Mediawan Rights has taken international rights to the animated documentary feature Flavors of Iraq from director Leonard Cohen, as reported by Variety. The film is a co-production between France’s animation-focused Miyu Productions and documentary-specialized Nova Production.
“We are delighted to collaborate with a strong and experienced player like Mediawan. The animated documentary is a new and really exciting way of telling stories,” said Miyu founder Emmanuel-Alain Raynal. He added, “Counting on an enthusiastic and experienced international seller and its hybrid strategy of theatrical release, festivals and platforms seems to us the best way to reach the largest possible audiences.”
The distribution branch of Mediawan launched a feature documentary catalogue in 2019 “as this market is currently booming and bolder projects are being developed in this form, less codified than the TV documentaries format,” said Mediawan Rights head of documentary sales Arianna Castoldi. She further added, “Our wish is to accompany projects that are pushing the boundaries of this genre, offering new and creative storytelling ways as well as redefining what a documentary can be.”
Flavors of Iraq is structured in three parts. The first covers 1989-2003, opening just after the conclusion of the Iran-Iraq war when Feurat is growing up and Iraq is collapsing. In the second, George W. Bush declares war on Iraq. The final part, from 2011 to 2017, explores the deep divisions separating Iraq’s Sunni and Shiite populations.
Flavors of Iraq is scheduled to release in 2023, marking the 20th anniversary of the outbreak of the Iraqi war. Feurat Alani, a French journalist of Iraqi origin, is co-writing the script alongside illustrator and director Cohen.
