Baghdad: A committee in the office of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has announced that the film “Saeed Effendi,” initially produced in 1956, has been selected to officially represent Iraq at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival. The film will be showcased in the Cannes Classics section, marking a significant achievement for Iraqi cinema.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, this selection is a first in the history of Iraqi cinema and is attributed to the efforts of the Iraq Cinematheque project. The project aims to revive and promote Iraqi cinematic heritage on a global scale. The film “Saeed Effendi” was meticulously restored at the French National Institute of Audiovisual Arts, ensuring its quality for international audiences.

The Prime Minister’s media office further clarified that the restored version of “Saeed Effendi” is part of a collection of 104 Iraqi feature films. These films, with production dates spanning from the 1940s to the early 2000s, are being preserved and restored by the Hassan Ibn Al-Haytham Committee for the Visual Memory of Iraq. The committee’s work underscores a commitment to protecting and showcasing Iraq’s rich cinematic history.