Mohamed Al-Daradji was born in Baghdad in 1978. He studied film & Theatre studies at the Art Institute of Baghdad. Mohamed later continued his studies in Holland at the Media Academy in Hilversem. Afterwards he worked as a cameraman covering (,) documentaries, news reports, sport events and concerts for the TV industry in Holland. Mohamed’s passion for Cinema then lead him to The Northern Film School in England where he received two masters degrees in Cinematography and Directing, producing eight short films and commercials as a Cinematographer and Director before going on to win the prestigious National Kodak Student Award for best commercial.

After Saddam’s Regime was overthrown in 2003, Mohamed went back home to Iraq. On his arrival, he found utter chaos and was particularly disturbed by the sight of mentally-ill patients wandering helplessly on the streets of Baghdad. The experience served as the baptism of fire Mohamed(‘s) needed for his first feature film Ahlaam, the award winning film that was captured under brutal circumstance on location in Baghdad during 2004. Ahlaam, which was completed in Jan 2006 premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, screening furthermore at 80 International film festivals, receiving 18 awards and representing Iraq for Oscar and Golden Globe Consideration 2007.
Mohamed is currently in development with his next feature film working title: Um-Hussein that will shoot in 2008 with the support of Fond Sud (CNC), The UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire and The Sundance Institute.