Award winning Iraqi film maker Koutaiba Al-Janabi's debut feature film, Leaving Baghdad, about the brutal Saddam Hussein regime, shown through the story of the everyday person, who gets caught up in the turbulances of the country's politics. The film provokes the question of guilt, conscience, collaboration, escape. Universal questions, that were asked in connection with Nazi Germany, with the communist regimes, with oppression in general.

The film was selected by the Dubai International Film Festival, that supported the completion of the film, also by the Gulf Film festival, winning best film award. The European premier is at the 2011 Raindance Film Festival in London. Leaving Baghdad has also been selected by the Ghent Film festival, Belgium.