A look 'Inside Iraq'
By Luke Wright, Staff Writer
April 17, 2007 | 10:31 p.m.
The debate over Iraq is reaching a fevered pitch. Enmeshed in the calamity is Mike Shiley, director of the documentary, “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories.” UPC hosted an event in which Shiley spoke about his time spent in this controversial nation.
The event – held on April 3 in the Baker Center’s ballroom – was a University Program Council-sponsored occasion free to all students and visitors. Shiley, who also founded Shidog Films, the company that created the movie, began the affair with a brief overview describing his intent for the night: “I hope that what you can do tonight with this film is that you can just temporarily, no matter how you feel about the war, disengage your personal viewpoint of the war, and just give me two hours of your time where I can present to you something that is nothing other than my personal experience [from] over [in Iraq].”
Shiley went on to describe, among other things, how he had “photoshopped” an ABC press pass at Kinko's to gain entrance into Iraq. If forged documents weren’t enough, he also recounted to the audience his use of a pre-owned bulletproof jacket that he had rented from a Miami-based Internet Web site for $150 per month to use while he was in the most dangerous country in the world.
Shiley went on to tell how, after frantically packing all of his provisions into one bag, he had booked his next flight to the Jordanian National Airport.
Once “safe” in Amman, Shiley, with faulty credentials in hand, hitched a ride with an armed convoy of legitimate ABC reporters to Baghdad – a 12-hour drive. Ten miles out of Fallujah, one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Shiley’s driver, who he noted looked oddly similar to Osama Bin Laden, decided to make a detour. Leaving the rest of the convoy behind, Shiley’s liaison decided to make a quick pit stop to grab some much needed necessities – in particular, cigarettes.
After the blisteringly fast excursion from Amman to Baghdad - at one point Shiley took a photograph of the speedometer reaching speeds of 160 kmph - the film director chose to stay in Baghdad for a while to study the people of Iraq. By witnessing what negative and positive effects this war has had on them, Shiley hoped to showcase to the Western public something seldom seen on network television – the civilian toll of war. It is this city, recognized around the world for its distaste of Western culture, where Shiley’s nationally celebrated documentary truly begins.
While residing in Baghdad, Shiley was able to observe firsthand the tragedies of the city that surrounded him. One heartbreaking story after another poured out from a city that was, quite literally, in shambles.
One specific story was especially cheerless and ironic at the same time. Shiley spoke of a car bomb that had prematurely detonated on the exit of a bustling Baghdad highway. While en route to an American airstrip, a potential suicide bomber was rear-ended by a careless driver who unintentionally activated the lethal device. The largest recoverable piece of human remains was equivalent in size to that of a pancake. As the car laid there, a smoldering heap of metal, glass, and shattered dreams, one could not help but realize the irony of the unfortunate incident. Instead of killing his sworn enemies, the Americans, the Jihad had haplessly ended the lives of four of his own countrymen.
Moving outward from the confines of Baghdad’s borders, Shiley then took a look at the United States’ military presence in Iraq. Following varied groups of soldiers in both hostile and in less confrontational situations, the filmmaker portrayed the military from equally sympathetic, and not so sympathetic, vantage points.
One story worth revisiting is the Anaconda landfill. Anaconda, the world’s largest combined airstrip, is essentially a small American owned and operated city, complete with its own refuse disposal system. This landfill is unlike any other landfill, however, because of its unusual habit of being looted. It had been discovered by local Iraqis that the American landfill was overflowing with food, scrap metal, and appliances. Upon inspection, these claims were deemed true. One officer recounted his attempt to grab as many valuable items that he could within an allotted time frame of 60 seconds. The officer listed the items, all completely useful, ranging from unopened boxes of Oreos, to functioning ceiling fans.
Another story that held deeply profound implications was one involving an officer who employed some locals to cut down sugarcane fields that were used by insurgents as hideouts from patrolling U.S. convoys. By using Iraqis instead of his own men, the officer was able to get more work done in less time and with fewer resources. The plan also helped lessen U.S. contempt since it was aiding Iraq’s fledgling economy. Shiley also noted that this “study” could prove that Iraqis can, in fact, do their own work and complete the duties they are assigned. On a more macro level, Shiley illustrated how this evidence could be used to prove that handing over the reconstruction of the country to Iraqi companies could help both the Iraqis and Americans alike. The indigenous peoples would have the ability to rebuild the cities to their own personal specifications, and the Americans would be given the opportunity to spend less money on the reconstruction effort.
Shiley concluded the night with a very in-depth question and answer session that delved into topics pertaining to Iraq’s reconstruction efforts, the outsourcing of troops, and his own personal views on how the United States can help Iraq transform into the stable country we all hope it will someday become.
The director’s portrayals of the horrors plaguing Iraq were insightfully shot depictions of all things good, bad and ugly in this unforgiving world of war. The summation of the night’s overall intent was personified thoroughly in a quote reiterated by Shiley for the event’s audience: “The soldiers asked me, ‘Please don’t sugar-coat our stories. Things can’t get better if you sugar-coat everything,’ and so I said fine.” This balanced and, at times, hard-to-swallow documentary was the ultimate result of that everlasting promise.