Mosul is based on the February 9^th 2017 New Yorker article entitled, 'The Desperate Battle to Destroy ISIS'.

 

The movie is based on a true story about a group of Iraqi SWAT soldiers. The story is told through their eyes. Below is a photo of the actual SWAT fighters.

 

The principal actors had little to no acting experience, for the exception of Suhail Dabbach,( ref: The Hurt Locker). None of the principal actors had any military training. This was their first experience of war….in all its forms. Mosul is not only a story about war, it is also a human story.

 

I am presenting these photos to illustrate the stunning metamorphosis of these actors, from our first fitting to the final fitting (From the camera test). While shooting the final fitting, I gasped at how these innocent boys became men.

 

This truly was an exciting moment in my career!

 

Mosul premiered at the Venice International film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019.