A Selected Sample of Iraqi Voices

by Diane Farsetta — December 21, 2004 - 5:14pm
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"Just before the election, a film about Iraq hit art house theaters around the country," writes Eartha Melzer. The "Voices of Iraq" documentary came from more than 400 hours of footage from 150 digital video cameras distributed to people around Iraq. Its tone is upbeat; "former Iraqi political prisoners are shown laughing off the stories of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib." The Washington DC-based Iraq Foundation, which receives State Department and National Endowment for Democracy funding, assisted the film's producers. The U.S. Army's former PR firm, Manning Selvage & Lee, coordinated publicity for the film. Given its timing, tone and connections, Melzer asks if Voices of Iraq was intended "to propagandize the U.S. population."

Main Source: 
AlterNet, December 16, 2004

Comments

Voices of Iraq

Submitted by Zoltan Grossman on December 22, 2004 - 10:28am.
I watched "Voices of Iraq," which was distributed by and through Netflix-- and recommended by Netflix. The Netflix symbol was even in the corner of the menu! It was released October 30, and the footage covers the war into October. The film is supposedly an indy production filmed by 150 digital camcorders circulated through Iraq, with ordinary Iraqis taking the footage. Sounds like a very compelling grassroots project. It starts out with a few critical comments on the Americans and Abu Ghraib, and ends up with the Iraqis as the happiest people on earth since they have been "liberated." The U.S. occupation forces have by then completely disappeared from the film. It was the slickest pro-occupation propaganda piece I've ever seen; it even took me in at first.  But then I figured who paid for the high-quality cameras? (150 x $2000 = $300,000) Why are many Iraqis speaking in English? Why are they only supporting the interim "government"?  Why do they call all opponents terrorists?  Why are so many speakers living in comfortable elite homes? Why do the filmmakers display U.S. headlines critical of the war and then try to disprove them?  Who is the guy off camera speaking in English? How did the ordinary citizens film top officials including the Iraqi "president"? If they are just Iraqis taking home movies, where did they get the insurgent video footage and footage of Baathist atrocities? The project website is http://www.VoicesOfIraq.com It looks like some critics have been wondering about and researching Army contracts and PR firm connections to the film: http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm If you get this video through Netflix, comment on what you thought-- many others have--and ASK QUESTIONS as to Netflix's direct marketing role. I'm sure this film was developed to prepare Americans for the Iraqi P.R. election (see Edward Herman's book on "Demonstration Elections"), so we will hear more about it leading up to January 30. Dr. Zoltan Grossman Assistant Professor of Geography University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire P.O. Box 4004 Eau Claire WI 54703 (715) 836-4471 grossmzc@uwec.edu http://www.uwec.edu/grossmzc http://www.uwec.edu/grossmzc/peace.html