"MERRY EID TO SADDAM, OUR BELOVED LEADER!" "My brother Ibrahim." "My sister-in-law." "My niece Kanar." "Wake up, lazy!" "My nephew Haidar." "Don't let him touch the window!" "It's dirty." "My nephew Ammar." "My niece Ithar." "A marble!" "Abbas, let me cover my head!" "On the occasion of Eid," "President Saddam Hussein, may God give him victory, received the visit of Issat Ibrahim, vice president of the Council of the Revolution and Mr. Tariq Aziz, vice president of the Council of Ministers and comrade Qusay Saddam Hussein," "member of the Executive of the Arab Socialist Baath Party, and members of the Council of Ministers." "Happy Eid to all!" "May God grant our country peace and prosperity!" "Our enemies behave as if they bring something new!" "But we know their methods." "We've heard their slogans for 30 years." "That is why I felt it is not necessary... to respond to them." "When they say something new, I will respond." "The whole world condemns their vicious methods, more than we do, we Iraqis." "They fear that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, and that Iraq will give them to terrorist organizations that threaten America!" "Such an assumption is childish!" "According to their belief, the most underdeveloped countries may one day reach development and access to technological progress... and produce weapons of mass destruction... that they could give to an organization hostile to America... and therefore threaten American security!" "So it's necessary to bomb the whole world, and forbid progress worldwide, so that Americans can feel safe!" "My brother-in-law Madhat." "Change the channel!" "Uncle, look at the tree there!" "It is full of fruit." "There!" "I caught a big one!" "Haidar, throw it here!" "Mostafa, catch!" "Uncle, this is a waste." "There will be no fruit left on our tree." "These are the last ones." "There are no more." "Where do all these children come from?" "Don't stay here!" "Go away!" "Shut the door!" "She wiggles like a fish!" "His hand will get stuck." "April 28, 2002 Saddam Hussein's birthday." "The first time, I burned my tongue." "Haidar challenged our neighbor Ali to play with fire like you." "And when Ali tried, he burned his tongue." "He got angry..." "Don't forget to chop the onions!" "Oh, no!" "You don't know how to do it." "I'll show you how to do it quickly." "Not like that!" "You've cut it too big!" "You haven't even removed the core!" "Stop laughing at me!" "Stop coughing, Ishtar!" "Happy birthday..." "Happy birthday..." "Saddam!" "A star!" "Remove the other rose, otherwise it will be crushed." "It will be crushed anyway." "Take a break." "We just started." "Finish your tea." "Six meters." "Film the bee!" "It's getting stuck!" "Take it out!" " It's dead!" " Poor thing!" "Don't stop!" "It flows a lot!" "Naturally, it is a real well." "We dug it in anticipation of war." "As there will be no running water, we can use the well." "We also dug a well and taped the windows." "We replaced the tape of the 1991 war." "You have not replaced the old tape!" "You also need to cover the windows with blankets." "To protect yourself from flying glass." "The blankets prevent broken glass from getting inside." "We obtained supplies of rice and lentils, in anticipation of war." "We bought a lot of bottled water." "Because if everyone starts to dig wells, there will be not enough water for everyone." "One, two, three... nine, ten." "Good evening!" "You haven't stopped since this morning?" "We must pump for three days to get clean water." "My hands are tired." "I have been working since this morning." "You're not the only one who works!" "Without me, how will you get water during the war?" "My hands are tired." " And you girls, you do nothing." " Luckily we have you, darling." "Can't you help me?" "I only have two hands." "None of you girls help me." "You do nothing and hope to have water during the war, while I've been working since morning." " You want me to help you?" " Yes, help me." "Why are you laughing?" "Help me!" "It's really exhausting!" "What did you think!" "Who's there?" "Hello, Uncle!" "Merry Eid!" "I almost didn't recognize you." "At first I thought you were Ammar." " I'm Haidar." " Nice to meet you, Haidar!" " You have red cheeks!" " Yes, like apples." " Did you eat apples?" " Yes." "You guessed right." "Can you help us, Uncle?" "I've been working since morning." "We must pump for three days to get clean water." " Don't exaggerate!" " Who's exaggerating?" "Let me do it!" "She's pretending to work." "She has no strength." "I am not a man." "You too, you have no strength." "I'm tired." "I've worked since this morning." "I didn't even go to school." "It has to be done quickly!" "The water exits through the top!" "You didn't do it right, Uncle!" "The pump is installed incorrectly." "Are you sure of that, Uncle?" "You're looking for an excuse, Uncle!" "You don't know how it works." "Look how I do it!" " When did you come home?" " Me, I stayed home." "I spent the day working." "How are my cousins?" "They want to see you." "I told them you're busy today." "Yes, I've been busy since this morning." " You've had fun?" " Yes." "Where were you?" "At my friend's house." "I was revising with her." "You don't look like a girl who was busy revising her homework!" "We need to have fun before the war." "The war is approaching." "Really?" "They say it will start on March 14 or 17." "Nonsense!" "The world is in turmoil and we know nothing!" "If the Americans arrive, we will throw water on them!" "We will fill a bottle with water." "Their satellites are probably trying to watch you and photograph you!" "They must wonder what you're doing." "Extracting petrol to make firebombs." " Help me!" " I'm tired." "You go have fun, then you come back tired!" "You eat and sleep and, the next day, you go out again!" "And who is still working?" "Me!" "Who cleans the dishes?" "The dishes!" "What a hard task!" "Didn't you say you're waiting for the war to have fun, and to get rid of homework!" "Don't you want to get rid of your homework?" "Get rid of my homework!" "While my future depends on it!" "You want me to sacrifice my future!" "Your future is sacrificed because of a single day's work!" " Yes, of course!" "I missed school today." " Poor baby!" "I'm not your "poor baby." Let's talk frankly." "Okay, what do you want?" "I want you to take care of the well for two days." "Or one full day." " Okay." "That's all?" " Yes." " And you'll be happy?" " Yes." " So give me a kiss." " Okay." "A love story!" "Thank you, darling." "Let me kiss you too!" "I put lipstick on your cheek!" "While you had already red cheeks!" " We are reconciled now?" " Yes." "CHALLENGE MEETING PEOPLE'S STADIUM" " BAGHDAD" "George Bush has already failed, my friends!" "In Egypt, we have a poet named Ahmed Fouad Najm." "This poet wrote a poem that says:" ""Listen, you Arabs!"" "Listen to what the people of Egypt said:" "Those who have betrayed us, who have crossed the line, despised Arabism and become the lackeys of foreigners, they will never be one of us." ""Them on one side, and us on another."" "I swear on our fields and factories!" "I swear on our buildings and cannons!" "I swear that the Arab sun will never set!" "Not while I am alive on this earth!" "Ibrahim is coming!" "How are you?" "Good evening, Uncle!" "Sit here, Uncle!" "How is your wife?" "She went to the gynecologist." " She is still there?" " No." "Running water is off." "Why?" "We cannot clean the dishes or the house." "Nor take a shower." "Everyone is dirty and smells bad." "How would it be if the war started!" "Buy bottled water, or your children will have nothing to drink." "I'm waiting for the situation to become critical." "Buy bottled water and diapers." "There won't be any more if war is declared." "From Egypt, the beating heart of the Arab world... we came to share your challenge... and express our support for your struggle against the US-British forces of evil." "We Egyptians, we condemn all plots and all aggressions against you, from wherever it may come." "My niece Manar." "My nephew Ammar." "My brother Ibrahim." "City of Hit." "My brother-in-law Abu Widian." "No!" "The electricity is cut!" " The main power is off?" " Yes." "Help!" "She hides behind the door!" "Turn it off!" "Open this hand!" "There remains one hand, two, three..." "The ring is in the hand of Marwan!" "In this hand." "Lokman, open your hands!" "Jobran, open this hand!" "Open it!" "In Najwan's hand." "Manar, open your hand!" "Widian, open your hand!" "I would say in this hand." "In the left one." "In the right one." "Give!" "LONG LIVE IRAQ" "My brother-in-law Abu Widian." "You wonder why there is this little wall on the terrace!" "This little wall has a lovely story." "Consequence of the embargo in 1991." "We had been through a very tough time." "There was no milk... and it had become hard to get enough bread." "We lacked medicines." "We could endure these hardships, but we had kids, and we had to ensure their survival." "So we had the idea of buying a goat." "We built an enclosure on the terrace." "But how could we milk or feed the goat?" "My wife and I are doctors, not farmers." "So... my wife had to learn to milk the goat." "Every morning at 6:00, before going to the hospital, she rode here to milk the goat and prepare the milk for our children." "Thank God, we survived the first years of the embargo." "There was a funny misunderstanding." "Our neighbor is a farmer." "He works every morning in his orchard." "One day he was surprised to hear the bleating of a goat." "As he knew that my wife is a doctor, he was surprised to learn that she milked our goat every morning." "Back home, he yelled at his wife, "You stay in bed until noon, when our neighbor doctor gets up early to milk a goat!"" "Life was difficult and we had to help each other." "Thank God, the hard times belong to history." "This is our neighbor's orchard." "He comes to work every day at 6:00 in the morning." "My brother-in-law died a year later, of a heart attack." "They call this a break-in!" "This is their burrow." "Don't hurt them!" "It's stuck!" "A bunch of grapes!" "Here is the son of the owner of the orchard!" "We filmed your orchard!" "Marwan!" "Marwan!" "We entered your orchard." "We filmed and then we left." "Is that okay?" "How did you get in?" "By the door." "We broke the lock!" "Look at the fish!" "Why does your engine cough?" " What?" " Your engine coughs!" " It doesn't cough." " This sound is natural." "It's not like engines in Baghdad." "Help!" "Thanks!" "What a beautiful landscape!" "Be careful!" "The mouth." "The head." "It walks like this." "You're lucky to live in nature!" "In Baghdad, there is no nature." "Only museums." "No ancient ruins, but museums." "In Babylon, there are ancient ruins." "Babylon is beautiful, but it's hard to live there." "It became depressing." "To live in such beautiful nature!" "And have fresh milk every morning!" "It's beautiful!" "The clouds look like boats!" "It's a plane?" "An American plane!" "Probably American." "The war may have started!" "Not yet." "Our city will not be bombed." "We will have to fight?" "You will fight when you grow up." "You're still a child." "It looks like a game but when you grow up, you'll have to fight." "When you grow up, you will fight?" "Of course." "It is a duty for all of us." "The war will not last long." " It will be brief." " And intense." "And it will cause much destruction." "I hope they will not use weapons of mass destruction!" "What kind of weapons do we have?" "Sticks and firebombs!" "You cannot fight planes and missiles with sticks!" "Maybe they will come in cars!" "Don't move!" " You're not afraid of falling?" " No!" "I don't think about it." "Is it true that you are a graduate of the Faculty?" " Yes." " Which Faculty?" "Faculty of Education." "You could work as a teacher!" " Yes." " Why didn't you?" "Because of the situation." "The embargo has greatly affected us." "We work hard, but the situation does not improve." "What can one do with a salary of $15 a month?" "You cannot buy anything." "You cannot even buy a pair of trousers." "A month's salary is not enough to buy a pair of pants!" "Thank God, we survived that difficult period." "I hope we will not have a similar experience!" "Yet there is the risk of a new war!" "A new war!" "This is our destiny." "Good morning!" "Is the electricity back on?" "It is back on." "I saw your son." "Yes." "On the palm tree." "After college and military service, he came to work in this field." " What do you think of that, as a father?" " It saddens me." "The embargo led us to this solution." "We grow wheat and barley." "We raise sheep." "The situation turned us into peasants." "Hi!" " How are you, Wissam?" " Hello, Bakir!" " Do you agree to be filmed?" " No problem." "Abbas came from France." "Welcome!" "He's making a film... about Iraqi people." "Despite your university degrees, you will end up as a farmer here." "You will become a peasant again." "Peasant life is the best." "You better forget about computers!" "Computers!" "We still have no computers!" "Me too, I have never seen a computer!" "We hear about Internet, but we don't have access to it!" "You still don't have Internet?" "They promised to give us access to it, but we are still waiting!" "Your Internet is here:" "Peasant life!" "This is our Internet!" "We will not have Internet until 2010!" "Get ready to become a farmer like me." "I'd better reserve my place now!" "You can come tomorrow." "The electricity is off again!" "This is our life!" "Punctuated by power cuts!" "It seems that the Americans will attack us!" "Let them attack!" "We are used to it." "They threaten us for 30 years!" "They can attack." "Who cares!" "Attack us!" "So what?" "Let them dare come here!" "We will destroy them." "They would not dare come here." "They only dare to watch us from their planes!" " Courage is fighting on equal terms." " Right." " I have to go now." " Where?" "I have an appointment." " With who?" " With my Uncle Sobhi." "On the other side... was our house." "The street... was called..." "Street of the Jews." "Jews lived in the houses along the river." "There are no more Jews, because we converted to Islam in 1986." "We lived here for hundreds of years." "From generation to generation." "We are perfectly integrated into the community here." "We are as one united family." "The entire city of Hit is like one family." "The friendliness of the people here has brought us closer to Islam and facilitated our conversion." "Not to mention the childhood friends and school." "All these reasons have facilitated our conversion to Islam." "Is it true that it is Haji Najah who taught you how to pray in the mosque?" "In fact..." "I will let him tell you the story in his own words." "I used to pray at home, but never at the mosque." "After praying at home for seven months, I wanted to go to the mosque." "I needed someone to accompany me there." "The friend that I counted on to accompany me... was unable to attend." "He advised me to go with Mr. Najah." "His suggestion puzzled me." "I feared that converted Mr. Najah did not know enough about Islam." "Or that he knows it too well for my level of understanding!" "I thought of the two probabilities." "But I couldn't refuse his help because we are both Muslims and like brothers." "When we arrived at the mosque... we prayed immediately." "The prayer finished, I wanted to leave, but Mr. Najah seemed to be waiting." "Thinking we had done our prayer, I asked him if we could leave." "He replied, "Not before having our prayer."" "What about the prayer we've just said?" "He then explained to me that the first prayer was to greet the mosque." "We are like brothers and are of the same religion." "I would like to add something about fraternity among the people of Hit." "This fraternity is one of their great qualities." "Once there was a fire in our house." "All the neighbors came to help extinguish the fire." "And when I came back from my pilgrimage in 1992, the neighbors gave me an unforgettable welcome." "They refused to let me go home on foot." "They carried me on their shoulders." "They played music and carried flags." "Is it possible to forget people like that?" "Impossible." "That is why I feel for this city only love and gratitude." "And my children will feel the same." "My museum is unique in Hit." "Last week, I visited a similar museum in Tikrit." "It looks like mine, but not as interesting." "These are kitchen utensils." "They are from different eras." "The rifle there dates from 1874." "Beside it, an ancient Indian sword." "This is likely to be the rifle with which Sheikh Dhari killed the English general Leachman." "These objects adorned the gate of Hit's citadel." "A lock from the door of an old caravanserai." "A shepherd's bell." "An old coal iron." "Itinerant barbers used these tools." "They were placed like that, to prevent the client from getting wet." "This is the photo of Mr. Sassoon, the chief of the last Jewish family in Iraq." "Haji Najah represents this family." "He converted to Islam in 1984." "I converted with 30 members of my family." "Yes, they all converted." "Iraqi national anthem." "Haidar!" "Wake up!" "Haidar!" "The tanks are coming!" "Tanks are here!" "Do you want to go to watch them?" "Saddam is our father, the best father." "He is our indispensable pillar." "He gave his love to all of us, without forgetting anyone." "We are in his mind and heart." "There is not another father like him." "When he visits us, our house lights up." "Adults and children, we all are witnesses." "It is a delight to sing our love for him!" "Another father like him does not exist." "He is our father and we are proud to bear his name." "Loyal, he never broke his promises." "He is a blessing to our people." "Another father like him does not exist." "There is not another father like him" "I read a lot, but not all day." " This book is a philosophical discussion." " The whole book?" "Yes, a discussion on justice, sense of justice." "Why justice is preferable to injustice." "It begins with a dialogue between Socrates and another character." "Plato the author is not mentioned in the discussion." "The main character is Socrates." "He converses with other characters on various topics." "You have a lot of books, but you don't read much!" "We have many books." "My father loves to read." "So do I." "I read Tarzan." "That's normal, you're still a child." "I like comics and stories like Sinbad." "Adventure stories." "I don't like to read." "I prefer to draw." "The referee isn't neutral." "Iraqis don't play well!" "Two goals against two." "No!" "Back to Baghdad." "If war breaks out, you must act with courage." "Because men will face one another, eye to eye." "But courage must be accompanied by planning... in order that... your losses remain minimal... and that, with God's help... your weapons do maximum damage to the enemy for a minimum of sacrifices in your ranks" "and maximum damage to the enemy." "Unique in his nation!" "Unique by his wisdom and faith!" "Smiling face!" "Beloved master!" "Saddam, the pride of the Arabs." "And their unifying leader!" "You generous one!" "You will remain an example for Arabs!" "With your support." "Our sacrifices will be crowned by victory." "And your name will rise." "High in the sky" "Saddam, the pride of the Arabs." "And their unifying leader!" "I'll apply Scotch tape to the windows." "The tape from the last war is still there." "I'll add more." "I do this in anticipation of the bombing, to prevent the glass from shattering." "Bush is planning to launch 3,000 missiles on us the first day!" "Americans want to occupy Baghdad." "Does it not make you afraid?" "Of course!" "Everyone is afraid... of the invasion." "I almost wish for war." "But I'm worried about my father." "And about my brother, who will be enrolled in the civilian defense." "You wish for war to avoid school?" "No." "I wish to go to the countryside." "Do adults also wish for war?" "Yes, students." "And apart from the students?" "Others don't want war." "And your parents?" " They do not want war." " Why?" "Because they are afraid for us." "If someone loses his family, he would want to die too." "What would he do if he remains alone?" "Haidar will be killed after the US invasion." "You'd rather stay here or take refuge in the countryside?" "It depends on the circumstances, but it is better to stay here." "If we must die, it is better to die at home." "Here at least we have water and food." "But you only have dried bread and non-drinking water!" "During the last war, people were forced to drink sewage water." "Because they could not leave their homes." "And you, what did you drink?" "The river water." "The well is at least cleaner." "Baghdad, castle of lions!" "City of glory and posterity!" "Sun of existence!" "Baghdad!" "Hello, Uncle!" " What are you doing?" " Dishes." " In the dark?" " We're used to it." "You use filtered water!" "Because there is no more water in the tank." "Running water is cut?" " How long has the power been off?" " For an hour." "You always wash the dishes in the dark?" "It's become normal." "How are your children?" "They're fine." "They ask about you." "What is this?" "We dry bread in anticipation of war... for bakeries will be closed." "It is fresh?" "We let it dry." "It must dry completely, otherwise it will rot." " Where will you keep it?" " In a bag." "Uncle, you must dry bread too." " Can you do it for us?" " Okay!" " How long has the power been off?" " For an hour." "It is also cut in my neighborhood." " See you later." " Welcome, Uncle!" "Our teacher told us not to worry about exams." "She said that she will help us, even if we have a bad result." "She also said that we can improve our results by the end of the year." "It's nice of her to support you!" "Uncle Ibrahim asked if your French teacher is still single!" "He probably wants to marry her to his brother!" "You were not born during the last war." "Tell us how it was." "Tell you what?" "Explosions and flashes as we had never seen!" "When we realized it was the war, everyone became terrified." "You were too young to remember!" "I was 11." "We took refuge in my aunt's house." "It was a chance to take refuge in the countryside." "You played with a rooster." "You know about the rooster!" "The rooster was slaughtered after, and that made you cry." "There was no running water." "I had to go with my cousins to get water in the river." "We also went to the hospital to get water." "Mom had to fill kerosene lamps before sunset." "You were a baby, and Haidar was not born yet." "I was one year old." "Now I am 13." "You girls, you risk nothing, while we boys, we will have to fight." "You're too young to fight." " My older brother will have to fight." " We'll have fun." "We'll go get water in the river, and you'll have fun with your cousins." "We will play in the fields." "Dad will tell us funny stories." "Give my regards to your father." "Uncle, make your car roar!" "You'll see how I'll make it roar!" "Show us!" "You're not making it roar!" "Champion of construction!" "Flame of hope!" "Our Saddam!" "Saddam, our hero!" "The barrel of gasoline had a hole and the ground was soaked with gasoline." "They smelled the gasoline." "When they opened the door of the garden shed, the gasoline caught fire." "They had no time to escape." "Everything caught fire." "They could not escape." "Their son Milad arrived and saved his father from the flames." "But when he returned to rescue his sister Rita, he burned to death with the rest of the family." "The father also died soon after." "What caused the fire?" "A barrel of gasoline had a hole in it." "Gasoline spread on the ground." " Why did they keep gasoline in the house?" " In anticipation of war." "There will be no gasoline if war breaks out." "To flee Baghdad by car, gasoline is required." "How to fly without fuel?" "Their daughter Rita was very beautiful." "The friends of their other daughter, Sarah, still mourn her." "They liked her a lot." "One of her friends said, "Even if she is dead, she is still my friend."" "My brother Ammar says there were several explosions." "The neighbors were crying." "There were several explosions." "Why several explosions?" "Because of gas cylinders." "They had three barrels of gasoline and three gas cylinders." "Neighbors' windows were shattered." "Mom bought this in anticipation of war." "Because there will be a shortage if war breaks out." "This will be useful if someone is injured." "Those are pharmaceutical drugs?" "Cough medicine." "It's necessary to make provisions." "Vitamins..." "We have become experts because of the embargo!" "We test the medicines ourselves." "We have become experts!" "These are diapers." "Are you kidding us!" "This is a joke!" "If Americans bombard us..." "Don't laugh, this is serious." "If Americans bombard us with chemical weapons..." "If Americans bombard us..." "You tie it like this..." "You'd make a great comic actress!" "You should act on TV!" "We must protect ourselves if they attack!" "If war breaks out, we will all sleep in this room." "Why?" "Since there is only one window, there will be less broken glass." " Or we will all die together." " Don't talk like that!" "Once, there was shelling." "Kanar and Ithar were sleeping." "To reassure them, Mom told them that it was fireworks." "As they went back to sleep, they heard:" "Boom!" "An explosion!" "Mother repeated that it was fireworks." "Ithar shouted, "Mom, it's war!"" " No, I knew!" " Me, I am a heavy sleeper." "Every time there was thunder, Ithar believed it was the war." "And she rushed to Mom's arms." " Is it true, Ithar?" " No, Uncle!" "It's true." "Once she and the girl next door were afraid." "They slept together to reassure each other." "The father of the neighbors was in Jordan." "When was that?" " During the last war." " The one with no name." " When there were two days of bombing?" " Yes." " It was in 1998." " Yes." " Manar, come see this!" " Look what Mom has bought!" "Hello!" "Manar, you see these diapers?" "In case of war..." "You put coal powder in it, and then you put it on your face." "These are medicines!" "Don't mock me!" "What is this?" "This is serious." "You put coal in place of cotton, then you put it like this." "It will protect you from chemical weapons." " This is serious?" " Yes." "If war breaks out, we will not get married!" "I'm still young, but I think of my older sisters." "We haven't seen anything of life yet!" "We are four sisters." "The elder ones must marry first, then I can get married too." "First them, then me." "Our cousins laughed when I told them about the diapers." "What do you want to do with these diapers?" "As my uncle said, we may pee on ourselves during the war!" "Come back here!" "Come back here!" " You don't want to be filmed?" " No." "And your exams, Ithar?" "What exams?" "Schools will close because of the war." "We said in front of the camera... that you'll be a gynecologist in our clinic." "But if you fail the exam, you will only be a receptionist." "Our clinic will be called Al-Moussawi." " Because we are all cousins." " The clinic of the 7 cousins Al-Moussawi." "Friday will be our day off." "Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday too!" "How many days we will work then?" "Is it true that you don't want to die?" "Shut your mouth!" "If you talk about death, it will happen." "Your sister Kanar said she didn't want to die before marrying." "For me, it is not because of marriage." "I am still young." "I don't think of marriage." "I'm not ready for marriage." "We are still young, but we care for our older sisters." "Poor sisters, they have seen nothing!" "Shut up!" "Tea has not spilled on you!" "Wipe it up with this!" "I wrote in my notebook: "I'm Ithar, the Fidaï (guerrilla fighter)." "My mother read it and exclaimed, "You're crazy!"" "I wrote in my notebook of geography:" ""Every soul is destined to die."" "Everywhere I hear of death!" "I am a Fidaï." "We will all return to God." "Every soul is destined to perish." "You despair of life!" "Some of our citizens... and some honest foreigners wonder about the source of our country's strength!" "The answer is that we are right." "We are in our country... and the enemy crosses oceans to come and invade our country!" "So it is not difficult to guess... who is wrong and who is right." "Saddam's Lion Cubs encourages young pupils to join their organization and guarantees they will move on to the next grade in spite of their bad exam results." "Hi!" "I've just come from the Faculty." "No time to go home." "Same here." "I saw Thamer." "Yes!" "He says he is too busy with the Faculty." "Stop talking!" " Why?" " The microphone is recording." "Can't you look straight ahead?" "What is the price for a kilo?" "Five thousand dinars!" "Fortunately the smell of fish is free!" "Who doesn't care about his country?" "No one accepts the occupation of his country." "The enemy can do nothing." "He will be defeated by the will of God!" "Tea for you!" "A former sports champion!" "Concentrate!" "If you score, you get a prize." "In the name of Allah, we salute Muhammad and his descendants!" "We salute Ali, Prince of the Faithful!" "We salute the father of Imams Hassan and Hussein!" "All believers have faith in God!" "They have faith in God, in his angels and in his prophets!" "Oh, God, forgive us..." "Forgive us if we forget and make mistakes." "Your tea!" "You have nothing prepared for the war?" "Water only." " Have you dug a well?" " No." "Seif's family dug one." "So have we." "You see all the water that comes out?" "Is it clear?" "Every year, during the month of Muharram, we cook for neighbors." "Also for relatives... and for poor people." "There are many poor people in our neighborhood." "People considered this food as blessed." "This is for Umm Bashar's family." " Who is this for?" " For the neighbors opposite." " Who have you seen?" " There is nobody in the other house." " No one?" " They will come back tomorrow." "There is enough rice, but there is less stew." "Did something happen?" "Seeing you all outside scared me!" "I was afraid something had happened!" "God bless you!" "I wish you health and happiness!" "Give me your pans!" "Are you filming us?" "Give it to me, Cousin." "I don't want to offend you!" "Stop it!" "Ask Ahmed and Moumen to come!" "They're not answering the phone." "One of my tires burst again!" "Good-bye!" "Iraqi flags!" "It's amazing to see our flag abroad!" " They are wasting their time!" " They're worried about us!" "This girl wrote on her cheek: "No to war!"" "These demonstrations will not influence Bush." "Nobody forced them to demonstrate." "Yes, it's not like here." "They wrote on a banner:" ""Bush, 1991." "Bush, 2003!"" "Like his father in 1991, Bush Junior will bomb us!" "He is filming us!" " Why?" " I don't know." "No!" "Throw grenades!" "Catch the American!" "You will die, cowards!" "These are the barber and the circumciser." "I'm an old Baghdadi." "I know all these characters." "The knife sharpener." "And there, the hairdresser." "Life was fine." "It was easy and peaceful." "They were living simply." "They had nothing to worry about." "You see, Uncle, how their life was easy!" "They had oil and no war." "Dried vegetables!" "They dried vegetables." "We will do the same in case of war." " We should dry vegetables." " Yes, when the electricity will be cut." "Water jars!" " We may come back to it." " Yes, if war breaks out." "Back to water jars!" "People used coal to heat the iron." "During the last war, we used a serving platter heated by coal to iron our clothes." "We need to reconnect with our heritage before dying." "Even this museum might be bombed." "They are very strict about the uniforms." "If someone wears striped trousers, they don't allow him to attend classes!" "Jeans and linen pants are also prohibited." "Last Wednesday, I was excluded from classes for two days." " Why?" " Because I was wearing a plaid sweater." "The director came himself to evict me." "We are disappointed by Bush." "We didn't study for exams because we thought the war would break out before." " Nobody prepared for exams." " All the students are upset." "They didn't prepare for exams because of Bush." " You went on a day trip?" " Next Thursday." " We'll go next Thursday." " Our college went there last Wednesday." " I didn't go with them." " Why?" "I thought it was going to rain, so I preferred to stay at home." " Where are you going?" " To Saddamiat Fallujah." " We went there last year." " Yes, in the first term." " It is a beautiful place!" " Yes." "I hope that the situation will remain normal, so that we can make the trip." " We must go now." " Okay." "Stay for lunch with us!" "Don't move!" "Don't move!" "Pepsi made in Baghdad!" "Hey, mister!" "Don't call me "mister." I'm Iraqi." "When it will be broadcast?" "If our father Saddam asks us to take back Kuwait, we will do it without hesitation." "We will go unarmed, on our feet." "Our father is the best of fathers!" "As the poet said, "You remind me, oh, my city, of a white flower."" "Your people are free." "They follow the path of the Baath Party." "They triumph with their comrades." "City of Umm Jassim and Umm Habib, you will remain eternal!" ""Faithful to the teachings of Saddam and the Baath Party."" "I'll show you the theater that I will open soon... with a play that I will direct." "Maybe I'll also play a role in it." "The theater is small." "I wish to create a place where engaged artists could present their works." "Sami Kaftan, actor." "SAMI KAFTAN THEATER" "The theater is still under repair." "It is not ready yet." "This is the Tigris." "The theater overlooks the river." "I remember..." "Every Thursday, I read a poem at school." "I still remember the poem." "It says:" ""A stranger approached a little naive boy."" "He said to him, 'Bring me the heart of your mother, and I will give you gold and diamonds.'" "The child went and planted his dagger into the chest of his mother." "He then tore out his mother's heart and ran back." "He ran so fast that he tripped and fell to the ground." "The heart of his mother fell from his hands." "Covered with dust, the heart of the mother cried," "'My dear son, are you hurt?" "'" "Despite its softness, the voice of the mother seemed to express the anger of God against the child." "The child picked up the heart of his mother and washed it with his tears of repentance." "The child then spoke to the heart:" "'Punish me and do not forgive me, for my crime is unforgivable.'" "Brandishing his dagger, he wanted to plant it in his heart, to serve as an example for posterity." "But the heart of his mother cried," ""'Stop!" "Do not hurt me twice!" "'"" "I hope that soon... life will return to this place, so that it becomes a meeting place for the intellectual elite." "Sami Kaftan celebrates the marriage of his daughter." "Seven suitors asked for her hand!" "You say ten?" "Ten suitors asked for her hand!" "You say one hundred?" "One hundred suitors asked for her hand!" "No, no!" "A thousand suitors asked for her hand." "They asked her father Sami for her hand." "A thousand suitors asked for her hand." "But her father refused." "He refused... refused!" "And finally he said yes to Anis." "After the marriage of his daughter, Sami Kaftan ends the party with friends." "The days flowed like tears, but for you it was just fun!" "Yet it was my life!" "The days flowed like tears" "Uncle!" "These are the pigeons of my cousin Ali." " Your pigeons aren't afraid of airplanes?" " No." "On the contrary, airplanes noise excites them and encourages them to fly." " But noise could make them flee!" " No." " You had pigeons during the 1991 war?" " I have had pigeons since childhood." "And during the bombing in 1991?" "Pigeons helped me endure confinement at home." "They distracted me." "All hearts beat for Saddam." "All roads follow the trace of his footsteps." "His voice and his sword rose." "For the glory of Iraq among the nations." "You, our master and the best of men!" "To you, all the laurels!" "You eclipse the sun You raise armies." "And under the cloak of night, you face the enemy." "Give my regards to your brothers in the Republican Guard." "And my greetings to your families." "We are your soldiers, Mr. President." "I would like to mention an important thing." "During mobilization exercises, instructors insist on... how to protect yourself from the enemy." "A good leader does not achieve his objectives regardless of the price." "A good leader achieves... his objectives with minimal sacrifices." "Isn't it so?" "America starts wars everywhere." "Far from its territory!" "Two things motivate these wars:" "Zionist aims and greed." "Not the greed of the peoples, but the greed of oil companies." "Their threats of war are not new." "We already suffer their war every day." "Every day, their missiles target us." "And every day martyrs fall on the sacred soil of Iraq." "Not to mention the destroyed property." "The embargo itself is a war." "And Iraq is under embargo." "So Iraq is already a victim of their war." "Regarding their threat of a new war... worse than the one we are already experiencing... this is something that we have already known." "We don't want it." "We want peace, but not at any price." "We want peace that preserves our sovereignty... and the dignity of our people... and preserves all our rights." "I don't have time to go there!" "Mom, it's not on my way." "Transporting food rations has made me muscular." "I go there every month." "It is heavy to carry." "You're going to get the rations for which month?" "June and July." " In February?" " Yes." " Why?" " In anticipation of war." "Thus, if war breaks out, we will have supplies." "Shops will be closed." "What do the food rations contain?" "Rice, sugar... soap... tea, pulses..." "And the price?" "Symbolic. 2,000 dinars." " The equivalent of a dollar!" " Yes." "It's cheap." "Any taxi costs 1,250 dinars in Baghdad." "In the market, the components of the ration are much more expensive." "There will be a sack of rice in the ration that I'll get." "It is more expensive in the market." "A sack of rice costs 4,000 dinars in the market, while the entire rations costs only 2,000." " I brought an empty can." " Put it on the floor." " How much do I owe you, Abu Iman?" " The price of today's ration, and that of last month." "How much money do you have?" "If you don't have enough, you can pay me next time." " Are we even?" " You still owe me a sack!" "You'll pay me the rest next time!" "Go get a taxi!" "Take this, Haidar!" "Can you put it between your legs?" "You put it between your legs?" "There is no room!" " You forgot the salt!" " I forgot the basics!" "Be careful!" "You tore the bag!" "Wait!" "Put it in another bag!" "Can you help us?" "The bag is torn!" " He is filming you!" " Yes." "Not this bag, the other one!" "This is our life!" "Show them our life!" "The Iraqi supermarket!" "Make a knot!" "You forgot the salt." "You still owe me a sack." " Haidar, you go to school today?" " Of course." "Sir!" "Do you need a bag?" "Muhammad, the most honorable of men!" "Muhammad, the best of men!" "Muhammad, the generous!" "It's ancient!" "These are photos of old paintings." "It's beautiful!" "It is Greek art." "Can you sell us the three for 500 dinars?" "It's just a torn page!" "The three for 500 dinars!" "No, I can't." "I would agree for 1,000 dinars." "I am looking for a book on electricity." "This kind of book has become rare." "To remedy this problem, booksellers make photocopies." "The original books are expensive." "Booksellers make photocopies that cost less." "Students have no money, and since the embargo the phenomenon of photocopies appeared." "Copies don't cost much." "Does the threat of war disrupt your work?" "We have already experienced this." "During the war with Iran and the Gulf War in 1991." "We haven't stopped coming here." "To work." "It is our business." "This street doesn't die, no matter what happens." "Nothing changes." "Intellectuals continue to come." " Despite the situation?" " Yes." "Their café remains open." "I was born in a poor family." "Very poor." "We were sharing a slum with three other families in Al-Adamyia neighborhood." "Our situation was unbearable!" "I finally managed to get away." "I bought a car." "But I would have done better to buy a house." "At the time, a house cost the price of a car." "Can't you sell the car to buy a house?" "Nowadays a house is four times more expensive than a car." "We will sacrifice our souls and our blood for you, Saddam!" "It's me you are filming?" "I go there?" "On February 13, 1991," "Americans bombed Al-Amiriyah shelter, killing more than 400 civilians." "If war breaks out, we'll see dozens, hundreds more like this." "And I hope they show that on TV." "Because what happened here is... just an absolute horror." "Three or four hundred kids and friends who've died." "And that's the last thing we want." "Uncle, look at the marks on the wall!" "Photos of people who died in the shelter." "All burned!" "Columns endured the shock!" "The walls are completely blacked out!" "You see the marks on the wall?" "It looks like the trace of a skull!" "The bodies were torn apart by the explosion." "Photos of the victims!" "He got burned." "Completely burned!" "All are dead!" "A baby." "He was a month old when he died." "Another child." "He has no more hands." "They weep over their dead." "Look at this mother!" "She mourns her son." "Reporters..." "They photograph the corpses." "Marks everywhere!" "that it is something truly inhumane." "In the event..." "Al-Amiriyah shelter." "This is the place which proves that war is inhumane." "THE WORLD CONDEMNS THE AGGRESSION AGAINST IRAQ" "My brother Ibrahim" "Iraqi National Museum." "Chocolate!" "Dollars!" "He wants tea!" "You want tea?" "America good!" "Tell him, "No to Saddam." "Yes to Bush."" "You have canned fish?" " Bye!" " Good America!" "My nephew Haidar." "There are many airplanes!" "When we got back to town, we saw several airplanes flying low." "You could see their shadows on the ground." "The gardener." "A few days before the war, you told me that you wished for the war to go to the countryside." "And finally you went there!" "We all went there." "It was fun, but my father remained in Baghdad." "We were worried about him." "Mom was crying all the time." "We watched on TV the bombing of Baghdad." "My mother was worried about my dad." "The radio station where Dad was working was bombed twice." "Hit City was bombed?" "Only the post office." "Three missiles struck the building." "When the first missile exploded, everyone started crying." "Aunt Hadil ran behind her children." "We took refuge in the corridor to avoid broken glass." "People came out to watch the bombed post office." "Loudspeakers of mosques recommended to avoid the post office, for fear of further bombing." "But nobody listened." "You saw Americans in Hit?" "Not in Hit, but in Baghdad, when we came back." "Some Americans are cool, others are wicked." "What do the wicked do?" "They push kids and yell at them." "Some are nice." "They play with kids." "While others shout at people, "Go away!"" "You can answer them, "This is my country, I go where I want."" "They can shoot you if you talk to them like that." "They are free to do what they want." "They are occupiers and we can't oppose them." "Our country has become like Palestine." " You stayed here during the attack?" " No, we went to Hit." "And you?" " We stayed in Baghdad." " You were not afraid?" "Nothing happened." "You had water and electricity?" "There was no electricity or water." "What did you do for washing?" "Go ahead." "I'll close the door." "You don't take the direct route, Dad?" "My brother-in-law Madhat." "Good-bye!" "Dad, can we drop off Haidar before picking up my friend?" "Uncle, look at these Americans!" "This is the new Iraq." "People say that Americans wear special glasses to see people naked!" "That is why it's recommended to avoid them." "The other day, an American wanted to photograph me." "I refused." "He said, "Why?" I answered, "No."" "I don't like to be photographed by them." "On the left, there are the flowers Mom told you about." "They grow tall and are very beautiful." "Bye!" " Hello, sir!" " Hello!" "Film me, sir!" "My friend will ride with us." "She's very shy." "I take them to school and then... my daughter's friend's father brings them back home." "We help each other like that." "It'd be more practical to put the can here." "Put it here!" "Many people participated in the looting, except us." "We live by selling gasoline." "Approach your camera!" "They repaired this bridge." "Cold Pepsi!" "Give us two bananas." "This bridge was entirely destroyed." "We drive on the sidewalk." "The looters took everything!" "This was the main Iraqi radio station." "International conventions prohibit the bombing of radio stations." "This is why we weren't worried." "The US and its allies know that we are civilians, not combatants." "We didn't expect to be bombarded, because our activity is neither military nor political." "Our activity is civil, and there were no privileged among us." "We were even victims of the regime." "Our monthly salary doesn't cover a week's needs!" "Despite this, bombs targeted us!" "The Coalition forces deserve a lot of blame." "My brother-in-law worked in this station for thirty years." "Let's get out of here!" " The door next to your uncle is closed?" " Yes." " Ammar, check it." " I did." "I accompany Manar and Ammar to their university." "They're preparing the final exams." "I accompany them because of insecurity." "My niece Manar." " Faculty of Technology." " Drop us off here." "Bye!" " Good-bye, Uncle!" " Bye!" "Good-bye!" "Notice to female students:" "For your safety, we offer to escort you with 12 tanks, one Apache helicopter and one F-16 Fighting Falcon equipped with weapons of mass destruction." "You always lose your files!" "I don't know where I put it!" "Calm down!" "Your uncle is filming you." "If you don't find the file at home, I'll make a copy for you." "The IT department regrets the death of the student Mayada Aïd." "May her soul rest in peace." "The Tigris River." "According to the US military command spokesman, a soldier was killed and four others were wounded in an attack this morning." "Thus the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq reaches 30, since the US President announced the end of military operations in Iraq." "This is my third trip today!" "I first accompanied Kanar and Haidar to school, and then Manar and Ammar to their university..." "And now I'm accompanying Ishtar to her workplace." "There's no more shuttle service to take me to work." "I must ask my father or my brother to accompany me." "Even taxis aren't safe." "I have a knife in my bag." "Look, Uncle!" "Looters!" "They're glad to be filmed!" "They said to Uncle, "Film us!"" "The new Iraq!" "Americans everywhere!" "They've set up roadblocks everywhere." "They cause traffic jams..." "My brother Ibrahim." "There were more in the morning." "An American camp!" "It's surrounded by barbed wire." "Uncle!" "What is this place?" "Here is Itefiya district 1." "And Itefiya 2?" "After the bridge." "We have to cross the bridge?" "No." "Thanks!" "This is one of the victims!" " Which one is your house?" " The one near the corner." " The one under the palm tree?" " Yes." " You were inside when it happened?" " Yes." "The house collapsed and everything burned." "Even my identity documents burned." "Where do you live now?" "In a van, without water or electricity." "Our situation is unbearable." "I have a paper signed by the Americans." "An American officer signed it." "This paper confirms the loss of all your identity documents!" "Yes, identity card, passport, ration card..." " How many houses were destroyed?" " All the surrounding houses." "Our cars were also destroyed." "The houses are entirely destroyed inside." "The exterior wall was here?" "From here to there." "The kitchen." "The bathroom." "The rooms." "Furniture, jewelry, documents." "Everything burned." "Why doesn't Bush give orders to compensate these families?" " They live in the streets, with nothing." " You think Bush cares about you?" "Why not?" "He only cares about Americans?" " What did he expect when he came here?" " What happened here exactly?" "The war was over." "Baghdad was already occupied when the Americans blew up the ammunition here." "They didn't care about innocent families!" "Baghdad was occupied for a week." "People were friendly with the Americans." "Despite that, they blew up ammunition here!" "We told them, "You'll destroy our houses!" They replied, "Too bad for you!"" "Disaster victims now live in the gardens." " Under the sun!" " It'll be worst in winter." "We live in a van." "In winter we'll be exposed to cold and rain." "I swear if I see an American, I'll kill him." "The explosion burned this child." "Look at his leg!" "Look at his arm!" "Nobody's interested in his case." "Look at his back!" "He lives there." "What crime did he commit?" "Did he fight the Americans?" "Even trees weren't spared from destruction." "These trees were protecting our houses from the sun." "Our district is known for its gardens." "It turns green because we watered it." "We're trying to give new life to our gardens." "It was all black and burned, like the child that you just saw." "Even nature wasn't spared from destruction!" "We blame the Iraqis more than the Americans." "There are fifteen Iraqi political parties, some of whom lived in exile." "No Iraqi politician is interested in our situation." "We only want our rights." "You saw how our neighbors have become homeless!" "And you can see how dangerous it is to continue to live here!" "This roof may collapse anytime." "They ask us to collaborate with them like civilized people." "How to act in a civilized manner when you live in a situation like ours!" "I don't understand their notion of civilization!" "If their concept of civilization involves submission," "Iraqis don't like to be submissive." "Why do you unpack it?" "We bought this weapon after the war." "The situation has deteriorated." "There are many bandits." "Without police, people are forced to buy weapons to protect themselves." "There are no police to catch thieves." "Before the war, Saddam released all the criminals who were in prison." "Even those who were sentenced to death." "This increased the chaos." "One of my friends went to report the murder of his father to the police." "The policemen told him they can do nothing." "This situation forces people to procure arms... to protect themselves." "There are very dangerous gangs." "They steal cars, kidnap girls..." "One magazine is not enough." "If a gang enters our house," "The magazine would be emptied in a minute." "We must always check that there's no bullet in the gun." "The electricity's back!" "As my arms aren't strong enough, I use my foot." "Give me the magazine!" "Enough, Haidar!" "Don't touch the safety catch!" "You're going to Uncle's house?" "You must hold it this way." "Like this." "It shakes when you shoot." "Be careful!" "It may be loaded." "We checked it a thousand times." "Satellite antennas were banned under Saddam." "Now everyone has one or two." "We're connected to 4 satellites." "Two Arab satellites, and two European ones." "Where did you go during the war?" "To Hit City." "I came back with my uncle and my sister." "There were two sandstorms during the war." "The house was very dirty." "I came back to clean it up with my sister." "At first we were sad." "Then we just accepted the reality of the occupation." "They liberated us from Saddam, but they occupy our country." "When my friend's grandmother died, as they were going to bury her," "Americans arrived and started shooting at cars." "A helicopter also arrived and someone ordered them to get out of their car." "As they tried to leave the car with the coffin, they were hit by gunfire." "My friend's uncle lost four fingers." "Americans distributed leaflets to order people not to go out of their homes." "They said they would shoot anyone going outside." "Many people died because they weren't aware." "My birthday coincided with the war." "My cousins' birthday too." " You celebrated it?" " Yes." "The same day." "My birthday coincides with that of the Baath Party." "Every year, we celebrated my birthday at the same time as the Party celebrations." "Adults scolded us, saying," ""You're not ashamed to celebrate while Iraqis die everywhere?"" "Therefore we canceled the birthday party." "We just shared the cake." "We saw the bombing of Baghdad on TV." "The day of my cousin's birthday, Baghdad fell." "What did you feel when you saw Baghdad falling?" "I couldn't believe my eyes!" "A man was hitting the portrait of Saddam with his shoe!" "Daring to do that!" "It was unbelievable." "The man said he had lost four of his sons because of Saddam." "It was hard to believe, but we were happy." "In each of our school books, there was a portrait of Saddam." "My cousin opened his book and tore up the portrait of Saddam." "Shortly before, Iraqi pupils were asked to send birthday cards to Saddam." " His birthday is..." " April 28." "All Iraqi pupils were required to send him greeting cards." "All pupils had to write to him." "My cousin said, "See how Iraqis are hypocrites!"" "Two days ago, they were preparing greeting cards and now they spit on his portrait!" " Did you use the diapers?" " No!" "There was no chemical bombing." "Diapers were a joke." "Someone made fun of us." "Before the war, you were afraid of aircraft sounds, and now the airplanes fly day and night!" "I saw planes for the first time when we came back to Baghdad." "They were flying very low." "A gunshot!" "We're advised not to go out because of kidnappings!" "While my brother Ammar has the right to go out and have fun!" "And when he comes home, he says, "You're safe here." "Outside you may be kidnapped!"" "You stay at home and you do nothing!" "And when Mom asks you to do something, you say yes, but you do nothing." "Only Ithar and Mom take care of the house!" "Ammar, when are your exams?" " The day after tomorrow." " And when they will end?" "July 19th." "You expect to go outside when I will finish my exams!" "Why not?" "So you only have the right to go outside?" "It's dangerous to go outside." "You see, Uncle!" "He goes out to have fun but he wants us to stay home!" " You think I have fun outside?" " Why not?" "There isn't even a pool!" "You go have fun outside and you complain!" "What would you say if you stayed at home?" "Is it true that your teachers have been threatened?" "Yes." "In some faculties students have threatened their teachers." "The Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Science was murdered in his office." "It's a legacy of Saddam!" "Someone said on the radio that all this is Saddam's legacy." "He invaded Kuwait and encouraged looting." "Yet Iraqis are not looters!" "Iraqis don't behave like that." "It is Saddam's fault." "He deprived people of everything." "Baghdad didn't fall in two days because Iraqis are afraid to fight." "If people were attached to Saddam, Baghdad wouldn't have fallen." "We've arrived!" "You can pick me up at 1:00 p.m." "Tell your uncle where he can pick you up." "He will come around 12:30." "Where can he find you?" "In front of the faculty." "Zionists, we will defeat you!" "These protesters aren't afraid." "They are heroes." "You speak on behalf of whom?" " I'm worried about them." " Worry about yourself." " Why?" " You don't know what will happen to you!" " You aren't dedicated to any cause." " He is certainly a Baathist." "He says that the Americans will shoot us!" "By what right?" "This demonstration expresses the opinion of the people." "We want a government elected by the people." "We demand freedom for Iraqis." "And liberty for our country." "We are also demonstrating against the abuses of Coalition forces, who practice arbitrary arrests, particularly against religious dignitaries." "The Iraqi people cannot tolerate this!" "We want to avoid a bloodbath." "Residence of the American Governor" "Americans must change their behavior with Iraqis." "Otherwise the situation will end badly." "Americans haven't brought anything good." "They occupy our country as in Palestine, and they'll provoke a civil war like in Lebanon." "All ministries were looted, except that of oil!" "I know!" "These protesters are ready to die for Iraq." "They protest peacefully, without firing a single bullet." "But they will not hesitate to fight, as they fought Saddam." "We don't want any political party, neither religious nor communist." "They were all members of the Baath party." "Don't condemn all parties!" "Some were buried underground by Saddam." "No party can govern us today without the control of the Americans." "And we don't want that." "We don't want Americans!" "The US must leave Iraq." " We don't want Americans in our country!" " Bravo, my brethren, you're real men!" "Ministry of Information." "Film us, my brother!" "You are filming us?" "In front..." "Sami Kaftan, actor." "The Ministry of Information." "The cars there were already out of commission." "As you can see, flames overran all floors." "Fire inside even blackened the exterior." "Imagine the interior of the building!" "It's completely burned." "There are floors where I never went." "Looters have managed to set it on fire." "They destroyed equipment that would have been very useful to us." "In front..." "The Office of Cinema and Theater." "The building was burned." "Like many official buildings." "The office was burned because it's linked to the Ministry of Information." "Look what the flames did!" "Imagine the force of the flames that melted the steel plates!" "This is the outside." "Imagine how it is inside!" "The studios... of Baghdad." "Let's have a look inside!" "This hole wasn't made by an American bullet." "We used this hat in a movie... about the 1920 revolt." "I played one of the main characters." " Sahib Haddad directed the film." " No, Mohamed Shukri Jameel." "The title is The Great Question." "I played the character of patriot Sulayman, who killed Lieutenant Colonel Leachman during the occupation of Iraq by the British." "We had hundreds of them." "All burned!" "Look at all those spotlights!" "All those spotlights!" "We used these spotlights during filming." "Arab countries were dreaming of having such equipment!" "And we had it!" "Look!" "Tripods." "Glued to the ground!" "It's covered with dust." "It works like that." "Many directors sat here." "They sat here to work on the editing of their films." "It became..." "How can I say?" "It looks like a war movie." "Shot in the desert." "I think this movie is The Bird of the Sun." "We might watch the film if we had a movie projector." "Alas!" "Alas!" "Alas!" "Alas!" "Is this Iraqi cinema?" "Is this our heritage?" "Those who have destroyed these archives, they might need it someday." "One can take revenge on a regime, but why take revenge on culture?" "Why?" "These archives could serve us and serve future generations!" "These films may contain evidence of crimes committed against our people, so why destroy evidence?" "They can serve as documents." "Here are conserved documentary films." "If I take one..." "This film is about the company Iraqi Airways." "When was it made?" "I can't see without my glasses." "Thank God, it is intact." "This one is burned!" "This warehouse was full of clothes and accessories, that we were using in film and theater." "You can see the coat racks and cabinets of accessories." "Directors could find here everything they needed." "Many Iraqi and Arab artists sat in these chairs." "And now everything is destroyed!" "The chairs seem to ask us," ""Where are the spectators?" "Where are the films that were projected here?"" "If these chairs could talk, they would tell us the history of cinema, better than I could myself." "But..." "Alas!" "Alas!" "This corridor," "I used to come here dozens of times a day." "Passing back and forth to discuss our film projects, to discuss with a director in his office, or to enter the studio here to record the sound of a movie, or enter here to chat with an assistant director." "But I never expected to see this place plunged into such darkness!" "The task of the artist is to light the way." "But alas, some have succeeded to plunge this place of light into darkness." "But I hope the darkness won't last, and that Iraqi cinema will come back to life, as well as everything that has been destroyed." "We will make new films." "Beautiful films that will please everyone." "Welcome to Al-Jazeera!" "The commission charged by Congress to investigate the September 11 attacks has just revealed its report." "The report points to the lack of foresight by the CIA and the FBI..." "According to the President of the Security Council of the US Senate, the attacks could have been foiled if the security services had been more aware." "These are the two towers whose collapse caused the disintegration of many universal values." "110 floors transformed into a pile of ruins." "This event caused controversies and was used to justify US military actions, presented as war against terrorism." "It was in this context that President Bush pronounced his famous statement," ""Whoever doesn't support our war against terrorism, becomes our enemy."" "And while US public opinion believes that the attacks could have been avoided if the security services had more foresight," "The US government gave itself the right to pursue anyone who threatens." "US security and interests, whoever he is and wherever he may be." "However, it's still necessary to define "terrorism,"" "and whether it applies to the events of September 11th." "Haidar!" "Wake up, Haidar!" "Haidar!" "Wake up!" "It's seven o'clock!" "Why did you sleep here?" "It's too hot inside the house and on the terrace there is the noise of helicopters." "Wake up!" "It's seven o'clock." "City of Hit." "My brother-in-law Abu Widian." "This was the house of the prefect." "It was dynamited because the prefect has rallied Americans." "The rest was demolished later." "Do you remember when the post office was bombed?" "We were watching the bombing of Baghdad on TV." "My sister and my aunt were crying and reciting the Koran." "When we heard the first explosion, we all took shelter in the corridor." "The next day, we found a hole filled with water." "They launched three missiles on the post office." "Look at the ruins!" "They said the third missile didn't explode." "In order to discourage people from approaching the post office." "Cemetery." "Life in Iraq was better before oil." "Oil became a curse." "You know how Baghdad fell?" "Basra resisted 17 days before falling." "Baghdad fell because of Saddam's treachery." "He was betrayed." "No, it's he who has betrayed the people." "Baghdad didn't resist a single day!" "Americans entered without encountering any resistance." "Yet a provincial town has resisted 17 days!" "There were fighters in Baghdad." "When the regime fell, the fighting stopped." "It didn't happen like that." "Saddam told the fighters to put on their civilian clothes and go home." "Many of them died." "Saddam fled Baghdad before the Americans arrived." "If he had stayed, Baghdad wouldn't have fallen." "There would still be fighting." "But he left Baghdad and fled." "He should commit a suicide attack." "Yes, die while committing a suicide attack." " People no longer want him." " He won't come back." "Stand back!" "You heard the sound, Uncle!" "It will attract Americans!" " Shall I shoot?" " No!" " Why?" " It can explode in your face!" "No, Haidar!" "He may get burnt." "Stop panicking!" "Stop, Haidar!" "My tower, Haidar!" "The Eiffel Tower!" "For over thirty years, Iraqis lived in a state of schizophrenia." "At all levels." "Engineers, doctors, teachers..." "Journalists, writers, historians..." "they all lived as schizophrenics." "Saying one thing in front of Saddam and the opposite behind his back!" "One discourse at home, and another outside." "Because if someone dared to say a part of the truth about the regime, he ran the risk of disappearing forever." "In Iraq, because of oppression and censorship... we have become schizophrenic." "Don't stop!" "This building dates from when?" "It's hundreds of years old." "They also looted and burned down the Bank of Credit." "Why destroy a public property?" "You saw the perpetrators?" "They acted in broad daylight." "They would have killed me if I had tried to intervene." "When I told them not to loot public property, they threatened me with their weapons." "Someone who loves his country wouldn't act that way!" "Looting continues." "In broad daylight." "Due to insecurity, shops close at 3:00 p.m." "Whereas before, we used to work until night." "Abroad, they would have preserved these buildings as national heritage." "Seeing these buildings in this condition breaks my heart." "In each country, there are good and bad citizens." "They shouldn't be treated the same way." "This market was also looted." "I noticed something." "Looters, the "Ali Baba," as the Americans call them." "The looters aren't interested in culture." "They didn't steal books." "They used as decoration the few books they have stolen." "Culture doesn't interest them." "The building that you are filming was one of the palaces of the Abbasid Caliphs." "Their palaces were situated along the right bank of the Tigris River." "From the district of Bab-Al-Moatham to the Al-Ahrar bridge." "In this neighborhood were gathered all the official institutions." "Iraqi resistance will be declared in response to the exactions of the US occupiers." "There's no government to protect citizens and their property... to provide them with water, gas, electricity and medicine." "All of this will exacerbate the anger of Iraqis." "Iraqis are friendly by nature." "They are also welcoming and patient." "But if you humiliate them, hurt their pride and disrupt their existence, they revolt." "We are Sunni and Shiite brothers!" "We will not sell our country!" "They buried a martyr here." "When Americans arrived in Baghdad, they killed all those who tried to resist them." "This tomb has been marked so as not to be trampled." "On the road to the airport, there are many graves of martyrs." "They were buried here and covered with earth." "Several graves." "One of those kids saw an object on the ground and thought it was a toy." "But when he touched the object, it exploded." "It was an explosive weapon." "The kid lost one of his arms." "A kid of their age." "This handicapped child is a victim of the embargo." "He needs to have surgery abroad, but his family is too poor." "He will remain like this all his life." "He can't walk much." "He falls." "The Americans mocked him when they saw him." "My nephew Ammar." "You know how the Americans killed your neighbor Uday?" "He was carrying an ignition coil." "Americans saw him and shot him." "Then the police arrived and asked us who killed him." "We replied, "American soldiers."" "Five minutes later, they carried him to the morgue." " The ignition coil had something special?" " No." "They shot him when they saw it in his hand." "An ignition coil doesn't look like a bomb!" "There are electric cables." "You know how old he was?" "27 years old." "He was young!" "Yes, still young." "How did his parents react?" "How do you want them to react!" "They are devastated." "He left home at 10:00 a.m." "Fifteen minutes later, his brother came to tell me that..." "Americans had just killed an Iraqi." "I said, "May God support his parents!"" "You know why the Americans killed him?" "Some people say... that he was carrying a gun!" "How could he have one while we have no weapon at home!" "Not a single weapon." "They killed him for no reason." "Everyone is convinced of that." "They shot him in the back!" "Two bullets." "Suppose he was carrying a gun..." "He had his back turned, so why shoot him?" "If he was really carrying a gun, as they claim... they could threaten him by shooting in the air." "The first bullet didn't kill him." "It entered through the back and went out through the side." "They could encircle him and take his weapon." "So why did they kill him with a second bullet?" "They don't offer you compensation?" "Does compensation replace a brother?" " Would it make him come back to life?" " No, of course not." "Did they apologize to you?" " No." " Because they have the power." " They took the place of Saddam." " They have the power." "Saddam was acting the same way." "My wife cannot go on the porch since they settled in front of our house." "They spy on us." "We can no longer stand on the terrace." "They spy on people with their binoculars." "Under Saddam, one could walk outside at three in the morning." "Nowadays, nobody dares go out after 9:00 p.m.!" "Shopkeepers in our neighborhood say that since the death of my brother they can no longer work." "A restaurant owner in the neighborhood stopped sending his son to deliver sandwiches because he's afraid that the Americans will shoot his son." "The death of my brother will not remain without revenge." "I cannot say more." "Although I'm a woman, if I had a gun, I would use it for revenge." "I would personally kill them." "But I have no weapon." "A bullet impact." "Another one." "This one scuffed the roof." "Here too." "Another one here." "It doesn't matter." "What to do?" "I chose silence." "I stay at home, waiting to see what destiny prepares for us." "The other day, in the Al-Adamiyah district, a woman was in her car with her daughter." "The story was told to me by Salah and..." "Engineer Kassim." "You know engineer Kassim?" "Anyway!" "While the woman was parking her car, an armed man tried to take her car and her daughter." "The woman begged the man to let them go, but in vain." "One of the onlookers was armed." "The onlooker said to the woman, "Let him take your car." "This is democracy!" "Leave him your daughter and your car."" "The woman protested again." "In vain." "Then the onlooker said to the bandit," ""Take the car and the girl." "This is democracy."" "As the bandit installed himself behind the wheel, the onlooker shot him in the head." "Before he switched on the ignition." "People in the neighborhood applauded and embraced the savior." "Then the savior told the woman to leave." "When I see girls in the street, I worry for them." "The situation is a little better now." "Although there is still no government." "The government will be announced in two weeks." "Without a presidential election!" "We will return to the monarchy." " Great!" " Monarchy is better." " A monarchy is better than a Republic." " And better than democracy." "Dad, monarchy isn't good!" "Our life would be better under a monarchy." "You don't know what a monarchy is." "Under the monarchy, people could sleep without worry." " Iraqis were seven million." " Six million." "Baghdad was composed of a few districts." "This is my mother!" "She looks like you!" "Hello, ma'am!" "May God grant you health!" "He says you look like your son." "She wears glasses." " You wear glasses too." " Yes." "Where does she live?" "She has her own house." " She lives alone?" " My brother lives with her." " He is unmarried and sick." " I've seen him here, right?" "No, you don't know him." "Poor boy!" "Where does he live?" "He lives with our mother." " Their house is in the neighborhood?" " Yes, in front of the market." "If an elderly person doesn't own a house..." "She lives in humiliation." "She could become homeless." "I saw old people thrown into the street by their sons." "Uncle Samir was very young!" "Yes, he was still a child." "They forbade us to hold a funeral service for him." "They even forbade us to wear mourning clothes." "Three months later, they came to arrest his younger brother Samir." "They accused Samir of claiming at school that he'd avenge his brother." "Eight security thugs came to arrest him." "They surrounded us." "Samir had just had his lunch." "He was taking a nap in his room." "Security men stormed the house." "We told them that Samir was sleeping." "They ordered us to wake him up so they could interrogate him." "He came down wearing his pajamas." "They grabbed him." "We asked them what crime a 13-year-old schoolboy could have committed." "They promised to bring him home after the investigation, but we never saw him again." "For years, we tried to find out where he was." "In vain." "We thought he was imprisoned somewhere." "Then recently, we discovered... that he had been executed and buried... in the mass grave of Husseiniya." "He did nothing wrong." "That's the whole story." "Grief made me lose my health and eyesight." "Two innocent kids murdered!" "My poor kids!" "They saw nothing of life." "Haidar's grandmother will die six months later." "According to Sérgio de Mello, the UN representative in Iraq, the first meeting of the Provisional Council of Government is a historic step." "On this occasion, Sérgio de Mello called on the council to respect the will of the Iraqi people." "The council was created by the US administration, which appointed its members, pending the holding of the first democratic elections in the country." "According to the US Army's spokesman, an American soldier was killed and four others were wounded this morning during an attack." "This attack comes a day after a declaration by the US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, predicting a likely increase in attacks this month." "July coincides actually with several events related to the Baath Party, which was led by the deposed president Saddam Hussein." "The Baathists resigned since the fall of Saddam." "They are out of the game." "But America accuses them purposely of being the initiators of the attacks, in order to cause discord between Baathists and other citizens." "They divide the people in order to provoke massacres." "The Baathists have nothing to do with the attacks." "They don't leave their homes." "Attacks are individual acts and aren't organized." "Arab leaders hate Saddam because he is not a traitor like them." "TV channels defame Saddam by claiming that he gave Iraq to the Americans." "He's not a traitor and he didn't give Iraq the Americans." "It is the Arab regimes that delivered Iraq to the Americans." "They helped the Americans to defeat Saddam." "Arab regimes are responsible for the current situation." "I hope that Saddam will come back to restore law and order." "Myself, if Saddam comes back, I would not dare sell weapons." "We only obey force." "Democracy isn't for us." "What about Saddam's mass graves?" "The mass graves are the result of killings between Shiites and Sunnis in 1991." "No!" "There are even Kurds buried in those graves." "Saddam executed only thieves and vicious people." "Do you know why he used chemical weapons in Halabja?" "My uncle was two years older than me, and Saddam sentenced him to death." "There must be a reason." "My uncle was returning from school when they arrested him." "Saddam didn't execute people for no reason." " My uncle did nothing." " Why didn't Saddam execute you?" "The guy there, he's carrying a gun!" " Which guy?" " Near the car there." "He's a thief." "You see his gun?" " Why are you carrying a gun?" " Why?" "Because of insecurity." "We are afraid to walk in the street." "Americans don't ensure security." "And we don't know why!" "Anything can happen." "Everyone runs the risk of being attacked." "Even at home, we are not safe." "We must arm ourselves." "I have four weapons." "It can be dangerous for children, right?" "No." "Iraqis are accustomed to arms." "Two months later, these two guys will be killed by a rival gang" "I have weapons at home and in my car." "The Americans searched my car without finding the hiding place." "Bandits attacked me in broad daylight and took my car." "The car cost me five million dinars!" "I don't go in the street without ammunition." " They're dead?" " It's not yet confirmed." "They didn't confirm the news." " They arrested them." " Then why didn't they confirm the news?" "They must first negotiate." " Dad, listen to the news!" " Turn it up!" "Turn it up!" " They were killed in Mosul." " Saddam and his son." "A press conference by the US Secretary of Defense is expected." "The conference has been delayed..." "Sit here, Dad!" "Before commenting on the information, the White House is probably waiting for its confirmation." "If it appears that this arrest is due the reward of $15 million, this could be considered as a consequence of bad relationships between Saddam's family and the Iraqi people." "Dad, what does "his offspring" mean?" " What does "his offspring" mean?" " His sons." "According to the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, the fact of showing the corpses of Uday and Qusay," "Saddam Hussein's sons, didn't violate the Geneva Convention." "Rumsfeld also said that the Iraqi Governing Council asked to see the corpses to be certain of their death." "Look, there!" "We can also shoot!" "Can I test our weapon?" "You want to kill someone?" "I know how to use it." "You can empty the magazine and let me shoot ten bullets only." "Uncle!" "My mother is worried." "Uncle!" "Come inside, Uncle!" "Come inside!" "Mom is terrified!" "Manar, come inside!" "Come inside, Uncle!" "All the neighbors fired yesterday." "Everyone fired yesterday." "They arrested Saddam." "I'd have liked to try our submachine-gun." "Everyone took the opportunity to test his weapon." "Uncle, you know who taught Iraqis to act like that?" "Uday." "Whenever the Iraqi soccer team wins a match, the gunshots illuminate the sky of Baghdad." "Yesterday, it was nothing in comparison!" "You should see what they do when the national team wins a match!" "They shoot like crazy." "Saddam's son taught them to act this way." "Be careful!" "The car is coming out." "I'm going to the store that provides food rations." "You filmed me when I went to get rations before the war." "Rationing is different now." "They don't give us the same foodstuffs." "The oil they used to give us wasn't good for our health." "We avoided using it." "Now they give us a better quality." "The price also changed." "Before it cost 2000 dinars." "Now it's free." "It must be for free." "The people need rations, as many are unemployed." "People depend a lot on the rations." " Did you shoot yesterday?" " No." "Were they shooting in your neighborhood?" "They were shooting like crazy." " In our neighborhood too." " Why?" "What happened?" " Uday and Qusay have been killed." " Really?" "Al-Jazeera showed the photos of their corpses." "Was it really them?" "Yes, the information has been confirmed." " By whom?" " Their cousin denounced them." "They found four bodies... disfigured!" "They've been identified by DNA." "The news was announced by Al-Jazeera." "The Pentagon hesitated before confirming it." "Americans killed them?" "Yes." "They were denounced by their cousin." " Their cousin revealed their hiding place?" " Yes." " Why did he betray them?" " They deserved it." " They died long ago?" " Yesterday." "So why did it take time to identify them?" "It was necessary to examine their DNA to be sure." "It could be their doubles." "It may not be them." "There may be an error!" "DNA excludes error." "Saddam and the Americans brought us nothing but misfortune." "We were occupied by the Tikritis and now by the Americans." "Your bag is pierced!" " Your bag is pierced." " Really?" "No luck even with bags!" "If someone gets hit with this!" "The neighbors' son fired a lot yesterday." "He could have killed someone." "Everyone fired yesterday." "In front of our house, there are plenty of bullet casings." "Here too there are many." " In front of the shop?" " In the street." " Is the electricity functioning?" " It functioned a bit today." " For how many hours?" " An hour or two." "Today it functioned for four hours." "Today only." "In our district, it functioned for only half an hour." "Some days it functions for two hours." "It's better than nothing." "Frequent power cuts screw up electrical appliances." "Once you connect an apparatus, the electricity cuts off!" "Our life is punctuated by power outages, as in provincial towns!" "Is this milk?" "You have two cans." " Oil cans?" " Yes, two." "Ammar, this oil smells bad!" "No." "This oil smells bad." "People resell it." "It smells bad." "It smells fishy!" "This is fish oil?" "No, soybean oil." "The bad smell won't last." "People don't use it." "They resell it." "Hold his picture." "Hold his picture." "Put it in place." "Put it in place." "He's our father." "He's our father." "With the lovely face." "With the lovely face." "You know this song, Uncle?" "It is about Saddam." "Look at his picture!" "The English book is full of his photos." "He issued orders to cut off the ears of deserters!" "They had a reason to desert." "Their weapons were obsolete!" "They couldn't even shoot a bird with it!" "How could they fight in these conditions?" "Yet many of them fought for their country." "Not for Saddam, but for the country." "Some even volunteered to fight." "Saddam made them see hell!" "A teacher, member of the Baath party, told us to tear out Saddam's photos with respect." "A pupil replied, "Why with respect?" "After what he did to us!"" "Then some pupils tore up the photos and threw the pieces on the floor, in front of the teacher." "My nephew Ammar with a friend whose father was recently killed." "As required by the forensic medicine, the corpse of my father was taken to the morgue." "In murder cases, the law requires an autopsy." "At the morgue, I saw the corpses of ten other people also killed by car thieves." "Innocent victims." "Their cars were not even new." "Cars over thirty years old." "Cars that date from the 80s." "Old cars with no commercial value." "It isn't the value of the car that motivates bandits, but the act of stealing itself." "They probably steal the car to use it in further criminal acts." "My father was visiting friends." "He was expecting to stay with them for one hour or two." "He ate and drank with them." "He was then seen in the Karada district, an hour before he was killed." "The curfew was beginning at eleven o'clock." "That didn't leave me enough time to search all of Baghdad." "Baghdad is a big city." "I was desperate." "At the police station, they told me they could do nothing." "They asked me to come back the next morning." "The next morning I didn't go." "I went out at 6:00 in the morning to go find my cousins." "We decided that each of us choose certain districts where to look." "We also went to the airport to inquire with the Coalition forces." "They might have arrested him if they had surprised him out after curfew." "We continued searching..." "Then..." "Take a break, Hussam!" "We stayed awake all night, without eating or drinking." "We were worried." "The next day also we couldn't eat or drink." "My mother suffered a lot because of this tragedy." "Why kill innocent people?" "My father was a devout and kind man." "The reconstruction of Iraq is not an easy task." "But the Coalition forces are actively working on this reconstruction, in collaboration with the Iraqi people and NGOs." "Thus, while the Coalition forces are working to restore security, several international organizations are preparing to send their employees to Iraq to help people, particularly concerning nutrition and health..." "In Basra and other cities of southern Iraq," "NGOs are already working in different sectors, such as water purification, housing reconstruction, and instruction of people about the dangers of mines." "Medical equipment was also delivered to several hospitals in Basra and Baghdad..." "The reconstruction of Iraq isn't easy, but with the cooperation of all," "Iraq will regain its place within the international community." "The whole house has been destroyed." "It was shelled." "All these houses were shelled." "This house for example is completely burned." "Entirely destroyed." "Nothing could be saved." "Not even a spoon!" "Everything has melted." "Fortunately the inhabitants haven't been injured." " Where do they live now?" " In their daughter's house." " They lost everything!" " Yes." "Even the fan has melted!" " Only the prayer's turbah didn't burn." " They were pious." "God saved their lives." "They will rebuild the house with their own efforts." "With their own efforts?" "It isn't fair." "They have no more home." "Is this fair?" "They were not fighters." "No way to live in peace, nor under Saddam, nor after him!" "Americans fired shells at the house." "However, there were no fighters here!" " These are tank shells." " Yes." "Their flour ration!" "The gas cylinder exploded." "The cradle of civilization, our country has become the latest country colonized!" "Is this acceptable?" "Their soldiers didn't come to free us." "They came to enslave us and exploit our country's resources." "Iraqi munitions were hidden here." "Americans came and instead of taking the munitions away, they took a box of explosives." "They placed it on the pile of ammunition, and then they blew up the whole thing!" "Watch this grenade!" "We don't know if it's dangerous or not." "People told them not to explode it here." "Americans responded that it isn't their responsibility." "And so they caused the destruction of all the surrounding houses." "The school yard." "Even the school has been destroyed." "Six families were living in the house there." "Look at the house!" "Six families!" "They now live in a tent." "And there, a shelter of Fedayeen Saddam." "It was full of munitions." "And there, the car of the Fedayeen." "The thieves stole the motor and the tires." "Only the school sign remains!" "This one has exploded!" "Children play with these explosives." "There are a lot all over the place." "DShK." " Mortar." " Heavy machine gun." "DShK." "Machine gun." "Machine gun." "DShK." "Heavy machine gun." "Flare." "What exam do you have today?" "Mechanics." "It's the penultimate exam." "There'll be another one." "Manar finished her exams two days ago." "You finished before yesterday?" " Sunday." " She finished Sunday." "I'll take my final exam on Saturday." "We need to rest after a year of study." "Why are you going to college today?" "To present my master's thesis." "Dad, why don't you pass by Al-Qaid Bridge?" "Because there's too much traffic." " How do you know?" " I saw it this morning." " And the road by Al-Masbah?" " It's too congested." "Even the road by Al-Masbah?" "We went out at 8:15." "It's rush hour." "We've arrived." "You got enough for your money." "Bye!" "You're dressed elegantly to present your thesis!" "Hussam is here!" "He'll clear off if he sees us." "They blew up a car." "A photo with us, pretty boy!" "I was in the frame?" "There were only three newspapers." "Now there are fifty-eight." "They cost almost the same price." "Saddam is touring in Baghdad!" "It's written in the newspaper." "Saddam is touring in Baghdad." "It's true." "He was abroad." "And he came back with biological weapons." "He entered by Diyala and now he is in Baghdad." "He is touring in Baghdad." "The 17th of this month, Baghdad will be evacuated, because Saddam intends to bombard the city with biological weapons." "Two percent of oil revenues will be distributed to Iraqi citizens" "Saddam, star of action movies." "Under Saddam, the Faculty was provided with everything." "After the fall of the regime, the Faculty has been looted." "Iraqis stole everything." "They left the Faculty entirely empty!" "He comes with a camera and wants to shoot inside!" " Don't get upset!" " The Faculty isn't yours!" "Why is it forbidden to film here?" "Permission is required." " From who?" " From the director." "Saddam has fallen." "On behalf of which authority are you acting?" " Saddam has fallen, so what?" " It's your father who has fallen!" "Get out!" "We want to shoot in the Faculty." "It belongs to everyone." "Ask him if he wants a bribe!" " Ask him if he wants money!" " We want to enter." " Give him money and he'll let you enter." " My brother and sister are students here." " Give him money!" " Give me!" "To him." "What makes you laugh?" "Repeat what you just said!" "If I don't give you money, you won't let me get out!" "Yes, I swear!" "You make me ashamed in front of my uncle!" "Why do you act like this?" "All students take photos on such occasions." " You passed?" " Yes." " What grade did you get?" " I don't know yet." " You're so beautiful today!" " Really?" "Yes, very beautiful." "You too." "All my friends say you're cute." "Are taxi drivers still targeted by armed bandits?" "Yes, I saw some get killed." "I also saw cars getting shot at." "And I saw a car shooting at another car." "The road alongside Al-Rashid camp is especially dangerous." "The camp is surrounded by a wall." "Posing as a client, a bandit stops a taxi." "Then accomplices come out from behind the wall and force the driver to give them his car." "Stop, darling!" "Stop, Haidar!" "Enough, Haidar!" "I'm cleaning the carpet." "Enough!" "Darling!" "My brother Ibrahim." "Look at the statue of Saddam!" "People have destroyed it." "Saddam liked to erect statues of himself everywhere." "This is the building of the Special Security, which was headed by Qusay." "It has been also destroyed." "Here too there was a statue of Saddam." "Look what's left of it!" "This is the Ministry of Planning." "It has been burned after the end of the war." "The building of Al-Sadoun Street." "Another building of the Special Security." "US tanks targeted it during fighting on this bridge." "Americans on the bridge!" "This is Al-Ferdaous Square." "Former president Abd al-Karim Qasim erected here the monument of the Unknown Soldier." "Saddam demolished the monument and replaced it with his own statue." "When we saw the statue torn down, we knew the regime was finished." "This is the district of Al-Mahawil." "The largest mass grave in Iraq was discovered here." "Victims of the uprising against Saddam in 1991 were buried here." "Among the victims, there was your childhood friend Mohsen." "In your previous film, we told you he was missing." "We couldn't tell you that he had been arrested by the regime." "It was risky to tell the truth." "The remains of Mohsen were found in the mass grave near here." "He had committed no crime." "Mowafak, a childhood friend." "We are going to visit his brother Hassan, the only survivor of the family." "The whole family has been exterminated." "Even the father has been executed." "This is Hussein." "He was an engineer." "Saïd, a teacher." "Rabih, a teacher also." "Mohsen." "An engineer." "And Mohamed, a student." "They were executed in 1983." "Only Rabih was executed in 1987." "My father was arrested several times." "After the execution of his sons, he remained alone." "He began to speak." "He couldn't silence his grief, so they arrested him." "Saïd became the father of a girl he couldn't see." "She was born while he was in prison." "Rabih's woman was pregnant." "She has been imprisoned too." "She gave birth in prison." "Photos of people executed after the revolt of 1991." "This is the photo of my brother." "They confiscated our house and deported our father." "They also executed my brother, without giving us his death certificate." "For two months, they tortured my three brothers and I." "We were schoolboys." "It was in 1981." "The school principal tried in vain to plead our case." "They accused us of having written on the walls that the regime had arrested our father." "My father was over sixty years old." "Who runs the city now?" "Does the mayor have real powers?" "Of course!" "He even has bodyguards and official cars." "Does he have a budget and an administration to solve the problems of the city?" "Only the Americans can answer your question." "They've been here for four months." "What have they done for us?" "There's a lack of gas, of gasoline..." "They reduced the food rations." "What can we do with two kilos of rice per month?" "How can we feed our children if we remain without work?" "Look where I live!" "If the owners hadn't allowed me to build a room," "I would be sleeping in the street!" "We don't want charity, but work." "The only work that I've found is as a toilet cleaner!" " How many kids do you have?" " Five." " Five, plus your wife and you." " Seven in all." "You live in the room, there!" " These are your children?" " Yes." "The owners allowed me to build this room." "I applied to work as a policeman." "They responded by accusing me of being Baathist," "While I had worked as a night watchman for nine years!" "Who told them that you were Baathist?" "Thieves I had arrested in the souk." "They were sentenced to 15 years in prison." "They wrote that I am harmful!" "The so-called..." "I was a grassroots Baathist." "Who wrote this report?" "A police officer." "This candidate is a harmful Baathist." "His candidacy can't be accepted." "Candidacy rejected." "The thief that I caught in the souk told them that I was Baathist." "They demanded a testimonial confirming that I wasn't Baathist." "But when I brought them the testimonial, they told me that it was too late." "And I have all these kids to feed!" "You see all this garbage!" "Saddam was generous only with his relatives." "He gave them fancy cars and left us to ride on donkeys!" "I had to work hard in order to pay back his army and police." " This is the main entrance to the house?" " Yes." "One suffocates when entering here!" "We are eight, living in this small room!" "There are no stairs or patio!" "Were the government buildings looted in your city?" "Not many." " Would you loot one of Saddam's palaces?" " No." " If you do it, I can't blame you." " Yes." "Some people here... when the looting began..." "I set a checkpoint with my five brothers." "We stopped the cars." "We forced the looters to leave their booty." "Then we deposited the booty at the fire station." "Friends said to me, "You have nothing." "Help yourself."" "I replied, "Never."" "I prefer to live poor rather than stealing someone else's belongings." "The looters were poor people?" "Most were poor." "Most of them live in complete poverty." "Not all of them." "Some were not poor." "They even had cars." "You think they carried the stolen refrigerators on their backs?" "Before these events, they didn't even have a bicycle!" "There isn't a single house in Iraq without an electric fan, except mine!" "Despite the heat!" "Yet I'm not complaining." "Anyway there's nobody to listen to our complaints." "When I went to City Hall, they called me a Baathist." "Okay, I am a Baathist..." "Who called you a Baathist?" "When I went to the City Hall... they asked me, "Aren't you a Baathist?"" "I replied, "Yes, but do you know that five of my relatives were executed by Saddam!"" "One of them, my uncle, was the first martyr in Hillah." "The first martyr in Hillah." " He was also buried in the mass grave?" " No." "He was a member of the Islamist party Al-Dawa." "His death sentence is mentioned." "Court of Babylon." "Name of the deceased:" "Hamza Abdel-Hussein Kadem..." "Here's his photo." "The first soldier martyr in Hillah." "Sentenced to death by hanging." "Section of Heavy Sentences." "Cause of Death:" "Hanging." "Here's his photo." "The date?" "April 26th, 1980." "He was executed because of his membership in Al-Dawa Party?" "Or because he deserted the army?" "Because of Al-Dawa Party." "We were under surveillance." "Look at the ceiling!" "Come see the inside!" "Everything is made of cardboard!" "The room is empty!" "There isn't a single house like this in all Iraq." "Made of cardboard." "In winter, rain gets in through the ceiling!" "Too much water, we don't know even where to put the buckets!" "Did you see a house like this in all Iraq?" "It's unhealthy." "Everything is made of cardboard." "And the house is empty." "All we have is what you see." "Did you see the palaces of Saddam?" "Saddam's toilets are better than my house." "Saddam's toilets are better than my house." "Is this a house worthy of a Muslim?" "These are the tires of my donkey carriage!" "I earn my living by driving a donkey carriage." "Fancy cars for Saddam's relatives, and a donkey carriage for us!" "What do you do when it rains?" "We collect water in buckets and empty it in the street." " Are there sewers here?" " No." "There is this pit." "We empty it when it is full." " Where do you empty it?" " In the street." "When it rains, we can't protect ourselves." "And if a fire starts, no way to extinguish it." "Have you ever seen a house like this?" "Look at the roof!" "The Americans came here the other day." "They were chasing someone." "They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw this roof." "They were afraid to walk on it." "If we built something with bricks, the roof would collapse." "Can someone find a solution for us?" "Come and see our house!" "We are tenants and the landlord is harassing us to recover the house." "We've lived here for eight years." "Without the generosity of our neighbors, we wouldn't even have an electric fan." "Their situation is really hard." "Her son was with me in the army." "He's still missing." "Her son was with me in the 111th brigade." "Are you filming me?" "Sir, film me!" "It's my turn!" "She's my cousin!" "You didn't film me!" " Abu Assia, you were a Communist?" " Yes." " An active member?" " Yes." "I am an old militant." "Are you a leading member?" "No, a mere member." "The late lamented Rafik was also a Communist." "Rafik, Hassan's father... and Mohamed's father." "Rafik is dead." "His son Hassan has been executed." "He was a teacher." " Saddam executed him?" " Yes." " Because he was a Communist?" " Yes." "He was an important figure in the party!" " Rafik?" " Yes." "The whole family was Communist." "All were Communists." "Even the youngest son, Mohamed." " You're in which party now?" " Always the same." "Who leads you now?" "I will continue to believe in Marxism until my death." "A donkey-drawn cart!" "Bush should see this!" "I ride on a donkey!" " Bush isn't responsible for that." " Who then?" "Someone should find us a solution!" "You say nothing about Saddam!" "Saddam, that's him:" "My donkey!" "He gave cars to his relatives and let us ride on donkeys." "Your record is scratched!" "You should change it." "This is the first time we're going out since the end of exams." "Why the first time?" "It's dangerous to go out alone." "We need to be accompanied." "Even me..." "I avoid going out because of insecurity." "I go out as little as possible." "Armed attack!" "There are many armed attacks." "Car robberies..." "There are also... junkies who act abnormally." "They're in line for gasoline." "There's a serious shortage of gasoline." "In addition to water and electricity shortages." "You see the traffic anarchy!" "There's no order and no agents to regulate the traffic!" "We're going to the office that provides food ration cards." "Following the embargo instituted in 1991, the ration card became indispensable." "The regime took this opportunity to subject people." "He deprived of rations all families related to army deserters." "Myself, I was confronted with a problem when I returned to Iraq in 1999." "I didn't have a ration card." "When I made a request to get a card," "I encountered a big problem." "The allocation of cards was dependent on the place of birth." "The problem is that I was born in Hillah." "Hillah was blacklisted by the regime." "After the revolt of 1991, the regime created a blacklist including the cities which rebelled against Saddam." "As punishment, these cities were deprived of public services." "For this reason, when I came to Baghdad," "I couldn't get a ration card." "Because my identity card mentions my birth in Hillah." "I tried everything, including paying bribes." "Without result." "I even met a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce." "He told me that I can get a card only in Hillah." "Despite the fact that I live and work in Baghdad!" "I tried everything." "In vain." "Now that the regime has fallen, it's become easier." "Every citizen can get his rights." "So I made a request, and I'm going to see if my card is ready." "I hope the official is there." "Citizens who come here... they all have problems with the ration card." "You come to film while half of the officials aren't here!" " They aren't here?" " Many are absent." "There should be two desks:" "One here and one for the principal's office." "Good morning!" "I made a request for a card, for my wife's family and me." "Your request has been accepted." "We have searched your name." "Apparently you weren't in Iraq, because your name wasn't registered anywhere." "I registered your name." "Within a week, your card will be ready." "So next month, you will get your ration." "Your card is almost ready." "Thanks a lot!" "You came to see me some time ago." "I sent your request to the Ministry." "They searched your name on their computers." "They consulted all their computers in Iraq." "And they didn't find your name." "How can we work without electricity?" "Our work depends on computers." "All our work depends on electricity." "You have to wait until the Director comes back to sign your request." "All these fields bordering the road were owned by relatives of Saddam." "His sons, cousins, bodyguards." "It was forbidden to pass by here and take pictures." "Thousands of people were assigned to the protection of these fields." "Every night they were celebrating, singing and dancing." "A life of pleasure, while many people don't even have a roof!" "A beautiful area!" "Green, close to the river..." "Saddam transformed it into a military zone." "Occupied by thousands of useless soldiers." "Film this!" "Blocking the street to build a house!" "April 26th." "There were explosions." "A missile landed here." "At 8:30 in the morning." "There were six dead and nine wounded in my house." "This house was also destroyed." "Nine other nearby houses were damaged." "The missile hit at 8:15." "People were having their breakfast." "After the explosion, we found the breakfast dishes, but no sign of the inhabitants." "People fled after the explosion?" "They ran bleeding." "Even on the street there, people were bleeding." "His whole body is covered with scars." "Six members of my family died." "My brother Khazal..." "He was married and this is his son." "My brother Hassan and his wife also died." "Ammar and Khadija also." "Six died." "With the help of neighbors, we disinterred the corpses from under the concrete blocks." "One of the girls is now disfigured." "She was washing her hands." "The explosion catapulted her through the door." "Her face was entirely shredded." "She's fourteen years old." "You should not remain silent!" "To whom can we talk?" "Even a humanitarian organization, the Red Cross, advised us to go rob!" "To loot like other Iraqis!" "I told them that we aren't thieves." "They replied that it's our problem." "The Americans have proven to be worse than Saddam." "They promised us security and prosperity, and we got only chaos!" "We dare not go out in the street after sunset." "Because we're afraid of both Americans and Iraqis." " You're afraid of thieves?" " Of thieves and murderers." "There is no security." "If someone fires a bullet on Americans, they react by shooting everyone." "They don't even spare women and the elderly!" "Uncle!" "Who will compensate these people?" "And where will they live?" "Nobody cares about these people." "No government official has come to inquire about their situation." "Men condemned to unemployment, when they have families to feed!" "Do you think the attacks are made by people whose homes were destroyed by the Americans?" "If someone destroys your house, what could he expect?" "You will fight him until your last breath." "In Ramadi, they attacked the Americans with rockets." "It's nothing." "How nothing?" "If popular resistance organizes itself... and if the people revolt against the occupation, the situation will change." "Americans will no longer dare move into town." "They will stay away." "They will dare move only by helicopter." "They proved that they are even more incompetent than Saddam." "In everything." "They don't understand the mentality of the people and don't know how to run the country." "They're unable to resolve any problem." "Even the electricity worked better under Saddam!" "They rob cars." "A neighbor who works as a taxi driver got attacked by armed bandits." "They pointed a gun at his temple." "They stabbed him in the heart, then killed him with a bullet." "He's telling the truth." "Armed robberies happen in broad daylight." "My apprentice has a cousin." "He was driving his taxi when bandits attacked him." "As he refused to give them his car, they killed him." "The cousin of my apprentice." "He was killed 42 days ago." "Fourteen days ago, my wife was about to give birth." "I wanted to take her to the hospital, but there were no taxis." "I then asked my neighbor to take us in his car." "He was afraid of the Americans." "I confided my two daughters to the neighbors, and then went with my wife in the car." "But on the way, we had to stop at an American checkpoint." "I told them we were going to the hospital, but they ordered us to turn back." "I explained to them that my wife was about to give birth." "They responded by threatening us." "They didn't speak Arabic, but I understood their gestures." "Finally I returned home with my wife." "And a neighbor midwife helped my wife to give birth." "If complications had occurred, my wife would have died during delivery." "Why are they so afraid of us?" "We are peaceful." "Why are they so afraid of us?" "When they pass by here, they point their guns at us." "I sell motor oil on the sidewalk." "Why do they point their guns at me?" "I'm harmless." "Why are they afraid of me?" "They haven't kept any of their promises." "If someone doesn't keep his promises, it means that he is a liar." "Doesn't it?" "And we can't trust liars." "They promised to transform Iraq in two weeks, and to make Baghdad look like Tokyo!" "Where's their Tokyo?" "We want to recover our former Baghdad." "All this is a consequence of the occupation." "They occupy our country." "They exploit our natural resources." "And in return, they leave us without electricity." "At the time of Hussein Kamel, electricity was restored in 45 days, despite the fact that electrical installations had been bombed." "This time the installations haven't been bombed, yet electricity doesn't work!" "Americans are liars, that's all." "I passed." "Uncle, the principal wants to talk to you." "You're as beautiful as a bride!" "He's filming us!" "You only got 70 out of 100 in History?" "The exam was difficult and I didn't study well." "And it was too hot." "So what!" "Wait!" "Cross!" "Why are you waiting to cross?" " Do you have any cold drinks?" " Yes." " How much for a can?" " 750 dinars for two." "Give us three, quite cold." "Hurry up, Kanar!" "I got good marks." "Except in History, I got 73." " How much?" " 73." "It's my only result below 80." "Why?" "The exam was difficult and the teacher didn't explain the questions." "The program was extensive and we didn't have time to finish it." " Dad, got any money?" " In the car." "In the glove box." "Buy a watermelon." "Ask the seller to make sure it's red and sweet." "And if it isn't sweet?" "Don't buy it." "Tell him before he cuts it." "We don't want a cucumber!" "A red cucumber!" "Do you want to see my school report?" "I have very good marks." " What did you get in French?" " 99." " And in English?" " 81." " You got better marks in French?" " Yes." " Why?" " French is easier." "Where did you learn French?" "I worked with the French for 25 years." "Show me!" "Here are the final marks!" "Very good!" "Bravo!" "Congratulations!" "The Americans!" "The Americans arrived." "They arrived?" "There!" "Where are the Americans?" "Where did they go?" "They went dancing?" "Shall we dance?" "We'll go and see your mom." "Who said she has small eyes?" "Your sister!" "You see her, Abbas?" "We can pierce her ears if you have earrings." "She looks like her grandmother!" "She has a mark on her cheek!" "It is the mark of forceps." "It will disappear in two days." "On April 4th, 2003, a missile destroyed the house of little Dina." "Her father, her mother, her sister and her two aunts died." "The explosion threw Dina outside the house." "She miraculously survived." "Sisters Hospital." "It is an error to go through this intersection, but it shortens the trip." "We're supposed to take another road." "This road passes by Al-Rashid camp." " Wounded!" " Uncle!"