We Iraqis

{{Multiple issues|

{{Expand French|topic=cult|Nous les Irakiens|date=December 2014}}

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{{Infobox film

| name = We Iraqis

| image =

| director = Abbas Fahdel

| writer = Abbas Fahdel

| producer = Agat Films & Cie
France 2

| music =

| cinematography = Abbas Fahdel

| editing = Stéphane Foucault
Sophie Imbert

| distributor = Doc & Co

| released = {{Film date|2004}}

| runtime = 52 minutes

| language = Arabic

| country = France
Iraq

}}

We Iraqis (2004) is a documentary film written and directed by the Iraqi-French film director Abbas Fahdel.

The film shows daily life in Baghdad, just before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In this film, Fahdel’s camera shows us Iraqis in another light and the hopes and fears of these men and women who escaped the nightmare of a dictatorship only to be mired in chaos.{{Cite web |last=Fahdel |first=Abbas |date=July 9, 2003 |title=Nous, les Irakiens – We Iraqis نحن العراقيون |url=https://abbasfahdel.com/2013/07/09/nous-les-irakiens-we-irakis/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 2, 2025 |website=Abbas Fahdel - Iraqi-French Film Director}}

French title: Nous les Irakiens
Arabic title: نحن العراقيون

The film is a sequel to the documentary Back to Babylon shot by Fahdel in 2002, in which he returns to Baghdad from France after decades in exile.

Synopsis

Opening with a protest in Paris against the impending war in Iraq on February 15, 2003, the film documents Fahdel's observations of Baghdad before the fighting breaks out. He joins his brother's family as they prepare for the outbreak of war. The director returns to France when the war starts and loses contact with his family.

When Fahdel comes back to Baghdad two months later, after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, he finds the horrors of the dictatorship replaced by chaos. Amid the destruction, the people show that there is still hope for the future.

The director concludes, "I came to film death, but life got the upper hand."{{Cite web |last=Anonymous |title=Nous les Irakiens |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1253856/plotsummary/ |url-status=live |website=IMDB}}

Awards

Mention of the Jury, 15th African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival, Milan, Italy, 2005

Special selections

FIPA (International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes [archive)), Biarritz, 2004
Amiens International Film Festival, 2004
Film days in Carthage, Tunisia, 2004
Biennale des Cinémas Arabes, Paris, 2004
Biennale des Cinémas Arabes, Marseille, 2004
Arabisches Film Festival, Tobingen, 2004
Social Visions 2005 [archive), Cannes Film Festival 2005.
African Film Festival, Asia and Latin America, Milan, 2005

References

External links

{{IMDb title|id=1253856|title=We Iraqis}}
[http://www.agatfilms.com/fiche-film_en.php?id=349 Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322221331/http://www.agatfilms.com/fiche-film_en.php?id=349 |date=2012-03-22 }} {{in lang|en}}
[http://www.fipa.tm.fr/programmes/en?2004fip_10346 We Iraqis] at the International Festival of Audiovisual Programs {{in lang|en}}
[http://www.docandfilm.com/detail_en.cfm?id=785 We Iraqis], at Doc & Film International {{in lang|en}}
[http://www.cinemotions.com/modules/Films/fiche/41991/Nous-les-Irakiens/photos.html Photo gallery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708155804/http://www.cinemotions.com/modules/Films/fiche/41991/Nous-les-Irakiens/photos.html |date=2011-07-08 }}

Category:2004 films

Category:French documentary films

Category:Iraqi documentary films

Category:Documentary films about the Iraq War

Category:Films directed by Abbas Fahdel

Category:2004 documentary films

Category:2000s French films