IRAQ: THE LOST GENERATION documentary screening

imaginingglobalasia.org

Summary writen by Heather Hilsinger

Despite reports of an improved security environment in Baghdad and the growing number of refugees returning home to Iraq, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy investigates beyond numbers and reports to explore the dramatic stories of war and bloodshed that has uprooted and dislocated the lives of more than four million Iraqi refugees who are unable to return to their country, a home that remains in ruins.
The exploration into the lives of ordinary Iraqis surviving as exiles and refugees in Syria and Jordan was revealed during the North American premiere of the documentary “Iraq: The Lost Generation”; presented at the New School on April 16th 2008 to an overflowing audience, some of which who were willing to sit on the floor in order to witness a brief look into the desponded experiences of Iraqi refugees.

The documentary traces Sharmeen’s journey to Amman, where she interacts with some of the youngest victims of the war and sectarian violence – children who have been burnt, mutilated, paralyzed and horribly disfigured. The lives of these children tend to be obfuscated as collateral damage of roadside bombs and suicide bombers, yet Sharmeen exposes more than just their bodily injuries and the minimal opportunities for medical treatment. She reveals the indelible psychological damage that has been inflicted and questions the repercussions that have yet to be realized among these innocent, unintended victims and how that will affect their future.

Sharmeen investigates not only the people who have been directly and physically injured by the war; she also uncovers stories of economic marginalization and exploitation told through a multitude of perspectives. From exiled engineers and former coalition members who supported the invading forces to disabled shop owners and under aged Iraqi sex slaves in Damascus, it is evident that the war has not only forced twenty per cent of the Iraqi population from their homes into environments of subsistence living but it has seriously undermined the refugees’ morale and hope for positive return to Iraq.

The documentary was followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers, Sharmeen and Ed Robbins. The Q&A discussion opened up imperative issues of how and who should help resolve the ruinous social and economic conditions of Iraqi refugees and pointed to the unforeseen consequences for a generation, who at this point, appear to have lost innumerable opportunities and freedoms as a result of war. A flyer was distributed among the audience in order to generate ideas and provide ways in which people could get involved and help Iraqi refugees. The Q&A session closed with a live acoustic performance by Stephan Said, an American-Iraqi singer and political activist, whose song entitled “I want to live in freedom”, resonated with the message conveyed by many of the Iraqi lives presented in the film.

Born in Karachi, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was the first woman in her Pakistan family to receive a Western education. Obaid-Chinoy is an award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. Her documentary films explore the impact of politics on ordinary people. For more information regarding the film and other works of Sharmeen, please visit

http://www.sharmeenobaidfilms.com/.

Ed Robbins is an award winning Director-Writer-Producer and videographer of national and international documentaries. Iraq’s Lost Generation is his third film with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Their first film, “Re-Inventing the Taliban”, shot in the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan, has won multiple awards and been a selection of festivals worldwide.