Thursday, May 13, 2004

Iraqi gay blogger's story to become film

The gay man behind "The Baghdad Blog" is set to see his story made into a film.

From Planet OUT

The 29-year-old architecture student, known only as Salam Pax, sparked international interest in his online depiction of life in Iraq during the early days of the U.S.-led war.

Since then, his blog has been turned into a book ("The Baghdad Blog"), and Pax, whose name means "peace" in Arabic and Latin, has written a regular column for The Guardian, a U.K.-based newspaper.

Now, according to Screen Daily, Intermedia is searching for a screenwriter to adapt the book for the big screen.

Talking about why he is keen to push ahead with the film, the chairman of Intermedia's film division told the trade magazine that Pax was a great writer who should be recognized. "He's like Nick Hornby in the middle of a war," Scott Kroopf said.

The Web log, an online diary also known as a blog, was originally intended to help Pax keep in touch with his friend Raed in Jordan. However, it became internationally known through the Internet, as people across the globe looked to find some insight into living in the war.