Thursday, January 31, 2019
5:30-7:30pm
Auditorium 113, First Floor
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St NW

The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, the Embassy of the Czech Republic and the Kurdistan Regional Government cordially invite you to a screening of the film "The Deminer". The film will be opened by His Excellency Hynek Kmoníček, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States. A Q&A with Jamie Franklin, Executive Director of Mines Advisory Group (MAG) America, will follow the screening.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Fakir Berwari joined the army. When he saw how many people had been killed in Iraqi Kurdistan by landmines, he decided to dedicate his life to ridding the world of these deadly implements. Since then his days have resembled an action film. This documentary based on archival footage shows how he cuts the wires of home-made explosives. His own life seems to come in second place; the lives of civilians come first. He is only stopped by an accident in which he loses his leg. After years of inactivity, with no way to ply his trade, a new enemy, the so-called Islamic state, emerges. The film is a fascinating story of a father of eight whose courage puts him at risk of losing everything.

"The Deminer" (2017) received the Award for Best Film at the prestigious One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

Director: Hogir Hirori
Co-director: Shinwar Kamal
2017, 83 minutes, English subtitled

For more info about the film, please visit www.thedeminer.com.