They've called it cinema of defiance.

Iraqi filmmakers are determined to show that even in conflict, art can thrive.

And to prove the point, they have been screening the films at the sites where bombs exploded around Baghdad.

"From these places that have been attacked by terrorists we want to send a message that in Iraq cinema, culture and civilization are still alive," says Husam al-Sharam, one of the organisers of Baghdad's first travelling cinema festival.

Behind him, dozens of people gathered to watch two short films projected on a makeshift screen set up in front of the towering remains of the foreign ministry building.

In August there was a devastating explosion that killed more than 100 people at this spot.