Najeen is a loose collective of Iraqi actors, artists and filmmakers that formed in 1991 in the wake of the Persian Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. 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 approval was necessary for public works of art. After the American invasion of Iraq and the fall of the Baath Party, Najeen produced a short series of highly visible art projects.

They Passed By Here

"They Passed By Here", a play written, directed and performed by members of Najeen debuted nn Sunday, May 4th, 2003, at 3:00 pm. It was directed by Basim Al-Hajar and took place the Al Rasheed theater, which was Iraq's most famous playhouse and was largely destroyed in the American bombing campaign in March and April of 2003.http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/05/07/iraq_theater/?pn=1

Sculpture in Fardus Square

On May 29th, 2003, Najeen unveiled an untitled sculpture in the center of Fardus Square, which is where the famous sculpture of Saddam was toppled by a mix of American troops and Iraqi citizens. The sculpture's construction was led by Basim Hamad and took place over the course of several weeks on location over several weeks in May.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0609_030609_tvbaghdadart.html

Underexposure

Led by director Oday Rasheed

Oday Rasheed

Oday 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...

, members of Najeen produced Underexposure

Underexposure (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...

the first film shot in postwar Baghdad.http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/12/11/art/index.html?pn=1