Iraq's lost beauty | DW Documentary

Latif Al Ani is one of Iraq‘s most famous photographers. His images depict life in cosmopolitan Iraq, spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s. Now, Al Ani travels through his country, in search of the people and places he photographed back then.

Latif Al Ani was born in Baghdad in 1932. When he was 15, his brother gave him a camera and the teenager began to photograph his surroundings. Later, he made this hobby into his profession. Al Ani‘s black-and-white photographs embody a unique visual memory of the heyday of a now troubled country. They depict a vibrant Iraqi culture, in all its richness and complexity and provide deep insight into a part of history unfamiliar to most.

When Saddam Hussein seized power in the late 1970s, Al Ani stopped taking photographs. More than 30 years later, in 2015, he was awarded the Dutch Prince Claus Prize, a prestigious award for special cultural achievement. In 2016, early works by the photographer were shown in the Iraqi pavilion at the Venice Biennale. This late-in-life recognition inspired him to return to both his work and his native country. Well into his 80s, he embarked on a road trip in his vintage car to visit the places where his photographs were originally taken. This journey takes him through rural regions where IS raged for years, and to neighborhoods destroyed by bombs. He also visits places where time seems to have stood still, encouraging him to pick up his camera again.

Over a period of five years, a film team accompanied Latif Al Ani on this journey. The result is an ode to a legendary photographer who is considered the "father of Iraqi photography."


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