Immortals: Iraq's youth fight for change in post-Tishreen Baghdad

The year is 2019, and the world feels increasingly dystopian.

Remembered as the year everyone’s lives took a 180, 2019 marked the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in Wuhan, China. The virus quickly spread across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency in January 2020 and a global pandemic in March of the same year.

This triggered widespread fear, uncertainty, and strict lockdowns that disrupted jobs, mental health, and everyday life for millions.

But that wasn’t all that defined 2019.

In the Middle East, Iraq was undergoing significant changes with the rise of the Tishreen Movement — also known as the October Protest Movement — a mass campaign demanding an end to corruption under the Muhasasa system. This ethno-sectarian power-sharing arrangement has shaped Iraqi politics since 2003.

Although many saw the Tishreen Movement as an 'Arab Spring 2.0' and a hopeful push for change, by 2024, Iraq’s increasingly repressive political elite had left its core grievances unaddressed, driving activists to engage in daily acts of resistance. 

Hopes and shattered dreams

To understand the struggles Iraqis faced during the Tishreen Movement, it's worth turning to Swiss film director Maja Tschumi, who released Immortals in 2024. Most recently, the documentary won Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Raindance Festival in London.

Set in Baghdad, the film explores the aftermath of the Tishreen Movement protests, providing a glimpse into the hopes and shattered dreams of a generation shaped entirely by war since the US-led invasion.

Speaking exclusively to The New Arab, Maja explained the meaning behind the film’s title: "The courage of the activists blew me away. They risked their lives so many times that it felt like they believed they could survive anything, as if they were 'immortal'. That sense of fearlessness was something I had never seen before."

As for the structure of the film, Maja noted that it is split into three chapters. The first, titled Hidden Battles, introduces the audience to the reality of what it means for a woman to protest in a patriarchal society. It also touches on broader issues such as domestic abuse and misogyny in Iraq.

Focusing primarily on Milo, one of the film’s female protagonists, the audience learns she has a sociology degree from the University of Baghdad and has worked as a social worker and volunteer, supporting women’s organisations.

As the documentary reveals, Milo reached a point in her life when she realised that being perceived as a man gave her freedoms denied to her as a woman, which is why she navigates the streets of Baghdad with short hair, no makeup, and loose clothing borrowed from her brother.

"Whenever I have to act like a man, I hate myself," Milo says in the film. "Because I’m proud to be a woman. But I’m forced to. So that I can live as a woman."

Although dressing like a man gives her more freedom, it does not entirely protect her from discrimination.

One scene, in particular, highlights gender bias in the job market. Milo applies for a role, and the hiring manager tells her, "Your CV is excellent, but we have a small problem: the manager requested good-looking girls with long hair, so I’m really sorry, but we can’t consider you for this position."

Reflecting on Milo’s character, Maja told The New Arab, "She’s a very universal character in such a radical setup, where you have this society with very clear gender stereotypes about what women should look like, and she’s breaking these walls."

'I want my death to count'

The documentary then transitions into its second chapter, Confrontations, shifting focus to Khalili, the male protagonist, who graduated from the University of Baghdad with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film.

After university, he worked as a cameraman in the commercial sector until the Tishreen Movement broke out. From that moment, he redirected all his energy towards political activism.

Through Khalili’s experience, the documentary explores the mental health struggles facing Iraq’s youth, showing the lasting impact of post-traumatic stress disorder from the uprising.

Besides mental health, the chapter explores martyrdom, which was a big part of the protests.

According to Maja, “Immortals links to the superhero narrative and the question of martyrdom.”

She also shared, “Khalili wanted to die for Tishreen because his life in Iraq felt meaningless and he longed for his death to have meaning.”

Maja continued: "What stood out to me about him, like when you sometimes fall in love with a protagonist, was when he said: 'I wanted to die for this revolution, but I didn’t. If something comes up again, I’d try again.' Hearing that, I thought to myself: Wow, you’re so traumatised. You're still a fighter."

Maja also highlighted another upsetting comment Khalili made: "My life doesn’t matter here, so I want my death to matter."

That, Maja said, was where she saw the idea of martyrdom emerge. But she also recognised a more universal theme: the desperation of a generation — a millennial generation — trapped in cycles of war, trauma, and suicidal thoughts.

As she put it, Khalili's words reminded her of the dark and existential struggles of young people who feel lost and invisible.

Difficult decisions 

In the final chapter, Decisions, the documentary takes a more reflective turn. 

This part of the documentary happens after the COVID-19 pandemic, around 2023. The military is in control of the country, protests are almost impossible, and the energy of the revolution is fading, making people feel more and more hopeless.

As expected, the chapter poses a pressing question: What happens to all the protesters once the revolution ends and their hopes are shattered?

For Milo and Khalili, this is the question that forces them to confront difficult 'decisions', leading each to take different paths.

Khalili, for example, has the opportunity to return and find a place for himself in society because he comes from a middle-class family. He gets engaged, tries to calm down, and takes on new responsibilities.

Yet, he finds himself caught in a dilemma — torn between his sense of duty towards his family and an urge to keep fighting and pushing for change by continuing to document Iraq's struggle.

Then there's Milo. She faces a similar dilemma: should she leave, or should she stay in Iraq?

After being locked up by her family and facing deadly threats, she knows she must leave the country to survive, even though her best friend chooses to stay, making it a painful choice between saving her life and leaving behind the country she fought for.

Ultimately, the documentary leaves questions unanswered and offers no clear resolution, as the situation surrounding the Tishreen uprising remains unresolved to this day.

A note on the film’s re-enactment: Clandestine filming was avoided to keep everyone safe. This constraint impacted the storytelling, resulting in a subjective hybrid narrative form (re-enactment). The protagonists were heavily involved in building the storyline and developing their characters. The re-created scenes were shot along dramaturgical arcs, but depict events or dialogues that had actually taken place

A note on the film director: Born in 1983 in Switzerland, Maja Tschumi is a filmmaker and writer based between Zurich and Berlin. Her work often centres on intimate portrayals of individuals who resist various forms of psychological, social, and political oppression. She holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Zurich (2013) and later earned a second Master’s in Film Directing from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne (2023). Before turning to film, Maja worked as both a playwright and a theatre critic for several well-known Swiss theatres. Her debut feature film, ROTZLOCH, was released in 2022

Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region

Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_/@zainabmehdiwrites_