An Odd Type of Documentary:Documenting Iraqi Voices

At a time when shrill political diatribes dominate the documentary scene, along comes an authentic work that dares to let the subject speak for itself—literally

writes the Wall Street Journal.

This spring, film producers Eric Manes, Martin Kunert and Archie Drury sent 150 digital video cameras to Iraq and invited Iraqis to tape whatever they wanted—and then pass the cameras onto someone else. The three had no idea how the victims of first Saddam Hussein and then of the chaos that accompanied his fall would react.

By the end of last month, the producers had received some 450 hours of footage, taped all over the country with some 2,000 Iraqis. The scenes in their completed film, Voices of Iraq (www.voicesofiraq.com), come as a shock.

Yes, there are tragedies and "in Baghdad many express fear or bitterness about the lack of security … But mostly, overwhelmingly, there are signs of life and optimism."

Their enthusiasm and resilience are mind-boggling. So, too, is their ability to put even the most infamous acts in perspective. As one man says: 'The Abu Ghraib scandal has shaken your country—but those prisoners were Saddam's henchmen. What you saw on TV: I was personally tortured by those [Iraqis] and tortured much worse.'"

Not quite the sort of documentary to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, huh?

(Thanks to e-nough)