War Feels Like War
Encyclopedia
War Feels Like War is a 2004 British documentary film. It was broadcast in the United States
on the P.O.V.
series. For three months, Spanish filmmaker Esteban Manzanares Uyarra followed five reporters and photographers from Denmark
, Norway
, Poland
, and the United States in Iraq
. These journalists circumvented military media control to get access to a different perspective on the Iraq War. As the Coalition of the willing
swept into Iraq
, some journalists in Kuwait
decided to travel in their wake, risking their lives to discover the impact of war on civilians.
The journalists include best-selling author P.J. O'Rourke, who was working for ABC Radio, as well as reporters and photographers for news operations ranging from Poland's Radio Zet
to Stephanie Sinclair, a photographer for the Chicago Tribune
.
as the war is about to break. Other journalists repeatedly try to get through military zones to capture what's happening.
Once these journalists make it into Iraq, they capture troops at their frazzled ends, cussing. A journalist described a Scud missile "whizzing" by is artfully juxtaposed with a shot of a string of photographers taking a "whiz".
The reporters themselves wrestle with grisly images and the effect it may have on their humanity. One journalist admits she felt, "I'm in over my head," but presses on. Later, she says of a tragic scene she has just witnessed, "If that doesn't affect you, you should find something else to do. That shit should always affect you." The U.S. later bombs the Baghdad
hotel where these journalists are staying. After the gunfire stops, a Polish journalist files a radio report that says, "It doesn't look good," adding that a Marine has told him "too many people still have weapons."
, Canada
.
In addition, it was shortlisted for the Silver Wolf Competition in the 2003 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and was awarded the Jury Prize at the 2004 MovieEye Festival in Moscow
.
Esteban Uyarra was also nominated in the Best Newcomer category in the 2004 Grierson British Documentary Awards.
The New York Times
wrote:
Baltimore Sun television critic David Zurawik stated:
David Kronke of The Daily News of Los Angeles states:
M.S. Mason of the Christian Science Monitor states:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the P.O.V.
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
series. For three months, Spanish filmmaker Esteban Manzanares Uyarra followed five reporters and photographers from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and the United States in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. These journalists circumvented military media control to get access to a different perspective on the Iraq War. As the Coalition of the willing
Coalition of the willing
The term coalition of the willing is a post-1990 political phrase used to collectively describe participants in military or military-humanitarian interventions for which the United Nations Security Council cannot agree to mount a full UN peacekeeping operation...
swept into Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, some journalists in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
decided to travel in their wake, risking their lives to discover the impact of war on civilians.
The journalists include best-selling author P.J. O'Rourke, who was working for ABC Radio, as well as reporters and photographers for news operations ranging from Poland's Radio Zet
Radio Zet
Radio ZET – Polish commercial radio station. The current owner of the station is Eurozet. The editor-in-chief of Radio ZET is Mateusz Kirstein. The Radio started broadcasting on 28 September 1990, being the first private radio station in Warsaw.-History:...
to Stephanie Sinclair, a photographer for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
.
Plot
In the film, journalist crews are first seen trying to avoid being penned up in Kuwait CityKuwait City
-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...
as the war is about to break. Other journalists repeatedly try to get through military zones to capture what's happening.
Once these journalists make it into Iraq, they capture troops at their frazzled ends, cussing. A journalist described a Scud missile "whizzing" by is artfully juxtaposed with a shot of a string of photographers taking a "whiz".
The reporters themselves wrestle with grisly images and the effect it may have on their humanity. One journalist admits she felt, "I'm in over my head," but presses on. Later, she says of a tragic scene she has just witnessed, "If that doesn't affect you, you should find something else to do. That shit should always affect you." The U.S. later bombs the Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
hotel where these journalists are staying. After the gunfire stops, a Polish journalist files a radio report that says, "It doesn't look good," adding that a Marine has told him "too many people still have weapons."
Awards and film critics' views
War Feels Like War was awarded Honourable Mention for Best International Documentary by the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In addition, it was shortlisted for the Silver Wolf Competition in the 2003 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and was awarded the Jury Prize at the 2004 MovieEye Festival in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Esteban Uyarra was also nominated in the Best Newcomer category in the 2004 Grierson British Documentary Awards.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote:
Baltimore Sun television critic David Zurawik stated:
David Kronke of The Daily News of Los Angeles states:
M.S. Mason of the Christian Science Monitor states:
See also
- Axis of EvilAxis of Evil (film)Axis of Evil is a 2004 France-Canada co-production by Pascal Lièvre about a couple declaring their love for each other with the same words United States President George W. Bush used to announce a war on terrorism.-See also:*Baghdad or Bust ...
- Baghdad or BustBaghdad or BustBaghdad or Bust was a small budget documentary filmed in Canada, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Washington, D.C. USA during the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq...
- Control Room
- Kill The MessengerKill the Messenger (film)Kill The Messenger is a 2006 French documentary film about Sibel Edmonds. An English version of the film was produced in 2007 by SBS Australia....
- My Country, My CountryMy Country, My CountryMy Country, My Country is a 2006 documentary film. Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent over eight months alone in Iraq filming this documentary. The film shows life in Iraq for average Iraqis under U.S. occupation. Poitras focuses primarily on Dr...