New Babylonians

Bashkin, Orit

doi:10.1515/9780804782012

Cited by 60 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Politically and religiously, Iraqi Jews spanned the entire political spectrum and supported diverse political projects, secular as well as religious, including Iraqi nationalism, communism, socialism, and, for a minority, also Zionism. 27 Like elsewhere in the Global South, where many early exhibitors were engaged in other forms of international trade and business before turning to cinema, in Iraq, a small number of individuals and families with ties to existing import networks and emerging capitalist industries came to dominate the industry. 28 On the evening of July 26, 1909, the first silent film was shown outdoors in Baghdad.…”

Section: Iraqi Jews and Cinema In Iraqmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Tale of Three Brothers: Ezra, Meʾir, and Hayyawi Sawdaʾi and the History of an Iraqi Jewish Cinema Business

Olsen

2023

Int. J. Middle East Stud.

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In Iraq, like elsewhere in the region, cinemagoing became a popular form of leisure in the 1920s and 1930s. The emergence of permanent indoor and outdoor cinemas during this period gave rise to new consumption practices, ways of inhabiting the city, opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs, and the creation of a leisure and entertainment economy that was both modern, international, and Iraqi. In the early 1930s, three Jewish brothers, Ezra, Meʾir, and Hayyawi Sawdaʾi, began transforming their family's wealth from one based in regional trading to a modern cinema business. During the period of British colonial rule, Iraq was forcefully integrated into a global, Western dominated market economy and the brothers tried their hands at several import and local businesses before eventually finding their niche in entertainment. They rented movie theaters, built cinemas, established themselves as prime importers of foreign movies, and left a deep imprint on the Iraqi film industry.

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Section: Iraqi Jews and Cinema In Iraqmentioning

confidence: 99%