"The War Tapes" --the First War Film Shot by the Troops

[understandinglife]

There is a powerful new documentary film about Iraq premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival next month called The War Tapes. I have seen dozens of Iraq war documentaries --and this is the best one I have seen yet. Period.

The War Tapes is a must see for every American--including Laura Ingraham and anyone else who thinks they have Iraq figured out.

This is the only film that provides an opportunity for people to really see what life is like in Iraq for our troops. The entire film was shot by the soldiers themselves. For a full year, they took the cameras with them everywhere. This is no Michael Moore film. In March 2004, as the insurgency grew, members of a New Hampshire National Guard unit arrived in Iraq--with video cameras. In The War Tapes, soldiers tell their own stories, as they lived them. The footage is nothing short of amazing. You can see special advance clips by clicking on this image:

http://www.thewartapes.com/the_film/clips.shtml

<clip>

TWT believes in empowering citizens to tell their own stories - and believes citizen journalism can make amazing film. We are completely committed to opening up mainstream media and getting more human voices in.

<clip>

More of Paul Rieckhoff's review here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/the-war-tapesthe-first-_b_18103.html

Paul Rieckhoff is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Executive Director and Founder of IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America), the country's first and largest Iraq Veterans group.

When Paul Rieckhoff returned from a tour of duty leading an infantry platoon in Baghdad in early 2004, he quickly became concerned with the way the war in Iraq was being portrayed in the media. There were many policy wonks and four-star Generals on TV, but no one to explain what the War was really like on the ground. As the one group of people that could communicate the “Ground Truth,” or the experience of war known only by those on the front lines, Veterans were notably (and counter-productively) absent from the public dialogue. Rieckhoff decided to remedy that problem.

Rieckhoff created IAVA (formerly Operation Truth) in June 2004 along with a couple of other Veterans, a handful of volunteers, and massive amounts of credit-card debt. <clip>

If You're pro-Bu$h, You're Anti-America

[MADem]

1. MASSIVE KICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I urge EVERYONE to take the time to LOOK at

those clips.

Talk about a "You Are There" perspective.

[understandinglife]

2. indieWIRE online ...

"The War Tapes," directed by Deborah Scranton (USA) - World Premiere.
Since Homer's time, artists have struggled with the challenge of how to describe the experience of war. Called up for service in Iraq, several members of the National Guard were given digital video cameras. This astonishing film, edited from their footage, provides an unimaginably vivid perspective on an extremely complex and troubled conflict.

http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2006/03/169_features_to.html

Interesting that indieWIRE selected a still from The War Tapes to headline their announcement of the Tribeca Film Festival 2006 selections.


Peace.