HALA ALSALMAN

The Dream Room

The film was screened on loop at OCAD U's Experimental Media Space, adjacent to The Artifact Room.





The Rod and The Ring, 2024

Video, 8’50 min

Numinous symbols are perennial forms that have a sublime effect on the viewer. One such symbol is the rod and ring, which appears in ancient Mesopotamian art across millennia. From cylinder seals to wall reliefs, it is a mysterious object exclusively held by divine beings and scholars are still debating what it could mean. This oneiric film is a dreamscape that explores its timeless symbolism and how it could manifest in the future.

"The Rod and the Ring" was filmed in three governorates across Iraq - specifically Baghdad, Samaraa' and the Marshes in the south - with an all Iraqi cast and crew. Additional filming took place in Toronto. 

Credits

Director, Editor, Score

Hala Alsalman

Actors

Orus M. Castaño-Suárez

Raquel Mendes

Zaera Fatima

Zahraa Ghandour

Mohanad Hayal

Huda Al- Obeidi

Production Iraq

Mohammad Al-Obaidi – Producer

Mohanad Alsudani – Cinematographer

Ali Mohammad - Camera Assistant

Salah Mahdi Awaja – Production Assistant

Zahraa Al-Hajj Ali – Production Assistant

Production Toronto

Ramzi Marouf - Cinematographer

Lion Sher – Camera Assistant

Sarah Delaney - Wardrobe

Special Effects

Mohammed Alzaidi

Using Format