New film school in Mosul supported by NTGent and Unesco

The collaboration between the Institute and NTGent dates back many years, but will be even intensified this fall with the creation of a Film Department in Mosul. This project is supported by and a part of the UNESCO Revive the Spirit of Mosul cultural program.

“This collaboration is of an enormous importance to us”, says Suleik Salem Al-Khabbaz, department head at the Mosul Institute of Fine Arts. “It will allow us to develop the capabilities of students as well as teachers in our Theatrical Arts Department, but it’s also a chance to tell the whole world about the real reality in the city of Mosul.”

“Helping to create a Film Department in Mosul might seem like an exceptional move for a European theatre house”, says Milo Rau, artistic director of NTGent. “And in a way, it really is. On the other hand, this is a logical next step in a collaboration that has been going on for years. For NTGent, sustainability is a very important value. This also means leaving something behind in the places we visit. In this case: creating new cultural opportunities in a devastated city.”