Iraq in fragments (2006)

In 2002, when it was already clear that the United States would invade Iraq, James Longley traveled there to begin pre-production work on his second
documentary feature, Iraq in Fragments. The film was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and received many awards including an Academy Award nomination for 2007 Best documentary feature. Now Longley has realized his third short movie, Sari's Mother, which received an Academy Award nomination, too.

This is a film about Iraq as a country and also about its people. Longley documents every single thing. He wanted to film ten stories at once, all in different parts of the country. In the end, he only filmed six different stories. He put only three of those stories into the final film. Iraq In Fragments illuminates post-war Iraq in three acts, building a vivid picture of a country pulled in different directions by religion and ethnicity. Filmed in verité style, with no scripted narration, the film explores the lives of ordinary Iraqis: their thoughts, beliefs and aspirations. It presents many layers and points of view, reflecting the diversity of a country with an uncertain future. Longley gets close and personal in his film, and he chose the cinema verité approach thus putting the viewer inside the lives of his subjects. This short film introduces the viewer to the breadth and complexity of the Iraqis divided along these lines, but the reality of Iraq is much more complicated.
You can buy Iraq in Fragments.