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The first person narrative in Nowhere to Hide allows an immersive and uncompromising insight into the resilience and fortitude of a male nurse in Jalawla, Iraq.

Synopsis

Nowhere to Hide is an immersive and uncompromising first-hand reflection of the resilience and fortitude of a male nurse working and raising his children in Jalawla, Iraq, an increasingly dangerous and inaccessible part of the world. Immediately after US troops left Iraq in 2011, director Zaradasht Ahmed gave Nori Sharif a camera and taught him how to use it, asking him to capture the reality of life in his community and the hospital where he worked. For the next five years Nori filmed life around him, but the population— including the majority of the hospital staff—flees when the Iraqi army pulls out in 2013 because of militant activity. Sharif is one of the few who remain. When the militias and the Islamic State advance on Jalawla in 2014 and finally take over the city, Sharif continues to film. However, he now faces a vital decision: stay and dedicate himself to treating those he vowed to help, or leave and protect his family—in the process becoming one of thousands of internally displaced people in Iraq.

Winner of the 2017 Nestor Almendros award for courage in filmmaking and 2016 IDFA Winner for Best Feature-Length Documentary

Theatrical release on June 23rd at New York's Village East Cinemas with more cities to follow

"It's difficult to diagnose this war. It's an undiagnosed war. You only see the symptoms - the killing, displacements, blood baths. But you don't understand the disease." - Nori Sharif, film subject, Nowhere to Hide

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Credits

Zaradasht Ahmed

Director

Director and Photographer Zaradasht Ahmed is a Kurdish/Norwegian Filmmaker. He was born and raised in Northern Iraq. His previous work includes the award-winning “Road to Diyarbakir”, and he has many years of experience working with documentary filmmaking in the Middle East, North-Africa, and Asia, as well as training local people in documentation. His latest film on the topic of illegal immigration to Europe (for SVT Swedish Television) – “Fata Morgana”, has been screened at several prestigious Film festivals.