New MRG documentary film: 'Noun' - a film about the current challenges facing Iraqi Christians.
Directed by Aida Schlaepfer, commissioned and produced by Minority Rights Group International & da Production
Directed by Aida Schlaepfer, commissioned and produced by Minority Rights Group International & da Production
The film “Noun” depicts the suffering of Christian Iraqis - their marginalisation, persecution, torture, and murder - culminating in their forced displacement from their homes in northern Iraq, and how this systematic displacement, which began at the turn of the 20th Century, continues to this day.
Throughout the film, individuals and families share the details of what they have personally witnessed of the assaults by ISIS gangs, including kidnapping, torture, theft and displacement.
Priests who are assisting the displaced, and individuals affected by the displacement, such as Aida, whose 3-year old daughter was snatched from her and whose disappearance has left doubts about her fate; Yasi, whose husband was killed in her home; and Father Joseph, whose colleague was beheaded and thrown on to the street, all give powerful testimony in the film. The common thread that brings together all of these stories is not only a bitter sense of the suffering caused by displacement, but also the loss of any sense of security in their own country, and the feeling of being strangers in their own land. In addition, there is the constant state of fear which brings flashbacks of the events that had caused their displacement by ISIS; these remain, until now, etched in the subconscious of those people interviewed.
Schlaepfer sheds light on the people who were able to survive the terrible crimes of ISIS committed against all who opposed them. The film leaves its audience with the questions: Is there any hope at all of return? And what will the impact be on all the children who have witnessed this tragedy?
“Noun” is a forceful appeal to the conscience of humanity, and all international and governmental organisations who have the capability to extend a helping hand to Iraqi Christians.
