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The Babylon Animation Cinema Festival returns this October for its sixth edition, with 37 films in competition and a programme that points to the festival’s growing regional reach.
I first came across the festival two years ago and have followed Hussein Al-Akeili’s efforts to develop a dedicated animation event in Babylon. What began as a specialist initiative has gradually built a broader network around animation in Iraq and the surrounding region.
A Wider Regional Competition
This year’s competition reflects that shift. Egypt has the largest presence with 11 films, followed by Iran and Saudi Arabia with seven each. Five Iraqi films are also in the programme, alongside works from Morocco, Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, Tunisia and Palestine. One additional title is listed by the festival under the Republic of Tatarstan.
The sixth edition will take place in Babylon on October 11 and 12, with support from Al-Mustaqbal University and in cooperation with the Babylon Festival of World Cultures and Arts.
Iran has one of the strongest representations in the competition. The seven Iranian titles include Gallifomes by Sareh Ali Moradi, Papital by Narges Zakeri, It’s a Gray, Gray World! by Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib, The Collector by Mahsa Shoja, The Path That We Taken by Narges Fazli, The Color of the Sun, and Sedaye Sayeh by Peyman Azadbakht and Shahrzad Mohammadi.
Several of these films have already circulated internationally. Pourmohseni Shakib’s It’s a Gray, Gray World! follows a young man whose colourful identity becomes visible within a monochrome society. The film received the Women in Animation Diversity Award at SPARK Animation and later qualified for consideration at the 96th Academy Awards.
Mahsa Shoja’s The Collector also enters Babylon after an international festival run. Produced by Iran’s Documentary, Experimental and Animation Film Center, the film is part of the international competition at this year’s Etiuda&Anima festival in Kraków.
A Jury From Across the Region
The festival’s jury reflects the same regional structure as the programme. Dr Maher Abdul Majeed from Iraq chairs the four-member panel, joined by Iranian animation filmmaker Ramak Amin Kazemi, Lebanese cinematographer and academic Dr Nidal Abdel Khalek, and Omani animation filmmaker Fahad bin Hamad Al Hadhrami.
Dr Maher Abdul Majeed is an Iraqi academic and professor of cinema. His work has included teaching and writing around film, as well as participation in discussions on the cultural role of cinema in Iraq.
Ramak Amin Kazemi has an earlier connection with the festival through her stop-motion short Paper Flowers, which previously screened in Babylon. The film also won the animation prize at the Kazan International Film Festival.
Dr Nidal Abdel Khalek heads the Audiovisual Department at the Lebanese University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture, Branch 4. His cinematography credits include Philippe Aractingi’s Under the Bombs, presented at Venice Days in 2007.
Fahad bin Hamad Al Hadhrami studied animation at Oman’s Scientific College of Design. His film The Year of Fear 2020 previously screened at the Muscat Short Film Festival. He joins the Babylon jury as both a member and rapporteur.
For its sixth edition, the festival brings together films and jury members from several countries, with a programme focused on animation and regional participation.
For updates, programme announcements and further information, visit the official Babylon Animation Cinema Festival website.
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