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D-Squared Films D-Squared Media has produced, and continues to produce, documentaries as well as television and radio programming on a wide variety of topics. Below is just a sample of what we have been working on. RELEASED FEBRUARY 2005 The
Last Jews of Baghdad: End
of an Exile; Beginning of a Journey Directed and
Produced by Carole Basri, Adriana Davis, Bryan Durr Production
Company: D-Squared Media, NYC USA
105 Minutes Copyright Carole Basri 2004 In
2004, there are just 26 Jews living in VISIT THE WEB SITE Download a description of this film in PDF format by clicking here COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU "PLAY IT BY EAR" Starring Written and Directed by
Lauren Flick We have just wrapped production on a feature film entitled Play It By Ear with a great cast starring Rita Moreno, Michelle Hurd, Josh Stamberg, Chris Henry Coffey, and introducing, Jennifer Mudge. A Brief Synopsis A young New Yorker's love for Hollywood's golden era of glamour is put to the test when she must choose between the man of her dreams and a man she's never dreamed of. Julia Starr is a young advertising associate in present-day New York City. Julia longs for the romance of a by-gone era depicted in the movies and music of the 20s and 30s. During a rainstorm one day, Julia thinks she has met the man of her dreams. But Julia's modern-day Cary Grant soon turns out not to be who she thinks. Julia then becomes convinced that his brother is her true destiny and is determined to meet him. A fun, romantic triangle ensues, and with the help of her older neighbor Ruth and her wisecracking friend MaryAnn, Julia must decide fast who the true man of her dreams really is. VISIT THE WEB SITE TO BE RELEASED 2006 WHAT'S FOR
LUNCH? A New
Documentary Film
VISIT THE WEB SITE Searching For Baghdad: A Daughter's Journey Produced and
Directed by Carole Basri, Adriana Davis, Bryan Durr Production
Company: D-Squared Media NYC USA 48 Minutes Copyright Carole Basri 2002
Iraqi-Jews can trace their history in that country to 586 BC. At their peak, they numbered nearly 300,000. Today, there are only approximately 50 Jews living in Baghdad while hundreds of thousands continue to thrive in countries throughout the world. Yet, it is not possible for these descendants of this ancient community to visit the places their parents and grandparents called home. Searching
For Baghdad
documents Carole Basri’s travels to find the remnants of her heritage, outside
of Iraq. With an eye toward history, her 21st century search leads
her to the Iraqi-Jewish outposts established in the 19th century in
the Far East. As she visits India, Hong Kong, Singapore and even Myanmar she
seeks out the people, culture and contributions left by those Iraqi Jews who
ventured out of Baghdad looking for a better life. What she finds is more than
just the history of her people. She also finds her own family, in unexpected
places, playing important roles within the legacy of the Iraqi-Jewish
communities established beyond Baghdad. As
Carole journeys from synagogue to synagogue and sees food, music and names that
could only have come from Baghdad, her desire to see the place of her
ancestor’s origin grows deeper. However, witnessing the enduring contributions
of her ancestors to their adopted homes while realizing they still maintained
their Iraqi-Jewish roots made her search a success. After
a glimpse via rare footage from 1995 of the small Jewish community that remains
in Iraq today, several interviews with well-known experts gives a brief history
of the Baghdadi-Jewish people. The viewer is then whisked off to a quartet of
Asian countries and visits the centerpiece of each community…its synagogue.
Though there are few Iraqi-Jews remaining in these countries today, we meet
those who are dedicated to the upkeep of these buildings and the sustaining of
the Iraqi-Jewish culture established over 100 years ago. To paint a more complete picture of these societies, the producers sought out former residents of each community who offer their memories and experiences. These interviews are central to understanding the deep connection to those who remain in Baghdad today and why the desire to visit Iraq is so strong. For Carole Basri, the journey may have answered many questions about her unique Babylonian-Jewish heritage, yet it has left her standing on an unfinished bridge to Baghdad. Download a description of this film in PDF format by clicking here The Life of Frank Iny: A Granddaughter's Journey Produced and Directed by Carole
Basri, Adriana Davis, Bryan Durr Production
Company: D-Squared Media, NYC USA 35 Minutes Copyright Carole Basri 2001
Taking a chronological
approach and utilizing interviews with family members and friends this film
summarizes the major events of Frank Iny’s life. Chief among those are
establishing businesses in India and Belgium, receiving two honors from the
Belgian government, escaping Hitler at the beginning of World War II, creating a
school in Iraq that stayed open until the mid-1970’s and funding several
scholarships, available today, at Hebrew University. A retiring man by nature,
many of these facts were not discovered by his family until after his death in
1976. In fact, during his life, Frank shielded his family from the horrors he
personally faced at the hands of the Iraqi government. The following story was
brought to light only during the making of this film. “Jews in Iraq
after 1941 faced increasingly dangerous conditions. Although his family knew
that Frank had decided they should leave the Middle East and begin new lives in
the United States, they did not know what precipitated that decision. In late
1948, the Iraqi authorities had arrested Frank and taken him in for questioning.
He was instructed to pay for the debt Iraq incurred during their war against
Israel in May of that year. To guarantee he would not refuse, he was threatened
with expropriation of his property and worse, hanging. Thinking quickly, Frank
bribed his way out of Iraq and secured immediate passage for himself, his wife,
but only four of his six children. It would be a year before he would see his
other two daughters again, who were smuggled out of Iraq through Kurdistan, a
much longer and difficult journey.“ Throughout his 81 years, Frank Iny’s survival and that of his family were tested. In fact, his stories of escape and persecution are, sadly, not unique among the Iraqi-Jews whose numbers in that country shrank from over 200,000 in the early 1900’s to only 40 living there today. In Israel, at a recent reunion for graduates of Frank Iny's school, over 600 former students traveled from all over the world to celebrate their Iraqi-Jewish heritage and the man, who made their education possible. This documentary sets Mr. Iny's life against the history of the Iraqi-Jews during some of its most turbulent times. From the oppression of the Ottomans to the anti-semitism of the 1940's and the escape of the 1950's this film illustrates how the spirit of the Iraqi-Jews survives today. Download a description of this film in PDF format by clicking here |
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