Baghdad Film School—Making Movies in Iraq

Kasim Abid is an Iraqi filmmaker who worked for three years as head of Camera and Location Production for ANN (Arab News Network) in London. His films include the award-winning Naji Al Ali: Artist With Vision, and Life After The Fall, a new documentary about his family's experiences in Baghdad in the years since the American invasion. He has also taught television training courses in Palestine and Iraqi Kurdistan. Abid earned a diploma from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and an MA from the Moscow Film Institute.

Maysoon Pachachi is a filmmaker and film editor of Iraqi origin who has taught filmmaking courses in Britain and Palestine. She has directed several award-winning documentaries, including Iranian Journey, Bitter Water, and Return To The Land Of Wonders, and is currently finishing Open Shutters Iraq, a documentary about Iraqi women and girls who learn photography in order to tell their own stories. Pachachi holds degrees from University College London and the London Film School and is a founding member of Act Together: Women's Action for Iraq.