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Targets: Reporters in Iraq
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Targets: Reporters in Iraq
IDFA 2007

Targets: Reporters in Iraq

Maziar Bahari
Canada
2005
47 min
Festival history

At the time when Maziar Bahari made this documentary, over 100 journalists had already been killed or kidnapped in Iraq. He had worked in the war-torn country for three years himself, and this documentary contains original footage and photographs, accompanied by ominous background music and Bahari's voice-over. Bahari films himself and a New York Times photographer while they are
embedded with the Iraqi police. Afterwards, he interviews the photographer, who wonders whether people use him only for propaganda purposes. Due to safety risks, reporters can no longer move around freely. Bahari interviews several journalists who were kidnapped, among whom Scott Taylor, who reluctantly returns to Iraq to tell American soldiers about his abduction. Bahari proceeds to talk with some soldiers and shows what life is like on their base. Journalist Hannah Allan explains how she used to go to Fallujah to eat kebab; particularly since the heavy fighting around Fallujah in 2004, the safety situation has deteriorated drastically for journalists. Some get kidnapped and even killed by the many insurgent groups, while others end up getting killed by American soldiers at checkpoints. This is what happened to the Italian intelligence officer who arranged the release of the kidnapped journalist Giuliana Sgrena, whom Bahari also interviewed.

Credits
Director
Involved TV Channel
    CBC,
    Historia
    CBC,
    Historia
World Sales
    Triplex films Inc.
    Triplex films Inc.
Screening copy
    Triplex films Inc.
    Triplex films Inc.