Mosul (2019 documentary film)

2019 war documentary film

Mosul

Film poster

Directed by| Dan Gabriel
Written by| Daniel Gabriel
Mike Tucker
Produced by| Matt Schrader
Cinematography|

* Hussein Alla
* Ayhab Awaad
* Khalid Al Bayatti
* Riyadh Gheni
* Anas Al Taiee

Edited by| Christopher Campbell
Music by| Photek

Production
company

Two Rivers Pictures

Distributed by| Gravitas Ventures

Release date

* May 14, 2019 (2019-05-14)

Running time

| 86 minutes
Country| United States
Languages| English
Arabic

Mosul is a 2019 American war documentary film about the battle to reclaim the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from 2016 to 2017.[1]

## Overview

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The film is the directorial debut from Dan Gabriel, who worked in the region as a CIA counter-terrorism officer, and also produced the film.[2] The film focuses on the intersecting narratives of the various Iraqi ethnic groups that were involved in the operation: Sunni tribesman, Shiite militias, Christian fighters, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The eyewitness footage was captured over nine months by a camera crew embedded with various units of the Iraqi forces.[3] The film follows Iraqi journalist Ali Maula who is embedded with the militia, along with war widow Um Hanadi, and ISIS recruiter Nasser Issa.[4] Others that appear in footage of Maula's interviews include Captain Alaa Atah of the Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade and Sheikh "The Crocodile" Saleh.[5]

## Release

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Mosul premiered at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival. The official release date for digital distribution is May 14, 2019,[3][6] by Gravitas Ventures.[2] The film's original score was composed by Grammy-nominated British record producer Photek. The documentary is 86 minutes long.[7] The original score was written by Photek.[2]

## Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from six critics.[3]

Film Inquiry wrote, "Gritty, powerful and honest, the film begs to be experienced, discussed, and remembered."[5] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times said "while not exactly uncharted documentary territory, the Iraq conflict is thought-provokingly portrayed in 'Mosul'."[8] Laura DeMarco called the film "a gripping narrative of life during 'total warfare'."[9]

## References

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1. ^ Gray, Tim (August 29, 2018). "Alex Wolff, Dominique Fishback to Receive San Diego Festival Honors". Variety.
2. ^ a b c "Film News Roundup: 'Mia and the White Lion', 'Mosul'". February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019..
3. ^ a b c "Mosul (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
4. ^ "Review: Documentary views 'Mosul' through the eyes of an Iraqi journalist". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2019.
5. ^ a b Mock, Adam (May 13, 2019). "MOSUL: An Unhealed Wound On The Psyche Of A Nation". Film Inquiry.
6. ^ BWW News Desk. "Awards Announced For 2018 San Diego International Film Festival". BroadwayWorld.com.
7. ^ "Mosul - Cleveland International Film Festival :: March 27 - April 7, 2019". ClevelandFilm.org.
8. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (April 25, 2019). "Review: Documentary views 'Mosul' through the eyes of an Iraqi journalist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
9. ^ DeMarco, Laura (April 4, 2019). "Cleveland International Film Festival: Powerful 'Mosul' documentary to have world premiere". cleveland. Retrieved August 6, 2020.

## External links

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* Official website
* Mosul at IMDb