Iraq in Fragments

Colour, 35 mm
USA, Iraq, 2006, 93 min
Section: One World Presents the Sundance Documentary Fund

Synopsis

Moving from deeply personal and meditative to fast-paced and shocking, this visually stunning film in three parts contemplates the future of Iraq in the aftermath of war. In Baghdad, a young boy from the Sunni community faces uncertain prospects on the bustling city streets. In the South, the increasingly radicalised Shiite Muslims gather to perform rituals once banned by Saddam, working themselves up into an aggressive religious frenzy. And in the vast expanse of the North, Kurdish shepherds and brick cutters muse about their future in a country torn apart by conflict.

About the director

James Longley (b. 1972) studied film and Russian language at Wesleyan University and the VGIK in Moscow. His documentary film, Portrait of Boy with Dog was awarded a student Academy Award in 1994. Longley’s feature length debut was Gaza Strip, a cinema vérité documentary filmed in the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2002, James travelled to Iraq to begin work on Iraq in Fragments, which subsequently received several awards at prestigious film festivals including Sundance.