The Rory Peck Trust

THE RORY PECK AWARDS 2006
Sponsored by Sony

ALI FADHIL - Iraqi

Iraq’s Missing Billions

Winner: The Sony Impact Award

“Ali thought through the lens. As a doctor he had unique insight into what was wrong and let his camera tell the story.”

Judge's Comment

Ali Fadhil’s images provide shocking evidence of the failure of the US-led reconstruction programme in Iraq. Billions of dollars were spent but his hospital footage shows operating theatres flooded with sewage and the tragic consequences of a lack of the most basic medical equipment. While making this film, Ali’s home in Baghdad was raided by US troops in the middle of the night and he was arrested. The judges described the film as “dripping with intelligence and emotion."

Cameraman's Comment

“Filming ‘Iraq’s Missing Billions’ left me with an emotional connection to ordinary Iraqis, who struggle to survive each day. What really shocked me was the suffering they were experiencing due to the failure of the coalitions reconstruction programme. They were paying the price of the coalition’s broken promises. They are struggling without power or clean water. The doctors and nurses in hospitals operate without basic drugs and equipment.”

Biography

Ali Fadhil trained as a medical doctor in Iraq and started working in journalism as a second job. He worked as an interpreter and fixer for a variety of news organisations before travelling to the UK to train in documentary film-making. In the past two years, Ali has made films for Channel 4 Television’s Dispatches, Guardian Films and Channel 4 News. His film ‘Fallujah: The First Eye Witness’ was a finalist for The Rory Peck Sony Impact Award in 2005 and won the 2005 Amnesty Media Award.

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