12 pm: Muhammad And Jane

• 24 h •12 pmmidnight feature

Muhammad And Jane

• Usama Alshaibi US/IQ Muhammad And Jane 80 min, DV, 2003



"Video maker Usama Alshaibi is the sort of canny visual stylist who can sustain a mood... the handheld videocam, tight close-ups, and disorienting angles create a potent sense of paranoia. The haunting score is by Andy Ortmann and Camilla Ha."

Ted Shen Chicago Reader

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8pm. Nice Bombs • Usama Alshaibi

• 20 h • 8 pm Nice Bombs by Usama Alshaibi

MY JOURNEY BACK TO IRAQ

Nice Bombs shows filmmaker Usama Alshaibi as he returns to Baghdad to reunite with his family after nearly 24 years. This documentary navigates through his unique relationship to an Iraq that is much different than the country of his childhood.
Usama captures the conflicting reactions to the conditions of life in Baghdad.
Through a wide range of opinions and experiences he provides a broad panorama of voices long neglected under Saddam’s regime.
His cousin Tareef enters the room upon hearing an explosion. “It’s a bomb. A Nice Bomb,” he explains. The phrase is indicative of his family’s nonchalance about their situation. As one young boy put it, “We’re Iraqis. It’s normal.” With humor and resilience Nice Bombs explores Usama’s dual role as both Iraqi and American.



• Usama Alshaibi US/IQ Nice Bombs 92 min, DV, 2006

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