The Lions by the River Tigris
In Mosul, a city devastated during the battle for liberation from the Islamic State, the fight to heal and preserve its identity, culture,and art is far from over.
Three men refuse to let Mosul remain in ruins. Bashar, a fisherman, desperately tries to rebuild what was once his family’s home. Fakhri, a passionate collector, salvages remnants of the city’s past, determined to preserve its history. Fadel, a musician once silenced under ISIS rule, now inspires a new generation to embrace art over extremism.
As Mosul slowly rebuilds itself, we witness a cultural reawaken- ing—women reclaiming public spaces, theaters reopening, music schools emerging, ancient heritage restored. A city with 8,000 years of history, struggling to reclaim its soul through those who refuse to let it fade into oblivion.
Director Zaradasht Ahmed is an IDFA-winning Kurdish- Norwegian film- maker originally from Iraq, renowned for his compelling storytelling in conflict zones. With over 17 years of experience, he has worked extensively across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, captur- ing human resilience through documentary filmmaking. In addition to directing, he has trained local communities in documentation, empowering those living in some of the world’s most volatile regions to tell their own stories.
Zaradasht Ahmed’s most acclaimed documentary, Nowhere to Hide (2016), has received over 20 prestigious international awards, including Best Feature Documentary at IDFA (2016), Best Documentary at the One World Human Rights Festival (2017), and an Emmy Award nomination (2019).
Directed by: Zaradasht Ahmed
Edited by: Eva Hillström
Produced by: Thorvald Nilsen
Co-produced by: DOXY - Harmen Jalvingh, Hester Breunissen, Janneke Doolard and Sylvia Baan
Sales agent: Robin Brinster // Illumina Films
Festival agent: Raina Films
Awards:
UNION OF THE UKRAINIAN FILM CRITICS` PRIZE OKO GLOBAL NON-FICTION COMPETITION PROGRAM
Honorary Mention - Regional Competition - Golden Apricot Film Festival
Honorary Mention - Norwegian Competition - Nordic Docs Film Festival
Honorary Mention -Norwegian Competition - Bergen International Film Festival
Festivals:
CPH:DOX Human Rights Competition - World Premiere
Arabic Film Days - Oslo - Norwegian Premiere
Doc Edge - New Zealand
Golden Apricot - Armenia
The Norwegian Film Festival - Haugesund
OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival - Kyiv
Nordic Docs - Fredrikstad
Middle East Now - Florence
Architecture Film Festival - Rotterdam - Dutch premiere
Bergen International Film Festival
DOK Leipzig
Oran Film Festival - Algeria
Urban Eye - Bucharest
Movies on War - Elverum - Opening Film
DOC NYC - US premiere
Verzio Film Festival - Budapest
Doha Film Festival
This Human World - Vienna
Duhok International Film Festival - Iraqi Premiere
