Host Screening

So many emotions arose while watching. I felt like I was holding my breath through half of it, and welling up with tears during the other half.

From Baghdad to The Bay ripped my heart open. Here I am, holding a sodden ball of a handkerchief and generally trying to recover. I can list lots of specifically nice things about it, its structural integrity, the editing on all levels, the compelling, recreative graphics, etc., but maybe those things don’t matter. What matters to me right now is the wave of feeling that picked me up and carried me through to the end, the mingled fear, anger, compassion, and ultimately, love for this man. A documentary filmmaker can ask for no greater achievement than to humanize their subject, and the greater problem they represent, so effectively, to create a connection this strong.

From Baghdad To The Bay portrays a journey of identity that is not only unique to Ghazwan but also 100% American. There are so many layers to this story that can represent millions of stories of people who also have to reconcile with their identity internally, politically, with family, religiously, with fellow countrymen, and with other citizens of the world. Ghazwan shows that it is possible to overcome and endure, step by step, year by year. That is why you must see this film. Prepare to be challenged on what you think is right and wrong!

From Baghdad to The Bay, touched me so deeply and I have spoken about it many times. In conversation with a friend, she said to me, “How could you have known?” I did not know about a dynamic in her family and it was purely serendipitous. Suffice it to say, knowing that “From Baghdad to The Bay” exists provided great comfort to her and might become a root of empathy as this family embraces the future gracefully, gradually accepting a new norm and preserving the caring that exists in relationships between a man, a woman and their son. Like Ghazwan, the husband is gay, Muslim and conformed to family and societal expectations while leading a dual life.

The memory and feelings I took away from this film continue to be very haunting in a good way. For me, that is the sign of a successful film.

From Baghdad to The Bay, above and beyond its artistry and excellent storytelling, is an important tool for teaching and expanding understanding, particularly within cultures, environments and families that have not come to terms with the extraordinary diversity we humans evidence, particularly with respect to the gender and sexuality continuum beyond binary.