The UK ~ Just A Bunch Of Lost Sheep
UK:Channel 4 unveils HappyBirthdayIraq plans
By Tara Conland
Thursday February 21 2008
Battle for Haditha: Nick Broomfield’s documentary investigates a massacre in Iraq
Channel 4 is to launch its Happy Birthday Iraq season on March 15 with a week of programmes examining the devastating fall-out of the war for Iraq and the Middle East, America and Britain.
In a week-long season to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Channel 4 and More4 are screening 11 films by award-winning journalists and filmmakers.
They include acclaimed documentary-maker Nick Broomfield’s Battle for Haditha, two special editions of Dispatches and a one-off film by Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow.
At the heart of the season will be Broomfield’s latest feature film, Battle for Haditha, which will be followed on More4 by On That Day - an investigative documentary about the Haditha massacre.
On That Day uses exclusive interviews with the two Iraqis responsible for exposing the incident to Time magazine, plus testimonies from the three Marines mainly involved.
The first Dispatches investigation features journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy travelling to Jordan and Syria to meet Iraqi refugees struggling to start new lives from scratch.
In the second Dispatches documentary, political commentator Peter Oborne examines the geopolitical repercussions of the prolonged US and allied military presence – including looking at how the invasion has “affected Britain and America’s reputation, prestige and relations with the international community”.