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Iraq. The Story of My Family

An Iraqi family under pressure from sectarianism, ISIS and emigration

Family lies at the heart of Iraqi society but what happens to family ties when a country settles into war? In this documentary about Iraqi families, RTD follows Omar, a Russian-Iraqi, back to his paternal homeland. Omar’s father was an Iraqi communist who fled to the Soviet Union and married a Russian. He left behind eleven brothers and sisters, as well as four hundred clan members. News that relationships are at breaking point brings Omar to Baghdad, to try and get everyone back together.

Large close-knit families used to the norm in Iraq, but the Iraqi war has divided them. When he visits Baghdad, Russian-Iraqi Omar must see his uncles and aunts separately, as some no longer speak to each other.

As he rides around the heavily-policed Baghdad streets, samples café culture and visits ancient sites, a new picture of daily life in Iraq emerges. Relatives from different generations open up about the strain that ISIS violence, rising sectarianism and emigration are putting on family life in Iraq.

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