Caught in the Crossfire: The Untold Story of Falluja

In November 2004, the American military took siege of the ancient city of Falluja, Iraq, a city comparable to the size of Cincinnati, Ohio with a population of at least 250,000. The city of Falluja has now been declared “pacified” and the battle of Falluja has been declared a victory by the American administration. With interviews with the filmmakers, Caught in the Crossfire is an eyewitness account from the only independent journalists to live with the people of Falluja, exposing the devastating humanitarian disaster that is the result of American foreign policy in Iraq.

Independent filmmakers Mark Manning and Rana Al Aiouby traveled to Falluja, un-embedded, to live with the refugees of Falluja and experience life from their point of view, returning with them to their destroyed city after the siege. They experienced the checkpoints, witnessed the devastation of thousands of homes, shops and mosques, and documented the horrors of the siege as recounted by those who survived inside the city during the battles. The people of Falluja asked them to tell their story to the world, and they are now fulfilling that request with the release of Caught in the Crossfire.

Shot from November 2004 to April 2005 inside the city of Falluja, Caught in the Crossfire details the conditions experienced by civilians as they endured the violent clashes and consequences of Operation Phantom Fury and became refugees outside the eyes and care of the international community.

A joint production between Iraqi and American filmmakers with a budget of less than $7,000, Caught in the Crossfire was filmed entirely un-embedded, outside the protection or influence of the military or corporate media, in order to capture the unique and honest perspective of the civilians themselves.

The American attack on Falluja was a major turning point in the rise of the resistance in Iraq, and Falluja has become a battle cry of anti-American sentiment for a large part of the world. By detailing what is actually happening to the civilians in combat zones, the film shows why many of the people in Iraq have lost faith in the stated American policy goals and why America has lost the “hearts and minds” of the Iraqi people.



18 mins

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