IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS TYPECAST PICTURES PRESENTS - a documentary by James Longley 2006 |94 mins
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
TYP ECAST P ICTURES P RESENTS
In association with HBO D ocum entary F ilm s
A D ayl i gh t F actor y P r odu cti on
IRAQ
IN
FRAGMENTS a documentary by James Longley
2006 | 94 m ins2
[ synopsis ]
Ir aq In Fr agm ents illu m inates post‐ war I r aq in thr ee acts, bu ilding a vivid pictu r e
of a cou ntr y pu lled in differ ent dir ections by r eligion and ethnicity. Film ed in
ver ité style, with no scr ipted nar r ation, the film power fu lly explor es the lives of
or dinar y I r aq is: people whose thou ghts, beliefs, aspir ations, and concer ns ar e at
once per sonal and illu str ative of lar ger issu es in I r aq today.
Part One f ollows Moh am m ed Hait h em , an 11‐year‐old au t o m ech anic in t h e m ixed Sh eik
Om ar neigh borh ood in t h e h eart of old Bagh dad. Wit h h is f at h er m issing, Moh am m ed
idolizes h is dom ineering boss, working f everish ly f or approval and af f ect ion. Several
years beh ind in sch ool and waylaid by war’s int ervent ion, h e’s t orn bet ween edu cat ion
and apprent icesh ip. Th rou gh Moh am m ed’s eyes we see a growing disench ant m ent wit h
t h e U.S.‐led occu pat ion, as well as t ensions bet ween Sh ia and Su nni Iraqis. Sh own in
ext rem e close‐u p, Moh am m ed’s Bagh dad is a cit y cau gh t bet ween an idealized past , a
dangerou s present , and an u ncert ain f u t u re.
Part Two is f ilm ed inside t h e Sh iit e polit ical/religiou s m ovem ent of Moqt ada Sadr,
t raveling bet ween N aseriyah and t h e h oly cit y of N aj af . As t ensions m ou nt inside t h e
cou nt ry, we see t h e inner workings of Iraqi local polit ics as t h e Sadr m ovem ent pu sh es
f or regional elect ions and enf orces t h eir int erpret at ion of Islam ic law. Assu m ing cont rol
over t h e region, arm ed Islam icist s overt ake open m arket s and im prison su spect ed
m erch ant s of alcoh ol. Det ainees and t h eir im poverish ed f am ilies plead f or m ercy f rom
t h is new au t h orit y. As t h e Unit ed St at es provokes an arm ed u prising am ong Sadr’s
f ollowers, m oderat e views are swept aside.
Part Th ree f ollows Iraqi Ku rds as t h ey assert t h eir bid f or independence, rebelling
against t h e past at rocit ies of Bagh dad ru le. We f ollow t h ese developm ent s t h rou gh t h e
eyes of brick m akers and ch ildh ood f riends on a f arm sou t h of Arbil. An elderly f arm er
ru m inat es on h is f am ily, h is people, and God, m indf u l of t h e legacy t h ey all sh are, wh ile
h is t eenaged son t ends sh eep and dream s of m edical sch ool despit e h is f at h er’s desire
t h at h e serve God. We h ear voices of independence and nat ionalism , sent im ent s secu lar
and religiou s, revealing a com m u nit y wh ere polit ics and f ait h are personal, pu blic, and
f orever closely int ert wined.3 [ about the director ] Jam es Longley was born in Oregon in 1972. He st u died f ilm at t h e Universit y of Roch est er and Wesleyan Universit y in t h e Unit ed St at es, and t h e All‐Ru ssian Inst it u t e of Cinem at ograph y (VGIK) in Moscow. His st u dent docu m ent ary, Portrait of Boy with Dog, abou t a boy in a Moscow orph anage, was awarded t h e St u dent Academ y Award in 1994 by t h e Academ y of Mot ion Pict u re Art s and Sciences. Af t er working as a f ilm proj ect ionist in Wash ingt on St at e, an E nglish langu age t each er in Siberia, a newspaper copy edit or in Moscow, and a web designer in N ew York Cit y, Jam es t raveled t o Palest ine in 2001 t o m ake h is f irst f eat u re docu m ent ary, Gaza Strip. Th e f ilm , wh ich t akes an int im at e look at t h e lives and views of ordinary Palest inians in Israeli‐occu pied Gaza, screened t o crit ical acclaim at a nu m ber of int ernat ional f ilm f est ivals and in several U.S. t h eat ers. In 2002, Jam es t raveled t o Iraq t o begin pre‐produ ct ion work on h is second docu m ent ary f eat u re, Iraq in Fragments . Th e f ilm was released in 2006 t o crit ical acclaim and received m any awards inclu ding an Academ y Award® nom inat ion f or 2007 Best docu m ent ary f eat u re. He is cu rrent ly working on h is next u ndisclosed proj ect . [ filmography ] Gaza St rip, 2002 Iraq in Fragm ent s, 2006 Sari’s Mot h er, 2006
4
[ director’s statement ]
I set my mind to making a film about Iraq in early 2002 wh en it became clear th at th e United States
would invade. By September 2002, I h ad found a way to travel to Iraq with my camera, tagging along
with several US journalists following Congressman Jim M cDermott to Bagh dad as h e made a
proph etic but ultimately unsuccessful stand against th e impending war.
In February of 2003 – just before th e US invasion ‐ I traveled to Bagh dad a second time and filmed
material until I was th rown out of th e country for lack of a visa extension.
Following th e 2003 invasion, I lived and filmed in Iraq for two full years, finally returning to th e
United States in April 2005 to finish editing.
It was never my intention to make a "war documentary." I wanted to make a film about Iraq as a
country, about th e people of Iraq.
Iraq is such a unique place and for so long nobody could easily make films th ere; I could barely
constrain my desire to document everyth ing. I wanted to film ten stories at once, all in different parts
of th e country. In th e end, I only filmed six different stories. Th ree of th ose stories made it into th e
final film.
Wh at emerges in Iraq In Fragm ent s is a film in th ree parts, cut rough ly along th e lines th at define
h ow most of us see Iraq: as Sunnis, Sh iites, and Kurds. It would be easy to paint a simple picture of an
Iraq divided along th ese lines, but th e reality is more difficult.
M y aim with Iraq In Fragments was to introduce th e viewer to th e breadth and complexity of th e
country, sh owing not only th e divisions, but th e unifying forces th at tie it togeth er.
It is important to me th at th is film presents many layers and points of view ‐ reflecting th e diversity I
found. Iraq is a country with an uncertain future, a country th at may cease to exist as a unified wh ole.
Iraq In Fragm ent s poses th e future of Iraq as an open question, left unanswered.
Th e issue of Iraq is very contentious for many people. In Iraq In Fragm ent s I am not trying to
convince anyone of my personal political viewpoint. Instead, my film is a reminder of th e h uman
stories in Iraq th at are often overlooked. Iraq, after all, is a country full of people wh o care noth ing
for our political arguments. Th ey h ave th eir own lives, th eir own problems, th eir own way of seeing th e
world. One day th e United States will leave Iraq, but th e Iraqi people will remain. M y film is about
th em.
— Jam es Longley5 [ james longley on the making of the film ] [ pre‐production ] One rainy Seat t le evening in t h e spring of 2002 I was f ielding qu est ions at t h e prem iere of m y f irst f eat u re docu m ent ary, Gaza Strip. Som eone f inally asked t h e qu est ion t h at always get s asked: "Wh at are you going t o m ake next ?" Wit h ou t t h inking I replied t h at I wou ld m ake a docu m ent ary abou t Iraq. At t h e t im e I didn't know m u ch abou t Iraq; I h adn't even t h e f aint est idea of h ow t o get t h ere, let alone m ake a f ilm t h ere. And yet , by Sept em ber I f ou nd m yself in a car wit h a collect ion of j ou rnalist s and peace act ivist s, crossing t h e west ern Iraqi desert t o Bagh dad. Th e US invasion of Iraq was st ill six m ont h s away bu t everybody cou ld f eel it com ing, inclu ding t h e Iraqi governm ent . As t h e invasion approach ed, t h e Iraqi of f icials becam e less and less int erest ed in an independent f ilm m aker like m e ru nning arou nd t h eir cou nt ry wit h a cam era. In t h eir eyes, every f reelance f oreign j ou rnalist requ iring a governm ent m inder was only t aking resou rces away f rom m edia t h at m at t ered t o t h eir propaganda st rat egy. In sh ort , I was a wast e of t h eir t im e. I didn't part icu larly care f or t h e Baat h ist governm ent ‐ or indeed any governm ent – and t h e Iraqi of f icials cou ld probably t ell. My ent reat ies f or f ilm ing perm issions were coldly ignored. My second t rip t o Iraq, j u st weeks bef ore t h e US invasion, m et wit h even less su ccess. Trying t o get f ilm ing perm issions in pre‐war Bagh dad was like t rying t o sweet ‐t alk a paranoid rh inoceros. I spent one af t ernoon h anging ou t arou nd t h e Bagh dad of f ice of Hu da Am ash , known t h ereaf t er in t h e US m edia as Dr. Germ , t rying t o convince h er t o give m e a piece of paper allowing m e t o f ilm du ring t h e im pending war. Hu da bru sh ed of f m y requ est and sped away wit h h er bodygu ards in a wh it e Mercedes along t h e Tigris. Wit h in a m ont h sh e was living in a US prison cam p at t h e airport . Th e war was only days away and I h ad no prospect of f ilm ing anyt h ing. My Iraqi visa expired, ef f ect ively f orcing m e ou t of t h e cou nt ry. As I drove along t h e crowded st reet s of Bagh dad t oward t h e Jordan h igh way I was f u ll of regret . Th e next t im e I saw Bagh dad it m igh t well be in ru ins. I h ad no idea wh at wou ld becom e of m y f riends in Iraq. Leaving Bagh dad bef ore t h e war was one of t h e saddest m om ent s of m y lif e. I wait ed ou t t h e war in E gypt , pacing dist ract edly back and f ort h across Cairo t h rou gh t h e h aze and m ind‐nu m bing t raf f ic, wat ch ing t h e nigh t ly bom bing of Bagh dad on t elevision, biding m y t im e u nt il t h e Baat h ist regim e wou ld be overt h rown and I cou ld ret u rn t o Iraq t o m ake a f ilm abou t wh at ever h appened next . In April 2003 I arrived back in Bagh dad, t h is t im e wit h ou t need of a visa or f ilm ing
6 perm issions of any kind. Th e Iraqi border h u ng open like a door of f it s h inges. Th e apparat u s of st at e lay sh at t ered, m inist ries on f ire. All bu t t h e m inist ries of Oil and Int erior t h at is, t h e t em ples of wealt h and cont rol f or wh ich t h e Unit ed St at es h ad com e t o Iraq. Bagh dad h ad descended int o a regim e of loot ing, kidnappings, sh oot ings, bom bings, and a deep u ncert aint y abou t t h e f u t u re of t h e cou nt ry. [ production ] Su ddenly t h e f lood gat es h ad opened. Th ere was no governm ent in Iraq and I cou ld f ilm wh at ever I want ed as long as I cou ld st ay alive. My gu ess was t h at I wou ld h ave abou t a year bef ore eit h er a new au t h orit arian governm ent wou ld be pu t in power or Iraq wou ld descend int o civil war and becom e t oo dangerou s t o work in. I needed t o m ake m y f ilm wh ile it was st ill possible. I m oved int o a seedy apart m ent at t h e Al Du lam i bu ilding in sou t h ern Bagh dad wit h radio j ou rnalist s Raph ael Kraf f t and Aaron Glant z as room m at es. Using m y Iraqi expat riat e cont act s I f ou nd a local t ranslat or t o work wit h and we set of f t oget h er t o docu m ent t h e cou nt ry. Part One For m y f irst docu m ent ary su bj ect in Iraq, I decided on an 11‐year‐old au t o m ech anic nam ed Moh am m ed Hait h em wh o lived and worked in t h e Sh eik Om ar dist rict of Bagh dad, an old neigh borh ood at t h e cent er of t own f u ll of sm all indu st rial sh ops. You ng Moh am m ed was looked af t er by h is grandm ot h er and h ad dropped ou t of sch ool t o su pport h is f am ily by working as a sh op apprent ice. Moh am m ed's was a very com m on st ory in Iraq, a cou nt ry wh ich h as su f f ered decades of f oolish wars, despot ism and su f f ocat ing econom ic sanct ions t h at weakened t h e social inf rast ru ct u re. Moh am m ed Hait h em h ad a sort of Dickensian qu alit y t h at I t h ou gh t perf ect ly m at ch ed t h e Best /Worst of Tim es f eeling in post ‐war Bagh dad. His f ace spoke f or h im ; you cou ld t ell wh at h e was t h inking wit h ou t h im ever saying a word. E very m orning f or m ont h s on end I wou ld drive ou t t o t h e sh op wh ere Moh am m ed worked and wait arou nd f or h ou rs, gradu ally becom ing part of t h e f u rnit u re u nt il nobody paid at t ent ion t o m e or m y cam era. In t h e evenings I began t o t ranslat e t h e m at erial and layer it t oget h er on m y lapt op com pu t er, bu ilding u p a pict u re of Moh am m ed and t h e world arou nd h im , t rying t o see it t h rou gh h is eyes. I didn't j u st want t o bring t h e viewers int o Moh am m ed's neigh borh ood – I want ed t o pu t t h em inside h is h ead. I want ed t h em t o see wh at h e saw, h ear wh at h e h eard, inclu ding t h e sou nd of h is own t h ou gh t s. To m ake t h e voice‐over narrat ion in t h is ch apt er, I condu ct ed ext ensive au dio
7 int erviews wit h Moh am m ed, gradu ally working t h rou gh h is sh yness u nt il h e was speaking in clear, com plet e sent ences. It t ook abou t a year t o reach t h is point ; m y last m at erial of Moh am m ed Hait h em was recorded in Sept em ber of 2004. By t h at t im e Iraqi pu blic opinion h ad t u rned solidly against t h e US occu pat ion and it was already t oo dangerou s f or a f oreign f ilm m aker t o work openly on t h e st reet s of Bagh dad. Part Two By t h e m iddle of t h e f irst su m m er I h ad m oved ou t of m y gloom y apart m ent and int o a sm all resident ial h ou se in t h e m iddle‐class Palest ine St reet area of Bagh dad. I sh ared t h e grou nd f loor wit h N adeem Ham id, one of t h e Iraqi t ranslat ors I was working wit h . N adeem was a 22‐year‐old biology st u dent at Mu st ansiriya Universit y, and h ad been writ t en u p by t h e N ew York Tim es Magazine, Fox N ews and t h e BBC f or being t h e lead singer of an Iraqi boy‐band t h at sang pop songs in E nglish . It was exact ly t h e st ory t h at t h e west ern m edia were looking f or: you ng Iraqis in love wit h west ern cu lt u re, liberal and open t o all ideas. By t h e t im e m y docu m ent ary produ ct ion f inish ed N adeem h ad f led t o London t o escape a nascent civil war and persecu t ion by t h e new regim e of conservat ive Islam t h at t h e Unit ed St at es h ad h elped bring t o power. Iraq h ad been ru led by Su nnis f or h u ndreds of years, and su ddenly t h e m aj orit y Sh iit es were sensing t h at t h eir m om ent h ad arrived. I want ed t o f ilm t h e em ergence of Iraq's Sh iit e power f rom t h e inside. In Au gu st , 2003, N adeem and I drove down t o N aj af , bu rial place of Im am Ali and t h e capit al of Sh ia Islam in Iraq. My idea was t o f ollow a st u dent at one of t h e local Sh iit e religiou s sch ools. Wandering t h rou gh t h e narrow back alleys of N aj af in search of perm issions, we soon f ou nd ou rselves at t h e of f ice of Moqt ada Sadr. Moqt ada Sadr h ad inh erit ed t h e f ollowers and organizat ion of h is f at h er, Grand Ayat ollah Moh am m ed Sadiq al‐Sadr, one of t h e m ost respect ed and inf lu ent ial religiou s leaders in Iraq's h ist ory, wh o h ad been assassinat ed by Saddam Hu ssein in 1999 f or speaking ou t against t h e regim e. Sadiq al‐Sadr h ad advocat ed som et h ing known as t h e "speaking Hawza," an Iraqi nat ionalist polit ical/religiou s ph ilosoph y t h at encou raged t h e open involvem ent of religiou s au t h orit y in polit ical lif e. Moqt ada Sadr's f am ily h ad been involved in rou t ing t h e Brit ish colonial occu pat ion of Iraq earlier in t h e 20t h cent u ry, and now h is m ovem ent was warm ing t o a new ch allenge. You ng Sadr want ed t o pu sh t h e f oreign occu piers ou t of h is cou nt ry and t u rn Iraq int o an Islam ic st at e. Th is seem ed like an int erest ing st ory t o docu m ent , so I began developing cont act s wit h in Sadr's organizat ion wh o allowed m e t o f ilm . Moqt ada Sadr h im self was t oo dif f icu lt t o access, so I set t led f or Sh eik Aws al Kaf aj i. Sh eik Aws, a bearded cleric of 32, was in ch arge of t h e Sadr of f ice in N aseriyah , t h e f ou rt h largest cit y in Iraq. Aws h ad been im prisoned and t ort u red u nder Saddam f or
8 def ying t h e regim e. He was genial and open, giving m e f ar m ore access t o h is m ovem ent t h an I expect ed. I f ilm ed polit ical st rat egy m eet ings, rallies, m arch es, an alcoh ol raid in t h e local m arket , religiou s cerem onies, and endless polit ical speech es and int erviews. Th e only ot h er west ern civilian I encou nt ered in N aseriyah in t h at period was Ant h ony Sh adid, a m ild‐m annered Wash ingt on Post j ou rnalist wh o lat er received t h e Pu lit zer Prize f or h is brilliant report ing on Iraq. Sh eik Aws was convinced t h at Ant h ony worked f or t h e CIA, and of t en t old m e so. He also su spect ed t h at I m igh t be CIA. It 's not an accu sat ion t h at one can easily disprove. Th e Sadr organizat ion was deeply su spiciou s of f oreigners, and you cou ldn't really blam e t h em . I was never su re wh y t h ey t ru st ed m e as m u ch as t h ey did. In t h e early spring of 2004, t h e Sadr of f ice in N aseriyah was organizing elect ions. It was a f u ll year bef ore nat ional Iraqi elect ions wou ld act u ally t ake place, and t h e Unit ed St at es occu pat ion au t h orit ies in Iraq were st ill h opef u l t h at t h ey cou ld f orego popu lar elect ions and inst all a pu ppet Iraqi governm ent m ade u p of polit icians appoint ed indirect ly by t h e Unit ed St at es. Th e Sadr m ovem ent 's st rat egy was t o circu m vent t h is by pu sh ing ou t US appoint ees t h rou gh direct local elect ions. Th is idea, com bined wit h st rong ant i‐occu pat ion rh et oric, m ade Moqt ada Sadr and h is m ovem ent a dangerou s opponent of Unit ed St at es' int erest s in Iraq. Ch arges were brou gh t against Sadr f or a m u rder t h at h ad occu rred a year bef ore, h is depu t ies were arrest ed and h is Hawza newspaper was sh u t down by US soldiers. Wh en Spanish t roops opened f ire on a Sadr dem onst rat ion in Ku f a on April 4, 2004, it f inally provoked an arm ed u prising am ong Sadr's f ollowers. Th e u prising last ed u nt il Sept em ber and resu lt ed in t h e deat h s of t h ou sands. I arrived sligh t ly lat e f or t h e init ial bat t le in Ku f a ‐ it h ad already been going on f or an h ou r wh en m y t axi dropped m e of f on t h e m ain st reet and sped back t oward Bagh dad. Th e sou nd of au t om at ic gu nf ire was all arou nd. Hidden snipers were f iring f rom t h e u pper f loors of bu ildings beside m e, provoking answering f ire f rom t h e Spanish base. Am erican f igh t er planes circled overh eard, requ est ing ‐ it was lat er report ed by UPI ‐ perm ission f rom t h e Spanish t o bom b t h e nearby t each ing h ospit al wh ere Sadr's f igh t ers h ad t aken u p posit ions on t h e roof . It was t h e f irst in a long su ccession of skirm ish es arou nd N aj af t h at event u ally led t o t h e siege of t h e cit y by US f orces. I spent several m ont h s living in N aj af du ring t h e u prising, recording int erviews wit h f igh t ers and civilians, dreading wh at wou ld h appen as t h e t ensions m ou nt ed. Th e Sadr m ovem ent h ad t aken over t h e Im am Ali Sh rine in t h e cent er of N aj af , and also t h e Islam ic Cou rt bu ilding, wh ere m any of t h eir polit ical opponent s in t h e cit y were t aken and a nu m ber execu t ed. Th e bodies of t h e h anged were adorned wit h h andwrit t en signs t h at said "spy" and ph ot ograph ed f or pu blicat ion in t h e Sadr newspapers. I was also dragged t o t h e cou rt on one occasion along wit h m y Iraqi t ranslat or. Th ey accu sed m e of f ilm ing t h e bodies of Meh di Milit ia f igh t ers in t h e N aj af cem et ery, t h ou gh I h ad int ent ionally lef t m y cam era in m y h ot el room t h at day, expect ing t rou ble. "N o," t h ey insist ed, "you were f ilm ing."
9 Th ey h ad been losing large nu m bers of f igh t ers du e t o t h eir incredibly poor appreciat ion of US m ilit ary t act ics, and t h eir anger m ade t h em u nreasonable. Th e Sadrist s at t h e N aj af Islam ic Cou rt weren't exact ly t h e sh arpest knives in t h e drawer t o begin wit h . Film ing in N aj af becam e im possible, even wit h signed perm issions f rom t h eir leadersh ip. Th e Sadr u prising coincided wit h t h e US siege and dest ru ct ion of Fallu j a, wh ich was broadcast int o Iraqi h om es by Al Jazeera. Th e abu se and t ort u re by US personnel of Iraqis at Abu Gh raib prison was also u nequ ivocally revealed t h at m ont h , f u rt h er adding t o t h e anger t h at was rising in t h e cou nt ry. In an ef f ort t o cont ain t h e u nrest , t h e Unit ed St at es closed down u nf riendly m edia and h anded Iraqi "sovereignt y" t o an int erim governm ent h eaded by a f orm er CIA asset . Th e sit u at ion f or j ou rnalist s and f ilm m akers working in Iraq was also growing increasingly dif f icu lt . I was f orced t o m ove ou t of t h e resident ial h om e I h ad sh ared wit h t ranslat or N adeem Ham id and h is f am ily ‐ as m u ch f or t h eir prot ect ion as m y own. An increasing nu m ber of j ou rnalist s and ot h er f oreign civilians was being kidnapped and killed. My colleagu e Micah Garen, an independent f ilm m aker f rom N ew York, was kidnapped along wit h h is t ranslat or by m em bers of t h e Sadr m ovem ent in N aseriyah – t h e very place I h ad been f ilm ing only m ont h s bef ore. He was accu sed of being a spy and t h reat ened wit h execu t ion. I u sed m y cont act s in t h e Sadr organizat ion t o lobby f or h is release via sat ellit e ph one. Th rou gh t h e collect ive ef f ort s of h is f am ily, f riends and f ellow j ou rnalist s Micah was released u nh arm ed, bu t not bef ore being h eld f or 10 days in t h e sou t h ern m arsh es and paraded on TV wit h a gu n t o h is h ead, reading a f orced st at em ent . I decided t h at cent ral and sou t h ern Iraq was no longer saf e enou gh t o f ilm in. Th e risk h ad becom e t oo great and t h e work h ad becom e im possible. I f ilm ed m y last m at erial in Bagh dad in Sept em ber, 2004, gat h ered u p m y clot h es, h ard drives, boxes of DV t apes, and h ired a t axi f or nort h ern Iraq. Part Th ree E nt ering Ku rdish ‐cont rolled nort h ern Iraq is like crossing int o a dif f erent world. Th e lonely and dangerou s roads nort h of Bagh dad give way t o a series of rolling h ills and ch eckpoint s. Su ddenly t h e f lags f lying f rom roof t ops display t h e yellow su n of Ku rdist an, a non‐exist ent cou nt ry t h at h as been wait ing t o be born f or a h u ndred years. I h ad been m aking t rips nort h ward t o Iraqi Ku rdist an since early in m y produ ct ion, exploring t h e cit ies and t owns of t h e m ou nt ainou s border regions and t h e low‐lying grassy plains t h at st ret ch sou t h t oward Kirku k, t h e dispu t ed oil capit al of nort h ern Iraq. Af t er som e search ing, I h ad set t led int o a sm all scat t ering of f arm s and brick ovens sou t h of E rbil, in a place known as Koret an. It 's so sm all, it 's not even f ou nd on m ost m aps of Iraq. Th e locals eke a living ou t of wh eat , t om at oes, su nf lowers and bricks.
10 It was t h e brick ovens t h at m ade m e st op t h ere. Great plu m es of black pet roleu m sm oke pou red ou t of a f eat u reless wh eat f ield landscape. Th e brick ovens h ad been bu ilt by Iraqi Jews in t h e early 20t h cent u ry. Many local f arm ers were t h e descendant s of Jews wh o h ad convert ed t o Islam . Th e ent ire region bore t h e m arks of passing waves of religiou s ch ange. E ven t h e nam e of t h e capit al, E rbil ‐ m eaning "f ou r gods" ‐ dat ed back t o Pagan t im es. In neigh boring Mosu l, 30 m inu t es away by car, t h e ru ins of Su m erian civilizat ion dat ing back t o 5000 BC st ill st ood. Mosu l was already beyond t h e pale: I h ad f ilm ed t h ere several t im es in t h e past , bu t by lat e 2004 it was already f ar t oo dangerou s. I gradu ally m ade f riends wit h t h e local f arm ers in Koret an. Lit t le by lit t le, I becam e a regu lar f ixt u re. People grew m ore com f ort able and st opped t aking not ice of t im e. Af t er six sh ort m ont h s, I h ad ach ieved invisibilit y. Over t im e, I was able t o f ilm enou gh m at erial t o piece t oget h er a port rait of t h is place, t h ese people. Af t er t h e t u m u lt u ou s Sh iit e u prising in t h e sou t h , it was im port ant t o m e t o grou nd m y st oryt elling in nort h ern Iraq in sm aller, personal st ories. I f ocu sed on sim ple t h ings: Th e f riendsh ip of t wo boys and t h eir f at h ers, wh o lived on neigh boring f arm s. I decided t h at t h is ch apt er wou ld be one of f at h ers and sons, of t h e space bet ween generat ions. Beh ind t h is sim ple st ory was a larger m ovem ent in t h e societ y. Th e Ku rds were pressing f or independence. Ant i‐Arab sent im ent ran h igh . Th e Ku rds were ready t o go t o war, if necessary, t o win t h eir au t onom y f rom Bagh dad. Th e Janu ary 2005 elect ions solidif ied Ku rdish power wit h in t h e Iraqi leadersh ip. Th e f ract u re lines h ad been drawn t h at wou ld perm anent ly split Iraq int o f ragm ent s.
11 [ technical notes ] Iraq In Fragments was sh ot wit h Panasonic DVX‐100 and DVX‐100A cam eras, u sing 24p Advanced Pu lldown m ode, let t er‐boxed. All sou nd was recorded on t h e cam era. 300 h ou rs of m at erial were recorded in Iraq bet ween Febru ary 2003 and April 2005 f or t h e produ ct ion. 1600 pages of t yped, t im e‐coded, t ranslat ed t ranscript s were u sed in edit ing. Th e f ilm was edit ed by Billy McMillin, Jam es Longley and Fiona Ot way u sing Final Cu t Pro sof t ware ru nning on Apple Macint osh com pu t ers. Th e f ilm was blown u p t o High Def init ion size and color correct ed at Modern Digit al in Seat t le. Dolby Digit al sou nd m ixing t ook place at Bad Anim als st u dios in Seat t le. File‐t o‐Film recording was done at Alph a Cine Labs in Seat t le. Film is approxim at ely 8460 f eet long (2820 m et ers) and is on f ive reels.
12
[ film credits ]
direct or: Jam es Longley
produ cers: Joh n Sinno
Jam es Longley
edit ors: Billy McMillin
Fiona Ot way
Jam es Longley
cam era: Jam es Longley
post coordinat or: Basil Sh adid
sou nd / m u sic: Jam es Longley
2nd u nit cam era: Margaret Longley
t ranslat ors: Ah m ed Ayed
Ali Z ekki
Dler Hash im
Du ler Boj an
Ist if an Braym ok
Moh am m ed Moh ana
Mu st aph a Hasan
N adeem Ham id
Reyal Sindi
Z aid Al Rawi
Z aid Fah m i
Z irak Dilsh ad13
[ reviews & comments ]
“ But pointing the cam era need not always involve pointing a finger. Jam es Longley's Iraq in
Fragments is the latest entry in the crowded field of docum entaries from that war. I t is also
one of the best, partly because it is m ore concerned with exploring daily life and individual
destinies than with articulating a position. The title has several m eanings, referring both to
Mr. Longley's collagist m ethod and to the com m unal fractures that threaten the country's
stability. I t takes the form of a trilogy, with one section devoted to Sunnis, one to Shia and
one to Kurds, but it also rem inds us that we generalize about those groups at our peril.
Whether you think the war is right or wrong, Iraq in Fragments is a necessary rem inder of just
how painful and com plicated it is.”
‐‐A.O. Scott, The New York Times
One “ of the strongest docum entaries this year…both poetic and reality‐based.”
‐‐Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times
“ …I t has no overt political agenda, nor does it have a narrator. I n beautifully shot, alm ost
poetic im ages, it takes us inside this fractured country, letting us feel what its like from the
inside from three points of view‐‐Sunni, Shiite and Kurd. Longley spent years in I raq, and he
lets his subjects, and his im ages, speak for them selves…The title refers both to the style of
the film and the political fragm entation that threatens the countries future. A fascinating
glim pse of an I raq the m ass m edia never shows us, the m ovie is a quiet revelation.”
‐‐David Ansen, Newsweek
"I raq in F ragm ents is a stunningly beautiful film that lets the I raqi people speak for
them selves as they tell us what the war has done to their daily lives. What this m ovie shows,
you will never see on the evening news."
‐‐Michael Moore
“ P olitical film m aking is an evergreen in Sundance's docum entary com petition, but two
standout works com plem ent each other powerfully in their em phasis on the local effects of
national and international policies. Overseas, Jam es Longley's m esm erizing "I raq in
F ragm ents" shakes off the oversaturated video vocabulary that has defined m edia coverage of
the war‐torn country and brings a cinem atic beauty, both terrifying and ethereal, to the
landscape. Broken into three sections that exam ine I raq geographically, Longley focuses on
the m icrocosm ic experience, whether it be a young child, a radicalized adult or a wizened
old m an, to reflect larger truths about war and peace.”
‐‐Stephen Garrett, IndieW ire
“ … a gorgeous tone poem drawn from about 30 0 hours of incredibly privileged footage—the
cam eram an literally rolled out of cars during firefights to avoid bullets, and captured m ore
unfam iliar em otional violence in the life of a young Baghdad boy whose ostensibly kindly
surrogate‐father em ployer keeps threatening to ‘ roast him alive.’”
‐‐Tim Appelo, The Seattle W eek ly14 Su ndance Standou t: Ir aq In Fr agm ents Logan Hill, New York M agazine Th ere’s a gold‐ru sh m ent alit y in m any of t h e docu m ent ary f ilm s com ing ou t of Iraq righ t now, as f ilm m akers race overseas t o m ake t h eir m ovies and t h en h u rry back h om e t o m ake t h eir nam es. It ’s an u nderst andable u rge in t h e f ace of su ch opport u nit y— and even som et im es a com m endable one in t h e f ace of su ch danger. Bu t wh at m akes Jam es Longley’s Iraq in Fragments so powerf u l— and wh y it ’s likely t o be one of t h e m ost ‐ h eralded f ilm s at Su ndance— is t h at h e spent enou gh t im e t h ere f or u npredict able ideas t o incu bat e and sh ot enou gh f oot age t o explore t h em . From 2002 t o 2005, Longley (Gaza Strip) f ilm ed an Iraq t h at you likely h aven’t seen bef ore. Mirroring t h e way post ‐invasion Iraq h as splint ered, h e split s h is own f ilm int o det ailed t h irds, t racking a you ng kid in Bagh dad, t wo brick‐baking Ku rdish f am ilies in t h e nort h , and t h e Sh iit e m ovem ent of Moqt ada al‐Sadr in N aj af . E ach is com posed wit h a sh arp, vérit é eye, narrat ed only by it s su bj ect s, and rendered wit h an int im acy t h at we h aven’t seen since, perh aps, t h e Oscar‐winning Born Into Broth els. Wit h ou t edit orializing in any obviou s way, t h e f ilm delineat es h ow very dif f erent ly Iraqis regard t h eir cou nt ry’s f u t u re, f rom Sadr‐acolyt e ou t rage t o an old f arm er’s exh au st ed f at alism . And t h ou gh Longley’s dram at ic f oot age of a bru t al m ilit ia raid on N asiriyah liqu or m erch ant s and a violent clash wit h Spanish t roops in N aj af is st u nning, it is no less af f ect ing t h an t h e qu iet way t h at a boy’s apprent icesh ip t o a cru de Bagh dad au t o m ech anic becom es an u nderst at ed m et aph or f or lif e u nder Saddam ’s reign. More f ilm m akers sh ou ld learn f rom Longley’s pat ience, as sh ou ld m ore produ cers— it ’s well wort h t h e invest m ent t o f u nd long‐t erm proj ect s like t h is.
15 [ awards & nominations ] Nominated ‐ Academy Award® B est Documentary Feature ‐ 2007 Nominated ‐ Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary ‐ Directors Guild of America Winner ‐Distinguished Feature Documentary Award ‐ International Documentary Association Winner ‐ B est Documentary Directing ‐ Sundance Film Festival Winner ‐ B est Documentary Cinematography ‐ Sundance Film Festival Winner ‐ B est Documentary Editing‐ Sundance Film Festival Nominated ‐ Grand Jury P rize ‐ Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award ‐ Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Gold Hugo ‐ B est Documentary ‐ Chicago International Film Festival Winner ‐ Nestor Almendros Award ‐ Human Rights Watch Film Festival Winner ‐ B est Documentary ‐ Gotham Awards Winner ‐ Special Mention ‐ Mannheim‐Heidelberg International Filmfestival Nominated ‐ B est Film‐ Mannheim‐Heidelberg International Filmfestival Winner ‐ International Federation of Film Critics Award ‐ Thessaloniki Winner ‐ Nesnady‐Schwartz Documentary Film Competition ‐ Cleveland International Film Festival
16
[ press release from the
New York premiere ]
F OR I MME D I ATE R E LE ASE
“ I raq I n F ragm ents” U .S. Theatrical P rem iere
P resented by Typecast Releasing in Association with HBO Docum entary F ilm s
Opens in N ew York City N ovem ber 8, 20 0 6 at F ilm F orum
‐‐‐
F ilm Will Open in Other Cities on N ovem ber 10 th
‐‐‐
The highly acclaim ed feature docum entary Iraq In Fragments, from director Jam es Longley,
will have its U .S. theatrical prem iere at F ilm F orum in N ew York City on N ovem ber 8, 20 0 6.
The film has been a favorite at dom estic and international film festivals after its incredible
success at the 20 0 6 Sundance F ilm F estival, where it was the recipient of three awards. A
nationwide release is slated for N ovem ber and the following m onths.
Iraq In Fragments illum inates post‐war I raq in three acts, building a vivid picture of a country
pulled in different directions by religion and ethnicity. F ilm ed in verité style, with no
scripted narration, the film powerfully explores the lives of ordinary I raqis: people whose
thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, and concerns are at once personal and illustrative of larger
issues in I raq today.
Seattle‐based docum entarian Jam es Longley (Gaza Strip, 20 0 2) spent over two years living
and traveling in I raq from 20 0 3‐20 0 5, shooting m ore than 30 0 hours of m aterial. Shortly
before returning to the U nited States, Longley joined forces with John Sinno of Typecast
P ictures to com plete the production. Iraq In Fragments prem iered at the 20 0 6 Sundance F ilm
F estival, where it was honored with the prize for Best Docum entary Director, Best
Docum entary Cinem atography, and Best Docum entary E diting (shared with co‐editors Billy
McMillan and F iona Otway) .
Since then, the film has screened at over thirty‐five film festivals, earning awards such as
the F ull F ram e Docum entary F ilm F estival Grand Jury P rize, the Hum an Rights Watch
N estor Alm endros P rize for Courage in F ilm m aking, and the F I P RE SCI Jury P rize at the
Thessaloniki Docum entary F ilm F estival, am ong others.
Iraq In Fragments was picked up by Typecast Releasing in June, and will be released to
theaters this F all in association with HBO Docum entary F ilm s.
More inform ation is available at www.iraqinfragm ents.com and www.typecastfilm s.com .
Contact:
Ryan D avis Lana Iny/ Jessica Manzi17
Typecast Releasing HBO Media Relations
20 6 .322.0 882 x.20 5 212‐ 512‐ 14 6 2/ 1322
ryan@typecastf ilm s.com lana.iny@hbo.com , j essica.m anzi@hbo.com
[ contact information ]
Dir ector /Pr odu cer : Pr odu cer :
Jam es Longley Joh n Sinno
110 Vine St #302 3131 West ern Ave, Su it e 514
Seat t le, WA 98121 Seat t le, WA 98121
Cell Ph one: (206) 661‐5030 Ph one: (206) 322‐0882 x201
Fax: (206) 661‐5030 Fax: (206) 322‐4586
h t t p://www.dayligh t f act ory.com h t t p://www.t ypecast f ilm s.com
em ail: j am es_longley@yah oo.com em ail: j oh n@t ypecast f ilm s.com
Distr ibu ted by: Theatr ical booking:
Typecast Releasing Alex O. William s
in association with HBO Documentary Films Typecast Releasing
3131 West ern Ave, Su it e 514 3131 West ern Ave, Su it e 514
Seat t le, WA 98121 Seat t le, WA 98121
Ph one: (206) 322‐0882 Ph one: (206) 322‐0882 x202
Fax: (206) 322‐4586 Fax: (206) 322‐4586
h t t p://www.t ypecast f ilm s.com h t t p://www.t ypecast f ilm s.com
em ail: inf o@t ypecast f ilm s.com em ail: alex@t ypecast f ilm s.com
Sales Repr esentative: Non theatrical booking and press contact:
Andrew Herwit z N ick Collecch i
Th e Film Sales Com pany Typecast Releasing
151 Laf ayet t e St reet , Fif t h Floor 3131 West ern Ave, Su it e 514
N ew York , N Y 10013 Seat t le, WA 98121
Ph one: (646) 274‐0945 Ph one: (206) 322‐0882 x205
Fax: (646) 274‐0923 Fax: (206) 322‐4586
em ail: cont act @f ilm salescorp.com h t t p://www.t ypecast f ilm s.com
em ail: nick@t ypecast f ilm s.com
www.iraqinf ragm ent s.com2
You can also read
