MORE THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Crisis in the Mid-East,” “Mid-East Turmoil,” and “Disaster in the Middle East” are a few of the sound-byte headlines our news networks have diligently bolded, colored, and packaged for consumption with a Hollywood touch. In an era where news and entertainment can be the same thing, people may get lost in the mix. This perhaps is exactly what sets Laura Poitras’ My Country, My Country so far apart. Her documentary is intimate, unimposing, and far more real than anything on CNN. Doctor Riyadh and his family, not just members of the Sunni faith but a Sunni candidate in the Iraq election, took Poitras under their wing and allowed her (and therefore us) to see the Iraq War from a perspective that has previously never been afforded–occupation from the view of an unhappy and highly educated occupant.
Recently indieWIRE interviewed Poitras, who practically ran a one-woman show as the director, camerawoman, sound person, editor, and producer of the film. In the interview she explains how she met Dr. Riyadh at Abu Graihb in 2004, the challenges she faced while making and distributing the film–of which, the actual shooting was cake compared to its distribution–and the problems of financing a low-budget and controversial piece. A film that went through so much to be made is certainly not one to be missed.
