In Between — Documentary

Assyrians were a nation of heritage and an influencer of modern humans within their great empires. They lived between the Euphrates and Tigris, also known as the fertile crescent, and were the first followers of Jesus Christ. Their descendants live on today in modern-day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. The last century has been full of deportation, massacres, and assimilation for them — stuck between other major ethnicities living in their region. With the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, they faced another wave of emigration to the Western world. Around fifty thousand have stayed in Iraq, trying to protect their ancestors' lands. I have tried to capture their New Year's celebration and its aftermath in Duhok, Iraq.

A man and a young flag bearer face each other beside a bench, an Assyrian flag overhead, Duhok, Iraq — IB·01 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Detail of camouflage trousers and tan boots as a row of uniformed youth march in formation — IB·02 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A man in camouflage embraces another man whose shaved head bears an elaborate religious tattoo — IB·03 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Three people exchange a greeting beside a purple flag with a winged emblem, against a stone wall — IB·04 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Stone steps and a railing lead up to a small white chapel door built into a rock face — IB·05 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A man stands with arms outstretched atop a large boulder beside a tall cross, overlooking a valley — IB·06 — Duhok, 2022–2023

An older woman in a headscarf stands smiling outdoors, a hilltop cross and church behind her — IB·07 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A man reaches up toward bundles of tobacco leaves drying on a rack — IB·08 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A maroon corrugated metal roof topped with a small cross, snow-capped mountains in the distance — IB·09 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A shepherd with a wooden staff stands in a green field as sheep graze behind him — IB·10 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Aerial view of a white memorial platform with rows of red chairs, set in a river valley — IB·11 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Close crop of a woman's red plaid sweater and patterned cardigan, holding a tray of sweets — IB·12 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Children play with a ball and palm fronds in front of a brightly painted religious mural — IB·13 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Three people sit in a row on a sofa beneath a framed landscape painting and a calendar — IB·14 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A young child stands in a tiled kitchen beside a refrigerator and a table set for tea — IB·15 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Overhead view of foraged greens piled on a blue metal cart — IB·16 — Duhok, 2022–2023

White patterned cloths hang to dry on a line against a weathered wall marked with a painted cross — IB·17 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Four young people in scout uniforms arrange flowers along a low wall overlooking a green valley — IB·18 — Duhok, 2022–2023

Two clergy members in red-and-black vestments pray outdoors beneath a cloudy sky — IB·19 — Duhok, 2022–2023

A long line of men serve themselves food from a communal table inside a hall — IB·20 — Duhok, 2022–2023

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