Halkawt Mustafa's 'No Paradise' Screens At Venice Film Festival

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Halkawt Mustafa's film,“No Paradise If You Are Killed By a Woman,” premiered at the Venice Film Festival as Iraq's Oscar entry. The movie, which runs 110 minutes, centers on a Kurdish female sniper battling ISIS in Mosul, a character inspired by a real woman Mustafa encountered in 2014.

Despite its visually detailed backdrop, filmed on location in Mosul, the film has been noted for its dramatic shortcomings and limited narrative exploration of its heroine's ethical struggles. The story opens in 2016 with Vyan ( Avan Jamal ), known as“the Kurdish sniper,” infiltrating an ISIS stronghold to rescue a child bride and killing a militant with a single headshot. Vyan's primary motivation is to locate her younger sister, who is similarly held captive, a mission that drives her actions.

The film shifts focus when Vyan returns to Norway, where she has lived since the age of 12, addressing the legal complexities of fighting in a foreign army as a Norwegian citizen. These scenes include counseling from a social worker, Thorbjørn Harr, who specializes in war trauma. Flashbacks reveal that Vyan and her sister were kidnapped during a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan, where their parents were executed, cementing Vyan's singular objective.

Upon Vyan's return to Mosul, the narrative follows her pursuit of a mysterious Swedish ISIS sniper who is holding her sister hostage. The film weaves in Vyan reading poetry that emphasizes the strength of women and the weakness of her male adversaries. Directed and written by Halkawt Mustafa, the cast also includes Kanar Sarchl and Kader Jalal. Reviewers have given it 2.5 out of 4 stars.

Source: Observer Arts

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