''Underexposure'' is a 2005
Iraqi film, in the
docufiction style, written and directed by
Oday Rasheed, produced by
Enlil Film and Arts. The story follows a fictional
Iraqi film crew, inspired by the actual crew, that struggles with making a film during the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
and subsequent
American occupation. It was the first feature film to be shot in Iraq after the beginning of the Iraq War.
Plot summary
The title ''Underexposure'' is not only a reference to the expired film stock on which the movie was filmed, but a commentary on the lives of a generation of Iraqis who grew up during the
Iraq embargo, isolated from the world. In ''Underexposure'', a fictional film crew copes with the frustration and fear of the Iraq War in Baghdad by making a movie. Friends, lovers, strangers, and family members are woven together by the complexities of their new reality. Along the way friends die and they encounter resistance from people who do not want to be filmed. Ultimately the burgeoning efforts to make the best of their gruesome reality end in tragedy.
Production
''Underexposure'' was shot on expired
Kodak film that was bought back from looters in the early days of the American occupation. ''Underexposure'' was produced by Enlil Film and Arts, with Producer and Production Designer
Majed Rasheed and Executive Producer
Furat Al Jamil. Filming began in November 2003 with money that the crew raised by selling their own possessions. ''Underexposure'' was the first movie to be filmed in Iraq after the fall of
Saddam Hussein and the first Iraqi film in over a decade to not be censored by the
Ba'ath party
The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
. Filming was finished in April 2004 and the film was released in June 2005 after post-production was completed in Berlin, Germany, with co-producers
Tom Tykwer and
Maria Köpf of
X Filme Creative Pool.
Cast
*
Samar Qahtan as Hassan, director
*
Myriam Abbas as Maysoon, Hassan's wife (also: Meriam Abbas)
*
Hussein Abdul-Kareem
Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", ...
as Boy
*
Yousef al-Any as Abu Shaker (also: Yousif Al-Ani)
*
Basim Hajar as Mataz
*
Basim Hamad as Soldier
*
Hayder Helo as Nasser
*
Majed Rasheed as Ziyad
*
Muhanad Rasheed as Sound technician
*
Awatif Salman as Futha
Crew
*
Oday Rasheed Director / Scriptwriter
*
Majed Rasheed Producer / Production Designer
*
Furat Al Jamil Executive Producer
*
Gabriel Yared Original soundtrack composition
*
Ziad Turkey Director of Photography / Director / Photographer
*
Hayder Helo Scriptwriter / Assistant Director / Theatrical Director / Actor
*
Murad Atshan Assistant Director / Scriptwriter
*
Faris Harram Scriptwriter / Poet
*
Osama Rasheed
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated a ...
Assistant Director / Graphics Designer
*
Fady Fadhil
Fady, Al Fady, or Fadey is an Arabic male given name meaning "redeemer, savior". Fady may refer to:
People
*Fady Elsayed (born 1993), British actor
* Fady Joudah (born 1971), Palestinian-American poet and physician
* Fady Maalouf (born 1979), Leba ...
Assistant Cameraman / Graphics Designer
*
Muhanad Rasheed Assistant Cameraman / Graphics Designer / Theatrical Dancer
*
Dhurgham Abdul-Wahid Art Director Luay Fadhil Assistant Art Director
*
Adel Khalid Production Assistant
*
Hussein Atshan Production Assistant
*
Salam Al-Sukeiny Press Officer
*
Yasar Qadir Assistant Press Officer
*
Iman Qasim Sound Engineer
*
Basim Fahim Camera Mover
*
Ammar Al-Asmar Assistant Sound Engineer
*
Abbas Al-Dayekh Assistant Camera Mover
Critical reception
''Underexposure'' was shown in film festivals around the world, including The Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands 2005, World Premiere), the Febio Festival (Czech Republic 2005), Arab Film Festival Japan (2005), Singapore International Film Festival (2005), Arab Film Festival (Netherlands 2005), Durban International Film Festival (South Africa 2005), Munich Film Festival (Germany 2005), Osians Cinefan Asian Film Festival (India 2005), Alexandria International Film Festival (Egypt 2005), La Mostra de Valencia (Spain 2005). Additionally, Oday Rasheed received numerous awards for his work on Underexposure.
Awards:
*Best Film Award, 18th Singapore International Film Festival 2005 (Underexposure)
*Golden Hawk (Best Feature Film), 5th Arab Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2005 (Underexposure)
*Best Script, Wahran International Film Festival, Algeria 2007 (Underexposure)
See also
*
Docufiction
*
List of docufiction films
References
External links
IMDB - UnderexposureSydney Arab Film Festival - Film Makers - Oday RasheedSydney Arab Film Festival - Films - UnderexposureLA Weekly - Lights ... Camera ... Hit the Dirt!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Underexposure (2005 Film)
2005 drama films
Docufiction films
2005 films
2000s Arabic-language films
Iraqi drama films
Films scored by Gabriel Yared