Cinema of Iraq
Encyclopedia
The cinema of Iraq went through a downturn under Saddam Hussein's regime. The development of film and film-going in Iraq reflects the drastic historical shifts that Iraq has experienced in the 20th century. The current war in Iraq has been an influence on many films being produced.
was in 1909, but it wasn't until the 20s that film became a cultural activity. The first cinemas, like the famous al-Zawra cinema on Baghdad
's bustling thoroughfare al-Rashid, played mostly American
silent films for British citizens.
In the 1940s under the rule of King
Faisal II of Iraq
, a real Iraqi cinema began. Supported by British
and French
financiers, movie production companies established themselves in Baghdad. The Baghdad Studio was established in 1948, but soon came apart when tensions between the Arab and Jewish founders flared up. For the most part, the product was purely commercial, fluffy romances with plenty of singing and dancing often set in small villages. The World of Arts (Dunyat Alfann) studio, which was founded by actors, reached for more serious fare. In 1955, they produced Haidar Al-Omar's Fitna wa Hassan, an Iraqi retelling of Romeo and Juliet, that received international attention. But for the most part, the strong-fist rule of the state discouraged any socially relevant films.
In 1959 when King Faisel's II government was overthrown, the Cinema and Theater General organization came into existence with the purpose of promoting the political goals of the new regime both in documentaries and features. Typical were documentaries like the 1969 Al Maghishi Project, which showcased the government's irrigation campaigns and the 1967 A Wedding in Heaven, which celebrates the air force and their weapons system. The 1968 revolution that put the Ba'ath party in power further solidified the government's control of film material, and the state's need to make all films validate its power.
Saddam Hussein
's ascension to power in 1979 pushed the Iraqi cinema in a slightly different direction. The drain on national resources from the 1980 Iraq-Iran war brought film production to a near halt. The few films put into production were mainly intent on glorifying a mythic Iraqi history or celebrating Hussein's rule. In 1981, the government commissioned Egypt
ian filmmaker Salah Abouseif to make Al-Qadisiya, a period epic recounting the triumph of the Arabs over the Persians in 636
AD. Likewise Mohamed Shukri Jameel's melodramatic The Great Question (al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra) cast British
actor Oliver Reed
as the vicious Lt-Col Gerard Leachman
who is righteously killed in the 1920 Iraqi revolution.
In 1980 Hussein promoted his own mythology with the autobiographical 6-hour epic The Long Days (al-Ayyam al-tawila), the saga of Hussein's participation in the 1958 failed assassination attempt on Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, and his subsequent heroic escape back to Tikrit
. Interestingly the film was edited and partially directed by Terrence Young, the British director who made his name helming the early James Bond films Dr. No
and Thunderball (film)
. Hussein is played by Saddam Kamel
, a cousin and son-in-law of Hussein's, who eventually ran afoul of the dictator and was murdered in 1996.
After Iraq started attacks against Kuwait
, Iraq sanctions
made filmmaking an impossibility in the country, although a new generation of filmmakers is coming alive in Baghdad
.
History
The first film projected in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
was in 1909, but it wasn't until the 20s that film became a cultural activity. The first cinemas, like the famous al-Zawra cinema on Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
's bustling thoroughfare al-Rashid, played mostly American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
silent films for British citizens.
In the 1940s under the rule of King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Faisal II of Iraq
Faisal II of Iraq
Faisal II was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the "14 July Revolution" together with several members of his family...
, a real Iraqi cinema began. Supported by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
financiers, movie production companies established themselves in Baghdad. The Baghdad Studio was established in 1948, but soon came apart when tensions between the Arab and Jewish founders flared up. For the most part, the product was purely commercial, fluffy romances with plenty of singing and dancing often set in small villages. The World of Arts (Dunyat Alfann) studio, which was founded by actors, reached for more serious fare. In 1955, they produced Haidar Al-Omar's Fitna wa Hassan, an Iraqi retelling of Romeo and Juliet, that received international attention. But for the most part, the strong-fist rule of the state discouraged any socially relevant films.
In 1959 when King Faisel's II government was overthrown, the Cinema and Theater General organization came into existence with the purpose of promoting the political goals of the new regime both in documentaries and features. Typical were documentaries like the 1969 Al Maghishi Project, which showcased the government's irrigation campaigns and the 1967 A Wedding in Heaven, which celebrates the air force and their weapons system. The 1968 revolution that put the Ba'ath party in power further solidified the government's control of film material, and the state's need to make all films validate its power.
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's ascension to power in 1979 pushed the Iraqi cinema in a slightly different direction. The drain on national resources from the 1980 Iraq-Iran war brought film production to a near halt. The few films put into production were mainly intent on glorifying a mythic Iraqi history or celebrating Hussein's rule. In 1981, the government commissioned Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian filmmaker Salah Abouseif to make Al-Qadisiya, a period epic recounting the triumph of the Arabs over the Persians in 636
636
Year 636 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 636 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* August 20 – Battle of Yarmuk:...
AD. Likewise Mohamed Shukri Jameel's melodramatic The Great Question (al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra) cast British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
as the vicious Lt-Col Gerard Leachman
Gerard Leachman
Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Gerard Evelyn Leachman CIE DSO , was a British soldier and intelligence officer who travelled extensively in Arabia.Leachman was commissioned into the Royal Sussex Regiment and served in India and in the Boer War...
who is righteously killed in the 1920 Iraqi revolution.
In 1980 Hussein promoted his own mythology with the autobiographical 6-hour epic The Long Days (al-Ayyam al-tawila), the saga of Hussein's participation in the 1958 failed assassination attempt on Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, and his subsequent heroic escape back to Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
. Interestingly the film was edited and partially directed by Terrence Young, the British director who made his name helming the early James Bond films Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
and Thunderball (film)
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
. Hussein is played by Saddam Kamel
Saddam Kamel
Saddam Kamel Hassan al-Majid was the second cousin and son-in-law of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.-Biography:He was married to Rana Hussein and was the brother of Hussein Kamel al-Majid .For a time he was head of the Republican Guard...
, a cousin and son-in-law of Hussein's, who eventually ran afoul of the dictator and was murdered in 1996.
After Iraq started attacks against Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Iraq sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
made filmmaking an impossibility in the country, although a new generation of filmmakers is coming alive in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Actors
- Ibrahim Jalal
- Meriam Abbas
- Aseel Adel
- Kasim Al-Mallak
- Sarmed al-Samarrai, (1976 - ), starred in the Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
film United 93United 93 (film)United 93 is a 2006 fact-based historical drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks... - Tamara DhiaTamara DhiaTamara Dhia is an Iraqi American actress and film producer.- Career :Tamara was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, her parents left for the United States in the 1980s....
, actress known for her lead role in Santa Claus in Baghdad - Charlotte LewisCharlotte LewisCharlotte Lewis is an English actress.-Career:Charlotte Lewis made her film debut as a teenager in the 1986 Roman Polanski film Pirates. She followed it that same year with the female lead in The Golden Child alongside Eddie Murphy. Later appearances include the film Tripwire and Storyville...
, most notable for her lead female role in The Golden ChildThe Golden ChildThe Golden Child is a 1986 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who is confronted by a young Asian woman , who tells him that he is The Chosen One destined to save The Golden Child, the savior of all mankind, from the clutches of the demon Sardo...
alongside Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.... - Yasmine HananiYasmine HananiYasmine Hanani is an American actress.Hanani was born in Baltimore and grew up in Southfield, Michigan and later in Orange County, Southern California. Hanani has worked on documentaries "Voices of Iraq,". "My Country, My Country" and "The Blood of My Brother"...
, featured in documentary films Voices of IraqVoices of IraqVoices of Iraq is a 2004 documentary film about Iraq, created by distributing cameras to the subjects of a film, thus enabling subjects to film themselves...
, My Country, My CountryMy Country, My CountryMy Country, My Country is a 2006 documentary film. Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent over eight months alone in Iraq filming this documentary. The film shows life in Iraq for average Iraqis under U.S. occupation. Poitras focuses primarily on Dr...
and Battle for Haditha (film)Battle for Haditha (film)Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield loosely based on the Haditha killings. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, Battle for Haditha is Broomfield's follow up to Ghosts. The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 17 March 2008.-Plot:The... - Don HanyDon HanyDon Hany is an Australian award-winning actor. He is best known for his role in the series White Collar Blue, the film Lucky Miles and in the mini-series East West 101.-Biography:...
, (1975 - ), (Won Best Actor for Winning the Peace (2005) and known for his role as Theo Rahme in White Collar BlueWhite Collar BlueWhite Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and... - Heather RaffoHeather RaffoHeather Raffo is an Lucille Lortel Award-winning Iraqi American playwright and actress, best known for her leading role in the one-woman play 9 Parts of Desire.-Early life:...
, Award winning playwright/actress most known for her role in 9 Parts of Desire - Shero RaufShero RaufShero Rauf is a Kurdish-Iraqi actor and stuntman. He is the first Kurdish Iraqi to work as an actor, stuntman, 3D visual effects animator, lead artist, and assistant director in Hollywood movies.-Career:...
- Basam RidhaBasam RidhaBasam Ridha Al-Husaini is an advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki charged with overseeing judicial matters. He also was an advisor to his predecessor, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari...
- Zina ZaflowZina ZaflowZina Zaflow is an American actress and writer of Iraqi origin. She has made numerous appearances in American television dramas such as ER, Grey's Anatomy, 24 and The West Wing. She has a role in Waleed Moursi's film Jelly .-External links:...
Film directors
- Abbas FahdelAbbas FahdelAbbas Fahdel is an Iraqi-French film director, screenwriter and film critic, born in Babylon, Iraq.Based in France since the age of 18 years, he studied cinema at the Sorbonne University until Ph.D....
, director of Dawn of the WorldDawn of the WorldDawn of the World is a feature film written and directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.Starring Venice Film Festival revelation Hafsia Herzi and Hiam Abbass , Dawn of the World gives an unexpected account of the multiple impacts of the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and the 1991... - Usama AlshaibiUsama AlshaibiUsama Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American independent filmmaker and visual artist.Starting in early 2004, Alshaibi worked on a documentary on his homeland, and its current situation, titled Nice Bombs...
, director of Muhammad and Jane and Nice BombsNice BombsNice Bombs is a 2006 documentary directed by Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi about his return to his home country to visit his family after the 2003 invasion of Iraq... - Amer AlwanAmer AlwanAmer Alwan is an Iraqi French film director. Alwan was forced to shoot his movie Zaman, The Man From The Reeds on videotape, as when Iraq was under severe economic sanctions the United Nations and United States, would not allow Iraq to import 35 and 16 millimeter film stocks, because they believed...
, known for winning an award for Zaman, The Man From The Reeds - Zana BriskiZana BriskiZana Briski is a photographer and filmmaker best known as the director of Born into Brothels, the 2004 winner of the Academy Award for Documentary Feature...
, director of Born into BrothelsBorn into BrothelsBorn into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids is a 2004 American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Kolkata's red light district... - Ishtar Yasin GutierrezIshtar Yasin GutierrezIshtar Yasin Gutierrez was born in 1968 in Moscow, Russia to an Iraqi father and Chilean-Costa Rican mother She is a director and scriptwriter.Director of El Camino, a film designed for the Latin American cinema, was described as an "impressive debut", shot in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and...
, - Anisa MehdiAnisa MehdiAnisa Marie Mehdi is an Emmy Award winning film director and journalist. She is of half Iraqi and half Canadian descent.Her main focus when producing documentaries or programmes lie within religion, as her most notable documentary was Inside Mecca, which was produced by National Geographic. Many of...
, Emmy Award winning film director, journalist and director of Inside MeccaInside MeccaInside Mecca is a 2003 National Geographic documentary film that offers an intimate documentation of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Aside from providing insight regarding the universal principles of Islam, this production emphasizes the historical significance of Mecca to both the Muslim and... - NajeenNajeenNajeen is a loose collective of Iraqi actors, artists and filmmakers that formed in 1991 in the wake of the Persian Gulf War. Before the Iraq War began in 2003, the group produced their projects mostly underground to avoid coming under the eye of the Baath Party's Ministry of Culture, whose...
- Shero RaufShero RaufShero Rauf is a Kurdish-Iraqi actor and stuntman. He is the first Kurdish Iraqi to work as an actor, stuntman, 3D visual effects animator, lead artist, and assistant director in Hollywood movies.-Career:...
, - Maysoon PachachiMaysoon PachachiMaysoon Pachachi is a film director, editor and producer of Iraqi origin. She was educated in Iraq, the U.S., Britain and can speak English, Arabic, French and Italian. She studied Philosophy at University College London and Film at the Slade School of Art under Thorold Dickinson where visiting...
, director of Return to the Land of WondersReturn to the Land of WondersReturn to the Land of Wonders is a documentary film made almost single-handedly by Maysoon Pachachi in 2003-4.Pachachi went returned to Iraq after an absence of 30 years when her father, Adnan Pachachi, was appointed to the Iraqi Governing Council in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq... - Rashed RadwanRashed RadwanRashed Radwan is a Spanish film director, producer and writer of Iraqi origin. "Target:Heart of Iraq", "Gaza Genocide" "Human Market" and "Iraq at the Edge of Civil War" are among documentaries Rashed has directed.- Filmography :...
, - Saad SalmanSaad SalmanSaad Salman is an Iraqi-French film director. He filmed Baghdad On/Off, a documentary filmed when Saddam Hussein was in power. He has been exiled in Paris since 1976...
, film director known for his documentary Baghdad On/Off - Baz ShamounBaz ShamounBaz Shamoun is an Iraq independent filmmaker who has lived in Canada since 1996. He was exiled from his homeland in 1978 to Prague. He graduated from Charles University in 1988...
, film director and maker of short documentary Where is Iraq? - Oday RasheedOday RasheedOday Rasheed is an Iraqi film director and writer. He studied at the Institute for Electrical Science as well as the Faculty of Applicable Arts in Baghdad, both of which he quit early to dedicate himself to cinema. For a while he worked as freelance writer, writing essays and film reviews in Baghdad...
, director and writer, Underexposure and Qarantina - Mohamed Al-DaradjiMohamed Al-DaradjiMohammed Al-Darraji is an Iraqi Dutch film director. Al-Daradji is a dual Dutch-Iraqi citizen. He studied theatre directing in Baghdad and fled to The Netherlands in 1995, where he specialised as a cameraman. Later he graduated with two MA's in cinematography and directing in Leeds at The Northern...
, director of Ahlaam and Son of BabylonSon of BabylonSon of Babylon is a 2010 Iraqi drama film directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji, Variety's Middle Eastern Filmmaker of the year 2010.The film was developed through The Sundance Institute and was selected as Iraq's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it didn't...
Films shot in Iraq
- The ExorcistThe Exorcist (film)The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
(1973)- HatraHatraHatra is an ancient city in the Ninawa Governorate and al-Jazira region of Iraq. It is currently known as al-Hadr, a name which appears once in ancient inscriptions, and it was in the ancient Iranian province of Khvarvaran. The city lies northwest of Baghdad and southwest of Mosul.-History:Hatra...
was used as the setting for the opening scene. - Back to Babylon (film)Back to Babylon (film)Back to Babylon is a documentary film directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.-Synopsis:Back in his home town of Babylon after a long exile, the Iraqi-born director Abbas Fahdel asks himself: "What has become of my friends? What has life here made of them? What would life here...
(2002). A documentary film shot in BabylonBabylonBabylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, Hilla, BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and HītHītHīt is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital.On the Euphrates River, Hīt is a small walled town built on two mounds on the site of the ancient city of Is; bitumen wells in the vicinity have been utilized for at least 3,000 years and were used in... - ZAMAN,the man who lives in the reeds (2003) A feature film by Amer AlwanAmer AlwanAmer Alwan is an Iraqi French film director. Alwan was forced to shoot his movie Zaman, The Man From The Reeds on videotape, as when Iraq was under severe economic sanctions the United Nations and United States, would not allow Iraq to import 35 and 16 millimeter film stocks, because they believed...
- The War TapesThe War TapesThe War Tapes is the first documentary film of the 2003 invasion of Iraq to be produced by the soldiers themselves. The film follows three New Hampshire National Guard soldiers before, during, and after their deployment to Iraq about a year after the invasion...
(2003) - About BaghdadAbout BaghdadAbout Baghdad is a documentary film shot in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. It is the first documentary film to have been made in Iraq following the fall of the Baath regime. The film features the artist Sinan Antoon as he returns to his native Baghdad...
(2003)- A documentary film shot in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. - UnderexposureUnderexposure (2005 film)Underexposure is a 2005 Iraqi film, in the docufiction style, written and directed by Oday Rasheed, produced by Enlil Film and Arts. The story follows a fictional Iraqi film crew, inspired by the actual crew, that struggles with making a film during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent American...
(2005) - A docufiction, the first feature film after the American occupation began in 2003 - We IraqisWe IraqisWe Iraqis is a documentary film written and directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.The film shows daily life in Baghdad, just before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
(2004). A documentary film shot in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Hilla and HītHītHīt is an Iraqi city in Al-Anbar province. Hīt lies northwest of Ramadi, the provincial capital.On the Euphrates River, Hīt is a small walled town built on two mounds on the site of the ancient city of Is; bitumen wells in the vicinity have been utilized for at least 3,000 years and were used in... - Ahlaam (2004) - A feature film by Mohamed Al Daradji.
- Voices of IraqVoices of IraqVoices of Iraq is a 2004 documentary film about Iraq, created by distributing cameras to the subjects of a film, thus enabling subjects to film themselves...
(2004) - Gunner PalaceGunner PalaceGunner Palace is a 2004 documentary film by American documentary filmmaker Michael Tucker, which had a limited release in the United States on March 4, 2005. The film was an account of the complex realities of the situation in Iraq during 2003–2004 amidst the Iraqi insurgency not seen on the...
(2005) - Valley of the Wolves IraqValley of the Wolves IraqValley of the Wolves: Iraq is a 2006 Turkish action film, directed by Serdar Akar, about a Turkish commando team which goes to Iraq to track down the US military commander responsible for the Hood event....
(2006)- The movie is set in northern IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the Occupation of Iraq. - Nice BombsNice BombsNice Bombs is a 2006 documentary directed by Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi about his return to his home country to visit his family after the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
(2006) a documentary by Usama AlshaibiUsama AlshaibiUsama Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American independent filmmaker and visual artist.Starting in early 2004, Alshaibi worked on a documentary on his homeland, and its current situation, titled Nice Bombs...
was shot in BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in early 2004. - Iraq in FragmentsIraq in FragmentsIraq in Fragments is a documentary feature directed by James Longley. Longley shot the film in Digital Video on a Panasonic DVX100 miniDV camcorder. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film is also a part of the Iraq Media Action Project film collection. It was nominated for...
(2006)- Documentary film on the Iraq War. - My Country, My CountryMy Country, My CountryMy Country, My Country is a 2006 documentary film. Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent over eight months alone in Iraq filming this documentary. The film shows life in Iraq for average Iraqis under U.S. occupation. Poitras focuses primarily on Dr...
(2006)
Further reading
- Guardian article on history of Iraqi cinema http://film.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,4558601-103550,00.html