Meeting Resistance: New Doc Follows Iraqis Fighting U.S. Occupation of Their Country

Contributed by Datta

Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman

"What would you do if your country was invaded? “Meeting Resistance” is a new documentary on the Iraq war from a perspective that few in the West ever see. It turns the spotlight on Iraqi men and women who choose to resist the military occupation of their country. The film takes us back to the first year of the US-led invasion of Iraq and the beginnings of the insurgency in Iraq. This is how a young cleric interviewed in the film explains the roots of the insurgency.

Excerpt of “Meeting Resistance.”

In “Meeting Resistance” we hear the voices and stories of individuals usually simply referred to -- depending on your perspective -- as resistance fighters, insurgents, or terrorists. During the early years of the war, the Bush administration and the mainstream media said they were comprised of al-Qaeda elements and former Baath Party members still loyal to Saddam Hussein. Today the attacks on US-led forces are often blamed on Iran and “foreign fighters.” But “Meeting Resistance” suggests that “ordinary Iraqis,” men and women, Sunni and Shia, form the bulk of the insurgency. Most of them were never Baathists nor were they all religious. This is how one of the characters interviewed in the film describes the composition of one resistance group.....

“Meeting Resistance” opens in theaters Friday. Co-directors Steve Connors and Molly Bingham are photojournalists who have worked in conflict zones around the world for over a decade. In 2003 and 2004 they spent ten months in Baghdad interviewing Iraqi resistance fighters. Molly Bingham and Steve Connors join us now in the firehouse studio in New York.

Molly Bingham. American photojournalist and co-director of "Meeting Resistance."

Steve Connors. British photojournalist and co-director of "Meeting Resistance."...."