The Kings of Babel

The Kings of Babel is an immersive documentary that explores the past, present and future for young Iraqis today. Despite the death-defying stunts; hundreds of thousands of followers; and the ecstatic crowds that gather at Tafliq (illegal stunt) meets every Friday, this is a bittersweet story: one shaped by frustrated ambitions, collective grief and deep intergenerational trauma.

Our characters push at the limits of social acceptance IRL and their social media risks violent reaction from Iraq’s increasingly policed and criminalised online world.

Arba’een is the world’s biggest pilgrimage and annual highlight for Iraq’s Shia. Our narrative centres around a thrilling journey through Iraq with 15 bikers to Imam Hussein’s Shrine in Karbala, alongside over 20 million pilgrims. On the road, they traverse the boundaries of life within and without accepted social convention. With police determined to stop them, will this be our bikers’ last Arba’een?