Matthew Michael Carnahanhas a whole bunch of impressive writing credits to his name includingDeepwaterHorizon,World War Z,The Kingdomand more, but he was eager to do even more onMosul; he wanted to make this film his directorial debut. The film is a hugely ambitious first feature with a script based on aNew Yorkeressay byLuke Mogelsonabout the situation in war-torn Mosul. Carnahan’s film focuses on a Nineveh SWAT team as they fight to end the bloodshed in their homeland. That team is lead bySuhail Dabbachas Major Jasem and also includesAdam Bessa’s character, Kawa, a young rookie police officer recruited to join Jasem’s unit.
WithMosulcelebrating its North American Premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, Carnahan, Dabbach and Bessa allvisited the Collider Lounge to talk about their experience making the film. Give the video at the top of this article a watch to hear why Carnahan opted to makeMosulhis first directing project, the global search to assemble the cast, whyMosulmarks a major milestone for Dabbach, Bessa and cinema overall, and so much more. And if you’d like to hear even , you canclick herefor another interview with producersJoeandAnthony Russoand executive producerMohamed Al-Daradji.
You can find a full breakdown of the interview and the official TIFF synopsis forMosulbelow:
Suhail Dabbach, Adam Bessa, Matthew Michael Carnahan:
Kawa (Adam Bessa), a 21-year-old police officer, barely survives a firefight. When the smoke clears he meets the men who saved his life, the Nineveh SWAT, led by Jasem (Suhail Dabbach). Kawa’s own uncle was recently killed by ISIS. He joins the group, though they’ve been reduced to just a dozen men with three Humvees and a surplus of cigarettes. Before his first day with Nineveh SWAT is over, Kawa will witness the rescue of a child and the death of several colleagues, take revenge on a man who betrayed him, and participate in the ambush of an ISIS stronghold.
