Bernard-Henri Lévy's 'La Bataille de Mossoul' Airs on Arte

Bernard-Henri Lévy's documentary 'La Bataille de Mossoul' premiered on Arte on March 4, 2017, at 6:35 PM. The 53-minute film, produced by ARTE Geie and Margo Cinéma, documents the battle for Mosul against ISIS (Daesh). It follows Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and the Iraqi Golden Division as they advance on the city, showing the brutal realities of sniper warfare, civilian suffering, and the destruction of cultural heritage. The film features Zara Ghoulami, a wounded Peshmerga fighter, and captures scenes of displaced civilians, destroyed Christian churches, and the Mosul mosque where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the caliphate in 2014. Critic Baptiste Rossi, writing for La Règle du Jeu on February 28, 2017, describes the film as a deconstruction of the term 'battle,' emphasizing the endless, tragic cycle of violence rather than a heroic narrative. Rossi notes the film's raw, unprecedented footage and Lévy's courage in filming under sniper fire. The documentary is a follow-up to Lévy's earlier film 'Peshmerga' and presents a thesis that the Iraqi reconquest carries ethnic dangers and political complications. Rossi contrasts it with Lévy's previous works, noting a shift from hope to despair. The film was broadcast on Arte and available on Arte+7.