The Lions of Mesopotamia

**TOP 50 - 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowship**

**2016 NY Stage & Film Screenwriting Lab**

Click here for a list of comps and their massive returns (both ROIs and awards.) 

genre: sports/historical drama

status: script complete; available for option

logline: THE LIONS OF MESOPOTAMIA is based on the true events of the Iraqi National Football Team's quest to qualify for the World Cup during the reign of Saddam Hussein, and the hope they inspired in one young boy growing up in Baghdad.  

A rare, humanistic look at a nation plagued by violence and conflict.

Other reasons this film is a great bet:

--Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.

--"Based on a true story," travelogues, and high-action sports stories perform well in the box office and awards season, both domestically and abroad. (See link to comps above).

--Strong, complex lead characters attract A-List talent (especially those of Arab descent who are dying to stop portraying Middle-Eastern people as terrorists...)

"What a devastating and moving premise... [Robin Rose Singer] imbues an otherwise horrific tale with instances of love and humanity.  The Lions of Mesopotamia feels like it has the potential to be a prestige movie." -- The Black List

Click here to read the coverage from the Academy Nicholl readers (Oscars voters).