Once Upon A time in Abu Ghraib

Once Upon a Time in Abu Ghraib is a short film that explores the experience of an Iraqi prisoner subjected to torture and humiliation inside Abu Ghraib prison. Through a restrained and human-centred approach, the film focuses not only on physical violence but also on its psychological impact and the lasting scars left on memory and human dignity. Rather than presenting Abu Ghraib simply as a historical event, the film approaches it through the intimate experience of an individual caught within a system of violence, fear, and dehumanisation.

Written and Directed by Alaa Aldahhan
Cast Wisam Adnan, Khalil Fadel, Rezab Ahmed, Rahma Saif — Child
Executive Producer Muhannad Hayal
Director of Photography Muhannad Al-Sudani
Editor Medoo Ali
Co-Writer Muhannad Hayal
First Assistant Director Khalil Khaled
Continuity Supervisor Maryam Ali Asaad
Art Director Mohammed Khaled
Art Direction Abbas Moayad, Ali Bakit
Prop Master Ali Maithem
Focus Pullers Ali Majdi, Abdul Ali
1st Assistant Camera Mohammed Abbas
2nd Assistant Camera Naji Mukhlis
Assistant Key Grip Taha Taiker
Key Grip Abdullah Ayad
Gaffer Rawad Tarek
Lighting Assistants Ahmed Raheem, Mohie Al-Ansari, Alloush Al-Baydhani, Sajad Al-Mohamdawi, Mo’ammal Al-Lami & Murtada Abdullah Al-Sarraji
Costume Designer Ali Khuraibit
Makeup & Hair Hakeem Joulak
Sound Engineer Mohammed Kazem
Production Management Ali Khuraibit, Baker Amer & Hassan Alawi
Equipment Rental Frame Rent
Equipment Transport Ameen Al-Maksousi
Subtitles Translation Noor Aldahhan
Post-Production Cave studio
Colour Grading / Sound Design & Mixing Medoo Ali
Production Alaa Aldahhan – Frame Vision

Minutes

2026

Release

Production

Iraq

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Bio – Filmography

Alaa Aldahhan is an Iraqi filmmaker and cinema researcher with a professional background in television and digital media. He holds a Master’s degree in Cinema Arts, with research focusing on the epic dimension in the films of Akira Kurosawa, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Cinema Arts at the University of Baghdad. His work combines filmmaking with an interest in cinema as a means of examining memory, violence, identity, and the human consequences of political conflict. Once Upon a Time in Abu Ghraib continues this interest through an exploration of the experience of an Iraqi prisoner inside Abu Ghraib prison.