Once Upon a Time in Iraq
| Once Upon a Time in Iraq | |
|---|---|
_Poster.jpg) Poster | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Narrated by | Andy Serkis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original languages | English Arabic |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Will Anderson Andrew Palmer |
| Producer | Jo Abel |
| Running time | 296 minutes (BBC) 113 minutes (PBS) |
| Production company | KEO Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC |
| Release | 13 July – 10 August 2020 |
Once Upon a Time in Iraq is a 2020 British documentary television miniseries directed by James Bluemel and narrated by the British-Iraqi actor Andy Serkis.[1][2] Composed of five episodes, it features interviews with Iraqi citizens, American military personnel and international journalists about the Iraqi conflict and its effects on the Iraqi people.[3][4]
Overview
[edit | edit source]The series chronologically covers the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein, and its subsequent occupation of Iraq (2003–2011); the first phase of the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006); the Iraqi Civil War (2006–2008); the post-US withdrawal insurgency (2011–2013); and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), an armed conflict between the Iraqi Armed Forces and its allies against the Islamic State.
The first episode was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 13 July 2020.[2] A heavily edited, single-episode, feature-length version was subsequently broadcast in the United States by PBS as part of their Frontline series on 14 July 2020.[5] The American version omitted the interviews with Rudy Reyes and Nathan Sassaman among others.[6] The American version also completely omits the third episode on the Battle of Fallujah.
The series was widely acclaimed in the British press, winning the awards for best documentary and outstanding series at the Rose d'Or festival in December 2020, in addition to being named Best Factual Series at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Interviewees
[edit | edit source]- Mustafa Abed[13]
- Nidhal Abed[13][14]
- Alaa Adel[15]
- Ahmed Albasheer[16]
- Ahmad al-Matyouti[17]
- Ibrahim al-Rawi[17]
- Christian Dominguez[14]
- Dexter Filkins[18][14]
- Ashley Gilbertson[19][14]
- Um Ibrahim[17]
- Ali Hussein Kadhim[20]
- Sally Mars[21]
- Lewis Miller[14]
- Susie Miller[14]
- Omar Mohammed[22]
- Waleed Nesyif[23][24]
- John Nixon (CIA)[25]
- Rudy Reyes[26]
- Aliyah Khalaf Saleh[24]
- Tahany Saleh[21]
- Nathan Sassaman[27]
- Sam Williams[14]
Note: Several of the above were omitted from the version made for American television.
Episodes
[edit | edit source]| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "War" | James Bluemel | July 13, 2020 |
| 2 | "Insurgency" | James Bluemel | July 20, 2020 |
| 3 | "Fallujah" | James Bluemel | July 27, 2020 |
| 4 | "Saddam" | James Bluemel | August 3, 2020 |
| 5 | "Legacy" | James Bluemel | August 10, 2020 |
Reception
[edit | edit source]The Guardian called Once Upon a Time in Iraq "a gripping, harrowing masterpiece" and praised its content, noting the use of interviews with people who were there, as opposed to prioritising interviews with politicians and analysts.[28] New Statesman called it a "duty" to watch and praising Bluemel's storytelling.[29]
References
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External links
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- Once Upon a Time in Iraq at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 2020 British television series debuts
- 2020 British television series endings
- 2020s British documentary television series
- BBC television documentaries about history during the 21st Century
- British English-language television shows
- Documentary films about the Iraq War
- Documentary television series about war
- News & Documentary Emmy Award–winning programs
- Works about Fallujah in the Iraq War