We Iraqis

We Iraqis
Directed by	Abbas Fahdel
Written by	Abbas Fahdel
Produced by	Agat Films & Cie France 2
Cinematography	Abbas Fahdel
Edited by	Stéphane Foucault Sophie Imbert
Distributed by	Doc & Co
Release date	2004 (2004)
Running time	52 minutes
Countries	France Iraq
Language	Arabic

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. ^[1]

• 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." ^[2]

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

See also

• Film portal
• Iraq portal

• Cinema of Iraq
• Iraqi culture
• Iraq War

References

1. Fahdel, Abbas (July 9, 2003). "Nous, les Irakiens – We Iraqis نحن العراقيون". Abbas Fahdel - Iraqi-French Film Director. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
2. Anonymous. "Nous les Irakiens". IMDB.

External links

• We Iraqis at IMDb
• Official website Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
• We Iraqis at the International Festival of Audiovisual Programs (in English)
• We Iraqis, at Doc & Film International (in English)
• Photo gallery Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine