Mosul (2019 documentary film)

2019 war documentary film

This article is about Dan Gabriel's documentary film. For Matthew Michael Carnahan's action film, see Mosul (2019 action 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Official website
* Mosul at IMDb