Battle for Haditha (film)

Infobox Film
name = Battle for Haditha


image_size =
caption =
director = Nick Broomfield
producer = Nick Broomfield
writer = Nick Broomfield Marc Hoeferlin Anna Telford
narrator =
starring = Elliot Ruiz Yasmine Hanani Matthew Knoll
music = Nick Laird-Clowes
cinematography = Mark Wolf
editing = Stuart Gazzard Ash Jenkins
distributor = HanWay Films
released = flagicon|SpainStart date|2007|12|14 flagicon|FranceFebruary 6,2008flagicon|United KingdomFebruary 4,2008
runtime = 93 min.
country = flagcountry|United Kingdom
language = English Arabic
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.nickbroomfield.com/haditha.html
amg_id = 1:415867
imdb_id = 0870211

"Battle for Haditha" is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield based on the Haditha killings incident. Dramatising real events using a documentary style, "Battle for Haditha" is Broomfield's follow up to "Ghosts." The film was aired on Channel 4 in the UK on March 17, 2008.

ynopsis

The film is based on an incident that occurred three months after the Battle of Haditha in the Iraq War. On November 19, 2005, 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed in Haditha, a city in the western Iraq province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were noncombatant civilians. All are alleged to have been killed by a group of United States Marines. Since the release of the film, however, all the Marines involved have been acquitted. [ [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/06/04/military/ze9cdc09c13a485a08825745e0058b2c7.txt MILITARY: Haditha Marine acquitted] ] The names of the involved parties have been changed in the film. [cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/2905/ |title=Time Out London interview with Nick Bloomfield |format=HTML |accessdate=2007-11-18]

Production

Shot on location in Jerash, Jordan, the film uses former U.S. military personnel and Iraqi refugees to play many of the roles. [cite web |url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934755.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |title="Variety" review of "Battle for Haditha" |accessdate=2007-11-18 |format=HTML] It was shot in an unconventional way whereas instead of a detailed script, there was only an outline of each scene and where the story was going. Actors would then improvise much of the dialogue based on Broomfield's instructions. [cite web
first = Adam
last = Dawtrey
title = Dreamachine pick up 'Haditha'
publisher = Variety
date = May 20, 2007
url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117964201.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564
accessdate = 2007-08-15 ] [cite web
first = Borzou
last = Daragahi
title = Pushing the war onto the screen
publisher = LA Times
date = May 13, 2007
url = http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-ca-iraqfilms13may13,1,4676437.story
accessdate = 2007-08-15 ] [cite web
title = Director Nick Broomfield on 'Battle for Haditha'
publisher = Time Out
url = http://www.timeout.com/film/features/2905.html
accessdate = 2007-08-15 ]

Cast

The film features Elliot Ruiz as Cpl. Ramirez, a Marine who loses his composure after watching a friend die, Jase Willette as Pfc. Cuthbert, the young Marine whose death sets off the chain of events, Yasmine Hanani as Hiba, a young Iraqi woman stuck in the middle of the chaos, Eric Mehalacopoulos as the no-nonsense Sgt. Ross, Falah Flayla as a former Iraqi Army officer turned insurgent, and Thomas Hennessy as a Navy Corpsman assigned to Kilo company.

Film festivals

"Battle for Haditha" was presented at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.tiff07.ca/filmsandschedules/filmdetails.aspx?id=707121105251293 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |title=Toronto International Film Festival schedule |format=HTML] Director Nick Bloomfield won the Silver Shell award for Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 29, 2007. [cite web |title=San Sebastian Film Festival official awards |url=http://www.sansebastianfestival.com/2007/in3/premios01.php |accessdate=2007-11-18 |format=HTML] It was also presented at the London Film Festival on October 30, 2007. [cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/lff/files/pdf/lff_2007_web_calendar.pdf |title=London Film Festival schedule |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-11-18]

Critical reception

As of May 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 62% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 26 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/battle_for_haditha/ |title=Battle for Haditha Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-05-09 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/battleforhaditha |title=Battle for Haditha (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-05-09 |publisher=Metacritic]

References

External links

* [http://www.nickbroomfield.com/haditha.html Official website]
*imdb title|id=0870211|title=Battle for Haditha
*rotten-tomatoes|id=battle_for_haditha|title=Battle for Haditha
*metacritic film|id=battleforhaditha|title=Battle for Haditha
*amg movie|id=1:415867|title=Battle for Haditha
* [http://warchronicle.com/TheyAreNotKillers/DefendOurMarines/ElliotRuizInterview_BattleForHaditha.htm Defend Our Marines] interview with Elliot Ruiz

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