10/47
The guest is President Saddam Hussein
Line of Events
An ordinary Iraqi farmer, at whose door an unexpected guest knocked. A guest who must be hidden from family, friends and 150,000 American soldiers. Hiding Saddam Hussein is made by Norwegian director Halkaut Mustafa, who spent 12 years making the film about the man who hid former Iraqi president and dictator Saddam Hussein.
The former president had to flee
In 2003, US forces invaded Iraq, leading to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime. On the way he ended up with a farmer. The guest farmer Alaa Namuk receives as a visitor must be hidden from family, friends and 150,000 American soldiers on the hunt in addition to a $25 million bond on his head.
It took over three years to earn his trust
Here he dug a hole for the dictator to hide in – a hole in which he was found 235 days later. First, the director had to spend a lot of time getting to know Alaa. But after gaining his trust, a new problem arose.
Important and compelling work and well done by a great director
The film director couldn’t find anywhere in the Middle East where they could both be safe, so he secretly brought him to Norway. For 235 days, the farmer became Saddam’s bodyguard, cook, driver, hairdresser, adviser and friend. When the former Iraqi president is discovered by the Americans, Alaa is also arrested and taken to the dreaded Abu Ghraib, where he is tortured through all the trouble of hiding the most wanted man on Earth.
