On September 19, 2020, Silk Road Rising, the Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance (MIRA), the Swedish American Museum, and the Honorary Consulate of Sweden in Chicago hosted this virtual film screening of and community discussion around Balloons Over Babylon, a documentary about one man’s quest to fight fear and promote peace & love by flying hot air balloons over his war-torn country.
The post-screening conversation featured Swedish filmmaker Folke Rydén and MIRA Community Engagement Coordinator Ekram Hanna. The discussion was moderated by Jamil Khoury, Co-Founder of Silk Road Rising.
About the Film:
Murtada Al-Hachami loves his country. But he hates the world’s perception of it as a land of war and destruction. After 18 years of forced exile he returns to his native Iraq. He is obsessed with the vision to attract investors and tourists by showcasing a beautiful and welcoming paradise. How? By having the world's best hot air balloon pilots peacefully flying their gigantic inflated vessels over Babylon and ancient Mesopotamia, the birthplace of human arts and culture. But at the same time a new terrorist organization is beleaguering the war torn country and far from everyone shares his dream. As Murtada puts it: “One day you will find me shot for what I’m doing.”
