertainment and Media Organisation. As for how the emirate’s involvement came about, Kalifa replied: “They liked the story, I guess.”
Since debuting at the Dubai Film Festival in December 2012, Baghdad Messi has won more than 40 awards from around the globe, from Argentina to Armenia, Montenegro to Morocco. Yet it is first prize at a small event in Bermuda earlier this year that Kalifa holds dearest, and for good reason.
“The Best Short Film award at the Bermuda International Film Festival is very interesting for us because by winning this award, it makes our film eligible for next year’s Oscars,” he said. “We now hope that in January our film will be one of the five nominated.”
Until then, though, CineFoot will continue to provide exposure.
Antonio Leal, the festival director, said the event is expanding its borders and even before the World Cup tour begins next week, the festival – now in its fifth year – has already shown a record 79 films across three cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte.
At the opening night in Sao Paulo, a group of around 150 enthusiasts watched a short documentary showing rare black-and-white footage of the only previous World Cup to be held in Brazil. Taking place in 1950, the hosts reached the final, but lost 2-1 to Uruguay.
Cruelly, like the Baghdad Messi, the goalkeeper was blamed.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Extra Time, Episode 32: Gary Meenaghan soaking in the atmosphere in Brazil.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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