Battle for Haditha

The film is inspired by the Haditha killings incident that occurred three months after the Battle of Haditha in the Iraq War. On 19 November 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar, 24 unarmed Iraqi men, women, and children were killed by a group of United States Marines following an incident where an I.E.D killed one Marine and seriously wounded two others. Since the release of the film, the US military controversially{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-massacre-idUSTRE80P1JA20120126 |work=Reuters |title=Iraq says to take legal action for Haditha victims |date=26 January 2012 |access-date=30 June 2017 |archive-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008110016/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/26/us-iraq-massacre-idUSTRE80P1JA20120126 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Walker |title=Immunity grants may signal problems with Haditha prosecution |work=North County Times |date=20 April 2007 |url=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/21/news/top_stories/1_02_204_20_07.txt |accessdate=26 August 2007}} dropped all charges to all Marines involved.[http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/06/04/military/ze9cdc09c13a485a08825745e0058b2c7.txt MILITARY: Haditha Marine acquitted] The names of the Marines have been changed in the film, while the Iraqi civilians retain their real names.{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/2905/ |title=Time Out London interview with Nick Bloomfield |accessdate=18 November 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201113001/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/2905/ |archivedate=1 December 2007 |url-status=live}}

Shot in Jerash, Jordan, the film uses former US Military personnel and Iraqi refugees to play many of the roles.{{cite news |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934755.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |title=Variety review of Battle for Haditha |accessdate=18 November 2007 |first=Robert |last=Koehler |date=17 September 2007}} However, the film was shot in an unconventional way – it was shot sequentially enabling the cast to build their characters as the story progressed. It also used real locations, and a very small documentary style film crew. This greatly added to the feeling of reality. Actors, while working from a detailed script, and the final form of the film reflects that structure, were also able to improvise and add to the dialogue, making it their own.

The film features:

• Elliot Ruiz as Cpl Ramirez, a Marine who loses his composure after watching a friend die
• Andrew McLaren as Captain Sampson, the tough company commander in Charge of Cpl Ramirez
• Jase Willette as PFC Cuthbert, the young Marine whose death sets off the chain of events
• Yasmine Hanani as Hiba, a young Iraqi woman stuck in the middle of the chaos
• Eric Mehalacopoulos as the no-nonsense Sgt Ross
• Nathan Delacruz a former United States Marine plays Cpl Marcus with his infamous comical one liners
• Falah Flayla as a former Iraqi Army officer turned insurgent
• Thomas Hennessy Jr. as a Navy corpsman assigned to Kilo company

Battle for Haditha was presented at the Toronto Film Festival on 11 September 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.tiff07.ca/filmsandschedules/filmdetails.aspx?id=707121105251293 |accessdate=18 November 2007 |title=Toronto International Film Festival schedule |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026042824/http://www.tiff07.ca/filmsandschedules/filmdetails.aspx?id=707121105251293 |archivedate=26 October 2007 |url-status=dead}} Director Nick Broomfield won the Silver Shell award for Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival on 29 September 2007.{{cite web |title=San Sebastian Film Festival official awards |url=http://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2007/in3/premios01.php |accessdate=18 November 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005183136/http://sansebastianfestival.com/2007/in3/premios01.php |archivedate=5 October 2007 |url-status=live}} It was also presented at the London Film Festival on 30 October 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/lff/files/pdf/lff_2007_web_calendar.pdf |title=London Film Festival schedule |accessdate=18 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705061357/http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/lff/files/pdf/lff_2007_web_calendar.pdf |archivedate=5 July 2008}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|70|6.2|33|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{Cite web |title=Battle for Haditha {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle_for_haditha |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}} Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 65 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/battleforhaditha |title=Battle for Haditha (2008): Reviews |accessdate=6 May 2012 |publisher=Metacritic}}

• Cinema of Jordan

{{Reflist|40em}}

• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20071215233639/http://www.nickbroomfield.com:80/haditha.html}}
• {{IMDb title|id=0870211|title=Battle for Haditha}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=Battle for Haditha}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101202115020/http://warchronicle.com/TheyAreNotKillers/DefendOurMarines/ElliotRuizInterview_BattleForHaditha.htm Defend Our Marines] interview with Elliot Ruiz

{{Nick Broomfield}}

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Category:2007 films

Category:2007 drama films

Category:British war drama films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:2000s Arabic-language films

Category:Iraq War films

Category:Iraq War in fiction

Category:War films based on actual events

Category:Films set in Iraq

Category:Films shot in Jordan

Category:Films directed by Nick Broomfield

Category:Films about the United States Marine Corps

Category:2007 multilingual films

Category:British multilingual films

Category:2000s British films

Category:Jerash

Category:English-language documentary films