The production of an Israeli film about Iraq’s Jews, produced in Iraqi Arabic, has inspired nostalgia among both sides and dominated the headlines of dozens of Iraqi newspapers and websites. The news also attracted widespread attention within Israel.
The film, “Farewell Baghdad,” is based on a novel called "The Dove Flyer," by renowned author Eli Amir. Amir is an Iraqi Jew who left Iraq with his family in 1950. The story is of the historical plight of the Jews of Iraq, when they were driven out of the country during the 1950s and 1960s. It also highlights the cultural, social and political situation of the period.