Arlington West: The Film is a 2006 documentary

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 about the Iraq War by Peter Dudar and Sally Marr. The title refers to Arlington West

Arlington West

For the documentary of the same name, see Arlington West: The Film.Arlington West refers to two closely related projects, both of which are intended to draw public attention to, and to open a discourse on the subject of both military and civilian deaths during the invasion and occupation of Iraq...

, the "temporary cemeteries" in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

 and Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

 which serve as memorials to those who have been killed in Iraq.

The film features 105 interviews, mostly with young soldiers who have served in Iraq, talking about their experiences there. It also features members of Gold Star Families for Peace

Gold Star Families for Peace

Gold Star Families for Peace is a United States-based organization founded in January 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the Iraq War, and are thus entitled to display a Gold Star. It is considered an offshoot of Military Families Speak Out...

, whose sons or daughters died in Iraq. Among these parents are Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...

, Fernando Suarez

Fernando Suarez del Solar

Fernando Suarez del Solar is a peace activist based in Escondido, California.On March 27, 2003, Fernando lost his son, Jesus Suarez del Solar, when he stepped on a US cluster bomb while fighting in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Since then, Fernando has been traveling around the country speaking out...

, Jane Bright, Bill Mitchell, Vickie Castro, Nadia McCaffrey

Nadia McCaffrey

Nadia McCaffrey was born April 17, 1945 in Paris, France and married an American, Bob McCaffrey; then she immigrated to the United States. She is the founder of Angel Staff, a group of volunteers who bring a caring presence to terminally ill patients and their families. Her son and only child,...

, and Karen Meredith.

Endorsements

The film has been notably praised by historian Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...

, U.S. Congressman John Murtha

John Murtha

John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010....

, author Chalmers Johnson

Chalmers Johnson

Chalmers Ashby Johnson was an American author and professor emeritus of the University of California, San Diego. He served in the Korean War, was a consultant for the CIA from 1967–1973, and chaired the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley from 1967 to 1972...

, filmmaker Haskell Wexler

Haskell Wexler

Haskell Wexler, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild.-Early life and education:Wexler was born to a Jewish...

, and anti-war activists Medea Benjamin

Medea Benjamin

Medea Benjamin is an American political activist, best known for co-founding Code Pink and, along with her husband, activist and author Kevin Danaher, fair trade advocacy group Global Exchange...

 and Frank Dorrel

Frank Dorrel

Frank Dorrel is an American peace activist. A former United States Air Force personnel, he is now a Veteran for Peace.Dorrel publishes and distributes Addicted to War, Why The U.S. Can’t Kick Militarism by Joel Andreas. This anti-war comic book is a history of U.S. militarism and has become one of...

.

See also

• [Veterans for Peace]Official site
• [Arlington West Santa Monica]Official site

External links

• page on Addicted to War
• [Arlington West Santa Monica web site] Official site