SYNOPSIS
March 4th, 2010 Home \ News \ SYNOPSIS

3 HOURS is inspired by an incident that occurred in a Baghdad suburb in 2007, when Sunni and Shia sectarian violence was at a high throughout post-war Iraq. On a Saturday in March, random gunmen opened fire on a group of children playing football, killing nine of them. As the militants escaped unharmed, the mixed Sunni/Shia community turned on each other. Instead of trying to catch the gunmen or help their victims, the local men rushed home to fetch their guns and begin shooting at each other.

The short film is a dramatic re-imagining of the event by young British director Regan Hall. Shot on location in Sahab, Jordan, the Arabic-language film uses a cast made up entirely of Iraqi refugees, for whom this sort of story was all too familiar.

The film features Abdullah Amer as Akram, a streetwise mechanic whose younger brother is murdered by the insurgents. Together with his hot-headed best friend Raschid, played by Naseem Baha, Akram is drawn into the dramatic cycle of violence and he is soon forced to choose where his loyalties lie.

3 HOURS has just been awarded completion funding by the UK Film Council, and is in the final stages of post-production. The completed film will be ready for festivals at the end of May 2010.

LINKS

- PREMIERE: Doha Tribeca Film Festival
- Encounters Film Festival, Bristol
- WINNER: Best International Short Film,
Foyle Film Festival
- London Short Film Festival
- Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose
- Bermuda International Film Festival
- Cleveland International Film Festival
- WINNER: Best Dramatic Short Film,
Rincon International Film Festival
- Human Rights Film Festival, San Sebastian
- Awareness Film Festival, LA
- NOMINATED: Best Dramatic Short,
Milan International Film Festival
- ShortShorts Japan
- Palm Springs ShortFest
- In the Palace International Short Film Festival
- Seoul International Youth Film Festival
- Rhode Island International Film Festival
- Cinefiesta Puerto Rico
- New Zealand International Film Festival
- London Shubbak Film Festival
- Branchage Jersey Film Festival
- Chicago United Film Festival
- Shnit International Film Festival
- Cyprus International Film Festival
- Vancouver International Film Festival
- Starz Denver Film Festival
- Izmir Film Festival
- WINNER: Best Editor,
'Show Me Shorts' NZ Short Film Festival
- NOMINATED: Best Film, Best Director,
Best Cinematography, 'Show Me Shorts' NZ Short Film Festival
- Brest International Film Festival
- Interfilm Berlin