Iraq has selected No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman from Norwegian-Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa as its official submission for the 2027 Oscar race in the best international feature category.
The film was the unanimous pick of Iraq’s official National Selection Committee for the Academy Awards, mandated by the state ministry of culture.
The film follows Vyan, a Kurdish sniper who has survived war by suppressing her emotions. When she learns that her younger sister, missing since the ISIS assault in 2014, may still be alive, she returns to Mosul, determined to rescue her. Avan Jamal (The Exam) stars as Vyan, alongside Norwegian actor Thorbjørn Harr. The main cast also includes Kanar Sarchl and Kader Jalal.
Mustafa, who was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and fled to Norway as a child, said the film was inspired by his encounter with a female Peshmerga sniper during the 2014 frontline battles, as female Kurdish fighters countered Islamic State attacks.
The director’s previous films include Hiding Saddam Hussein, a documentary about the farmer who hid the Iraqi dictator for 235 days in 2003; Iraq’s 2016 Oscar submission The Classic; and the 2015 documentary The Women ISIS Fears, which also looked at the world of female Kurdish fighters.
No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman was filmed on location in Mosul. Hene Films produced the film in co-production with La Media and The Chimney Pot. True Colours is handling international sales.
The film will have its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the 15 films on the best international feature film shortlist on Dec. 15. The five nominees will be announced Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2027.