al-daradji was born and raised in iraq. his aunt had lost a son in the iranian war, and he cites her grief as a motivation for his films, which address both the terrible suffering and the hopefulness for the future felt by many iraqis. in 1995, he fled to the netherlands: “and now i am proud. [...] i am a refugee who came to holland fifteen years ago, with one pair of trousers, dirty clothes, and one pair of shoes. i will tell myself this [...] and i will tell that to my family. i am proud of holland that gave me this great energy and this great opportunity to find myself - that is really important for me.”