exile & empire :
20 shorts films on Iraq is a one hour long, ‘essay-driven’ documentary
film on Iraq, past and present, seen through a series of short films.
Iraqi-Canadian filmmaker Duraid
Munajim was originally making a film about Iraqi exiles. Then world events gradually
spun out of control, culminating in the war and its direct aftermath. The filmmaker
shot the last leg of his film in Iraq, arriving in the conquered capital days
after its fall.
The shorts range in style, from the typical ‘talking
head’ interview film, to more experimental films told with images and sound. These
images were captured using stills, super 8, 16mm, 35mm and mini dv.
The
film offers the viewer a window into Iraq from the point of view of an Iraqi.
The sorrows of the past, the loneliness of exiles, the destruction of war, the
ironies of the occupation.
home movies
home movies shot by the filmmaker’s father, 1960 – 1980,
in Iraq and Kuwait.
khaled
August 2001. Khaled is an Iraqi exile living in Amman, Jordan.
His visitor’s status has expired, and his application for refugee status is being
considered at the UNHCR offices in Amman, a procedure that could take months.
Meanwhile he works odd jobs to get by.
 
mehdi from najaf
Iraqi exile from the holy city of Najaf.
to halifax
listening to the radio on the eve of the war.
mohammed
moved to Halifax in ’91 when he was ten, left Kuwait after
the first gulf war. Mohammed speaks about what it means to be an Arab in Halifax.
Baker
Iraqi refugee working as a pizza delivery person in NDG, Montreal.
The war on his country commences on the radio (March 21st) as he delivers his
pies.
toronto – amman – baghdad
film diary of the filmmaker’s trip to Baghdad
from Amman, 6 weeks after the Baghdad fell.
men with guns
guns and the men who carry them: Baghdad, May 2003.
- U.S. patrol series
shot
in Baghdad, May / August 2003. Filmmaker accompanies U.S. patrols.
Late afternoon in the slums of northern Baghdad. The platoon Sergeant passes his
thoughts on the sewer system, gun culture in Iraq, and his mission.
Walking night patrol through the streets of central Baghdad.
11pm curfew patrol in Shu’la. Cars are stopped, people are searched. 19 year old
soldier tells middle aged locals to go home in broken arabic.
4am perimeter patrol. U.S. platoon runs into curfew breaker.
missing
the collapse of the regime, and thousands of families search
for their loved ones.
 
abu ghraib prison
known as having been one of the cruelest prisons
in the middle east. At the time of the filming the prison was mostly abandoned
and looted, with only ID cards of former prisoners scattered on the floors.
the rahman mosque
a dozen shots taken at the unfinished Rahman mosque
in Baghdad. One illustration of faith and Islam.
untitled (fallen saddam)
the death and birth of a nation. The extinction
of a dictator as seen by the defacement of icons across Baghdad. Music by Godspeed
you! Black Emperor.
aunt shamsa
my favorite aunt as seen through photographs and super
8 footage over 35 years. The last clip is video footage of my aunt sending greetings
to my father, whom she had not seen for 20 years.
uncle shafiq
my uncle shafiq sending a message of hope and sadness
to my father.
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