Finding FatherlandAn ethnographic student-film based on the story of an Iraqi emigrant living in London. The film alludes to self-identity and illustrates the fluidity in which we are able to designate ourselves in accordance to family, culture, history and to our own unique idiosyncrasies. The purpose behind this film is to share a different discourse to that which receives the most attention in mainstream media. Generalised perceptions of Iraqis have centred mainly on the conflicts within the nation and subsequently those Iraqis living in the country have been either victimised or demonised. Civilians depicted in the news are in most cases captured as they mournfully weep or protest against the injustices embarked upon them. These images and stories revolve around pain, suffering, mistreatment and destruction. Conversely, the insurgency has been widely documented throughout the conflict in Iraq almost always tied to extremist Islamic groups wielding weapons and caricatured as crazed ‘suicide bombers’. Obviously these extreme examples only provide us with a distorted glimpse into the Iraqi nation. Thus the goal was not to necessarily negate these representations, but instead an attempt to bring into view another more plural representation of Iraqis. Music Credits: Reap - Howlin' Circus Perfect Day - Lou Reed I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues - Elton John
