The film “Isis, Tomorrow.” The Lost Souls of Mosul’ shows the devastating impact of war on a society. After every war, it is one of the most complicated, unsolvable dilemmas for a society: How do victims and perpetrators live together again? And how should the thousands of perpetrators be punished? Now that ISIS has been officially defeated in Mosul, Iraq and Iraqi society are struggling with these questions. But what makes the situation in Mosul even more complex is that many of the perpetrators are children. Children who have been trained by ISIS as suicide bombers, also for the future.

In the documentary you hear the stories of children who fought for ISIS, the stories of the victims and the people who fought against these children. You get a very penetrating picture of the war and of the ideology of ISIS. ISIS very consciously used these children, with the aim that they will continue the fight for a caliphate in the future.

How should the Iraqi community deal with these children? What needs to be done to ensure that these children do not pick up their weapons again in the future?

The film was made by journalist Francesca Mannocchi and photographer Alessio Romenzi.

About the speakers

The film is 80 minutes. After the film we have a conversation with Sinan Can and Arjen Vermeer on the film and the current humanitarian situation in north Iraq.

• Sinan is a journalist, writer and television program creator. In 2016, he made the trilogy The Arab Storm on the consequences of the Arab Spring and the series Our mission in Afghanistan. In 2017 he made the series ‘In the track of IS’, and in 2018 he made the series The Lost Children of the Caliphate. In 2016 Sinan received the Journalist for Peace honorary prize for his television work.
• Arjen Vermeer is currently legal adviser to the Netherlands Red Cross. He has been a regularly invited trainer for the International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP). He is founder and former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies and contributor to the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor de Mensenrechten. Moreover, he has assisted the Special Rapporteur on the topic of Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters, UN International Law Commission in the period 2007-2012.

Tickets & Info

Ticket sales for this event are via the website of the Peace Palace.

Entrance is via the Visitors Centre of the Peace Palace. Doors open at 19:15. The documentary is screened in the garden so be sure to bring a warm coat or a blanket. Seating places are offered on the stone steps in the garden, and a limited number of chairs are available. In the unfortunate case of rain, the event will be relocated inside. Bringing beverages is not allowed. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and wine are sold at the venue.  

 Access to the grounds is only possible on showing a valid ID (for non-EU-citizens: passport). 

About Just Peace Festival

The Just Peace Festival takes place in The Hague from 19 to 24 September. International Day of Peace is celebrated with activities throughout the city on 21 September. Humanity House is organizing a special bike tour titled ‘The Hague through new eyes’ and screening a film at the Peace Palace. You can find information about the other activities around the city on the Just Peace website.

The open-air film screening in the garden of the Peace Palace is an initiative of Humanity House, the Dutch Red Cross, Movies that Matter and the Peace Palace. In previous years we have screened the films HUMAN (2016), Land of Mine (2017) and Anote’s Ark (2018).