By Heather Raffo
Directed by Mike Mosallam
Produced by Nilou Safinya
Streaming January 30-February 12 2023
Watch on your home TV or computer! This theatrical event streams exclusively through peopleslight.org
Uprooted after her father’s death during the pandemic, an Iraqi-American woman attempts to grieve at the site of the oldest Iraqi Church in North America. What starts in profound isolation becomes communal as Iraqi women, ordinary and extraordinary, come to her in spirit and ancestry with their personal stories of love and resilience. Together, they offer a celebration of the Iraqi female experience and an explicit warning—the divisions Iraq endured are not unique, Iraq is a bellwether for America now.
Nearly 20 years ago, 9 Parts of Desire premiered to widespread acclaim in London and Off-Broadway, later becoming a global theatrical phenomenon. Now, Raffo adapts her multi-award-winning solo play about Iraqi women for the screen and for our current time. From Baghdad to Flint, Michigan, Raffo transforms into a wide cross-section of Iraqi women in her inspiring exploration of love and grief within countries undone by division, violence, and loss. The screen adaptation streams only at peopleslight.org ahead of the film's national release, which marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.
Recommended for ages 12+ for mature subject matter