Director Mohammad Al-Dardji is a man who believes in the power of art to transcend tragedy. In 2003 he put this to the test when he left London where he’d studied film to return to war torn Iraq to make a film.

Having learned East from West on my last trip in my travels went much smoother. I arrived on time to the AMC VII theater on third avenue near 12the street. Seeing a seven theater multiplex given over to screenings gives you a good idea how many films there are in the festival.