Question...
what were your perceptions of Iran and how people lived there before watching this film, and how did they change after you had watched it?
shareIt's Iraq, actually.
shareI just watched 'Iraq in Fragments' and thought it was fascinating to see a documentary about Iraq from the civilians' point of view. How did you find these people, and how long did it take for you to win their trust? Especially with the Shia's, i was stunned you were allowed to be around for those speeches.. Also, do you speak Arabic, or did you have a translator with you all the time? Last question: Are you planning to go back to Iraq to make a follow-up on the lives of the people you covered in your documentary? I know i'd watch that..
-- A journalism / history student from the Netherlands
Most of the answers to your questions may be found on the film's website
http://www.daylightfactory.com/iraqinfragments/
and in the many interviews I gave after IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS was released.
However, in general, the key to access is having enough time to get to know people. I spent two years filming in Iraq, and this extended production period allowed me to spend a great deal of time with the people I filmed - both with and without the camera. Many filmmakers are not able to spend this amount of time with their subjects, and sometimes their access is consequently more limited.
I understand and speak only a very small amount of Arabic, and so I always worked with a local translator. However, I tended to film without having what people were saying around me translated at the time. That is, I would wait until weeks or months later to go through the material for translation, prior to editing. Until then I often was unaware of the full detail of what was being said while I filmed.
At the moment I have no plans for a follow-up film in Iraq. But life is long.
I find it interesting that you are for the most part unaware of what your subjects are saying while you film because your work has such a bare-bone humanistic quality. Do you think that the amount of time that you spend with your subjects allows them to open up more or do you think its a cultural thing? In my opinion, if you spent the same amount of time with American subjects, they would still be "acting" for the camera after several months of filming.
shareJust about everybody acts for the camera. But sometimes they forget to. And that's the part you use.
share