Germany to feature Halabja gas attack via Iran lens

Iranian Filmfest Cologne in Germany is due to depict Halabja chemical attack in Iraq through the lens of Iranian cinema.

Focus Halabtsche is one of the main sections in this round of festival allotted to Halabja chemical attack against the Kurdish people in Iraq by former dictator Saddam Hussein.

'Memories for All Seasons' by Mostafa Razzagh-Karimi, 'Museum of Peace: An Audiovisual Tour' by Negar Tahsili and 'Zemnako' by Mehdi Ghorbanpour are among those to be featured in the event's Focus Halabtsche.

Besides the documentaries on Halabtsche, a batch of 8 short films and 13 feature films will screen at Cologne filmfest with 5 Iranian cineastes selected to serve as the jury members of the event.   

Halabja Chemical Attack, AKA Halabja Massacre or Bloody Friday, was a cold-blooded massacre during the closing days of the Iraq–Iran war in the Kurdish city of Halabja in Iraq.

The attack and devastating aftermath are believed to mark the worst ever gas attack targeting civilians on March 16, 1988. Many Iranian war veterans and civilians were also victimized in this human tragedy.

The Iranian Film Festival Köln under the banner "Visions of Iran" is slated to be held May 31-June 3 in Cologne, western Germany.

MM/AG