He left Iraq at the age of 17, and soon made his way to Italy, where he completed school and attended university.
In 1992, after the First Gulf War, he filmed undercover the living conditions of Iraqi Kurds.
He was honored with the prestigious title Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by French Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in 2005.
His memoirs titled My Father's Rifle has been published in French, English, Greek and Tamil[2].
[1] He was nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Achievement in Directing for this film.