The Exam is the offical Oscar entry of Iraq!

We are happy to announce that Iraq has chosen the mîtosfilm production THE EXAM by director Shawkat Amin Korki as its official entry for the best Oscar’s international feature film. THE EXAM has been produced between Kurdish Regional Government – Iraq and Germany.
“This is a great success for Kurdish cinema.”, says producer Mehmet Aktas.
After MEMORIES ON STONE (2014, directed by Shawkat Amin Korki, produced by Mehmet Aktas) and RESEBA - THE DARK WIND (2016, directed by Hussein Hassan, produced by Mehmet Aktas) this is the third time that a Kurdish-German production by mîtosfilm represents Iraq at the Oscars.
The upcoming Oscars will be held in March 2023.

THE EXAM wins Best International Feature Film at Santa Barbara IFF

We are thrilled to announce that our film THE EXAM (Ezmûn) by Shawkat Amin Korki was awarded Best International Feature Film (Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award) at this year's Santa Barbara IFF

Hereby, the film has already scooped its fifth prize on its ongoing festival tour.

Best Feature Film at Victoria Filmfestival

We are pleased to announce that "The Exam" has won Best Feature Film at the Victoria Film Festival in Canada.

New CEO at mîtosfilm: Roj Hajo

We are very happy to welcome our new CEO. Roj Hajo is a longtime member of the mîtosfilm family.

He did his final project at the Film University Babelsberg with our international film "Baghdad Messi" in KRG.

We wish him every success and look forward to all collaborations.

 

More reviews on THE EXAM

“ 'The Exam' boasts a series of tense, pulse-pounding moments when it looks like Rojin’s misdeeds will be exposed. Running parallel to this suspense is black humor and the question whether women like Rojin have the right to choose their own paths, even if comes packaged with unethical practices. Performed with delightful alacrity and captured by Director of Photography Adib Sobhani , who takes recourse to long shots and moody lighting to get the feel of uncertainty and tension, 'The Exam' is a powerful study of how brutish behavior provokes rebelliousness." Gautaman Bhaskaran on Arab News

Read the full review here: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1986001/lifestyle

Reflecting on the screening of 'The Exam' at the International Film Festival of India, Nandini Ramnath writes on Scroll.in:
"Written and filmed without judgement, 'The Exam' has an added layer of will-she-won’t-she suspense. Korki’s smooth direction piles on the bleakness without a trace of heaviness."
 

'The Exam' : screendaily's Red Sea Review

Following its screening at the outstanding Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, screendaily published a review on the film by Wendy Ide:

https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-exam-red-sea-review/5165499.article?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Screen%20Red%20Sea%20Daily%205&utm_content=Screen%20Red%20Sea%20Daily%205+CID_73590d2f2b27f0c26be55a942c0c0b9c&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=The%20Exam%20Red%20Sea%20Review

UNFPA and Bayer Middle East (Egypt) awarded THE EXAM

We are glad to announce that UNFPA and Bayer Middle East awarded “The Exam” the Family and Population ICPD Award for its role in promoting dialogue around population issues, in partnership with the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) on December 5.

The award comes in light of UNFPA’s close collaboration with Bayer Middle East, and their shared values and support for population programs in Egypt, as well as to encourage filmmakers and industry experts to tackle social issues and highlight the impact of art and cinema in addressing population growth, family planning, empowerment of young people and gender equality.

Thank you very much for this appreciation!

https://egypt.unfpa.org/en/news/unfpa-bayer-middle-east-partner-over-family-and-population-icpd-award-ciff

Weltoffenes Berlin supports Zehra Dogan.

We are happy to announce that our project with the kurdish artist Zehra Dogan has been funded by the Berlin Senat: Weltoffenes Berlin. Together with Zehra Dogan we will develop an artistic video project about Kurdish women. Dogan is not only concerned with women who have become victims, but much more with women who want to continue their struggle. We say to Zehra Dogan: Welcome to the Mitosfilm family.

https://zehradogan.net/

https://www.berlin.de/sen/kultur/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/

'Best Screenplay' in Tirana goes to THE EXAM

And yet another award for THE EXAM by Shawkat Amin Korki, which has just started its international festival tour following the premiere at Karlovy Vary. The film has been awarded with the 'Golden Owl' for Best Screenplay at the 19th Tirana International Film Festival. 

We are very happy and thankful to the festival jury.

Adéla Mrázová (FIPRESCI) review on THE EXAM

extract:

"Focusing on the improvisational strategies of the underground movement and its “adversaries” with their somewhat murkier motivations allows the various social groups to be connected and provides a rich variety of characters, guaranteeing a stimulating ground for ironic social commentary and a number of hilarious situations. The interweaving of personal fates with the machinery of corruption also allows the story to maintain a tight structure and ensures a relentless pace that demands constant vigilance. [...] As much as the sisters’ efforts represent a desperate struggle to maintain their rights to make decisions about their own lives, they also leave bitter feelings and scars on their relationship. It is in this respect that the film approaches the issue of women’s rights more comprehensively, provocatively, and loosely than many other works that unquestioningly define the desire for personal emancipation through the characters of suffering women cutting the chains of a ruthless patriarchy. "

Find the full review here:

The Dilemmas of the Women (fipresci.org)