Original subtitles

An explosion!

Mother repeated that it was fireworks.

Ithar shouted, "Mom, it's war!"

- No, I knew! - Me, I am a heavy sleeper.

Every time there was thunder, Ithar believed it was the war.

And she rushed to Mom's arms.

- Is it true, Ithar? - No, Uncle!

It's true.

Once she and the girl next door were afraid.

They slept together to reassure each other.

The father of the neighbors was in Jordan.

When was that?

- During the last war. - The one with no name.

- When there were two days of bombing? - Yes.

- It was in 1998. - Yes.

- Manar, come see this! - Look what Mom has bought!

Hello!

Manar, you see these diapers?

In case of war...

You put coal powder in it,

and then you put it on your face.

These are medicines!

Don't mock me!

What is this?

This is serious.

You put coal in place of cotton,

then you put it like this.

It will protect you from chemical weapons.

- This is serious? - Yes.

If war breaks out, we will not get married!

I'm still young, but I think of my older sisters.

We haven't seen anything of life yet!

We are four sisters. The elder ones must marry first, then I can get married too.

First them, then me.

Our cousins laughed when I told them about the diapers.

What do you want to do with these diapers?

As my uncle said, we may pee on ourselves during the war!

Come back here!

Come back here!

- You don't want to be filmed? - No.

And your exams, Ithar?

What exams? Schools will close because of the war.

We said in front of the camera...

that you'll be a gynecologist in our clinic.

But if you fail the exam, you will only be a receptionist.

Our clinic will be called Al-Moussawi.

- Because we are all cousins. - The clinic of the 7 cousins Al-Moussawi.

Friday will be our day off.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday too!

How many days we will work then?

Is it true that you don't want to die?

Shut your mouth!

If you talk about death, it will happen.

Your sister Kanar said she didn't want to die before marrying.

For me, it is not because of marriage.

I am still young. I don't think of marriage.

I'm not ready for marriage.

We are still young, but we care for our older sisters.

Poor sisters, they have seen nothing!

Shut up! Tea has not spilled on you!

Wipe it up with this!

I wrote in my notebook: "I'm Ithar, the Fidai (guerrilla fighter).

My mother read it and exclaimed, "You're crazy!"

I wrote in my notebook of geography: "Every soul is destined to die."

Everywhere I hear of death!

I am a Fidai. We will all return to God.

Every soul is destined to perish.

You despair of life!

Some of our citizens...

and some honest foreigners

wonder about the source of our country's strength!

The answer is that we are right.

We are in our country...

and the enemy crosses oceans to come and invade our country!

So it is not difficult to guess...

who is wrong and who is right.

Saddam's Lion Cubs

encourages young pupils to join their organization

and guarantees they will move on to the next grade

in spite of their bad exam results.

Hi!

I've just come from the Faculty. No time to go home.

Same here.

I saw Thamer.

Yes!

He says he is too busy with the Faculty.

Stop talking!

- Why? - The microphone is recording.

Can't you look straight ahead?

What is the price for a kilo?

Five thousand dinars!

Fortunately the smell of fish is free!

Who doesn't care about his country?

No one accepts the occupation of his country.

The enemy can do nothing.

He will be defeated by the will of God!

Tea for you!

A former sports champion!

Concentrate!

If you score, you get a prize.

In the name of Allah, we salute Muhammad and his descendants!

We salute Ali, Prince of the Faithful!

We salute the father of Imams Hassan and Hussein!

All believers have faith in God!

They have faith in God, in his angels and in his prophets!

Oh, God, forgive us...

Forgive us if we forget and make mistakes.

Your tea!

You have nothing prepared for the war?

Water only.

- Have you dug a well? - No.

Seif's family dug one.

So have we.

You see all the water that comes out?

Is it clear?

Every year, during the month of Muharram, we cook for neighbors.

Also for relatives...

and for poor people.

There are many poor people in our neighborhood.

People considered this food as blessed.

This is for Umm Bashar's family.

- Who is this for? - For the neighbors opposite.

- Who have you seen? - There is nobody in the other house.

- No one? - They will come back tomorrow.

There is enough rice, but there is less stew.

Did something happen?

Seeing you all outside scared me!

I was afraid something had happened!

God bless you!

I wish you health and happiness!

Give me your pans!

Are you filming us?

Give it to me, Cousin. I don't want to offend you!

Stop it!

Ask Ahmed and Moumen to come!

They're not answering the phone.

One of my tires burst again!

Good-bye!

Iraqi flags!

It's amazing to see our flag abroad!

- They are wasting their time! - They're worried about us!

This girl wrote on her cheek: "No to war!"

These demonstrations will not influence Bush.

Nobody forced them to demonstrate.

Yes, it's not like here.

They wrote on a banner: "Bush, 1991. Bush, 2003!"

Like his father in 1991, Bush Junior will bomb us!

He is filming us!

- Why? - I don't know.

No!

Throw grenades!

Catch the American!

You will die, cowards!

These are the barber and the circumciser.

I'm an old Baghdadi. I know all these characters.

The knife sharpener.

And there, the hairdresser.

Life was fine. It was easy and peaceful.

They were living simply.

They had nothing to worry about.

You see, Uncle, how their life was easy!

They had oil and no war.

Dried vegetables!

They dried vegetables. We will do the same in case of war.

- We should dry vegetables. - Yes, when the electricity will be cut.

Water jars!

- We may come back to it. - Yes, if war breaks out.

Back to water jars!

People used coal to heat the iron.

During the last war,

we used a serving platter heated by coal to iron our clothes.

We need to reconnect with our heritage before dying.

Even this museum might be bombed.

They are very strict about the uniforms.

If someone wears striped trousers, they don't allow him to attend classes!

Jeans and linen pants are also prohibited.

Last Wednesday, I was excluded from classes for two days.

- Why? - Because I was wearing a plaid sweater.

The director came himself to evict me.

We are disappointed by Bush.

We didn't study for exams because we thought the war would break out before.

- Nobody prepared for exams. - All the students are upset.

They didn't prepare for exams because of Bush.

- You went on a day trip? - Next Thursday.

- We'll go next Thursday. - Our college went there last Wednesday.

- I didn't go with them. - Why?

I thought it was going to rain, so I preferred to stay at home.

- Where are you going? - To Saddamiat Fallujah.

- We went there last year. - Yes, in the first term.

- It is a beautiful place! - Yes.

I hope that the situation will remain normal, so that we can make the trip.

- We must go now. - Okay.

Stay for lunch with us!

Don't move!

Don't move!

Pepsi made in Baghdad!

Hey, mister!

Don't call me "mister." I'm Iraqi.

When it will be broadcast?

If our father Saddam asks us to take back Kuwait,

we will do it without hesitation.

We will go unarmed, on our feet.

Our father is the best of fathers!

As the poet said, "You remind me, oh, my city, of a white flower."

Your people are free. They follow the path of the Baath Party.

They triumph with their comrades.

City of Umm Jassim and Umm Habib,

you will remain eternal!

"Faithful to the teachings of Saddam and the Baath Party."

I'll show you the theater that I will open soon...

with a play that I will direct.

Maybe I'll also play a role in it.

The theater is small.

I wish to create a place

where engaged artists could present their works.

Sami Kaftan, actor.

SAMI KAFTAN THEATER

The theater is still under repair.

It is not ready yet.

This is the Tigris. The theater overlooks the river.

I remember...

Every Thursday, I read a poem at school.

I still remember the poem.

It says:

"A stranger approached a little naive boy."

He said to him, 'Bring me the heart of your mother,

and I will give you gold and diamonds.'

The child went and planted his dagger into the chest of his mother.

He then tore out his mother's heart and ran back.

He ran so fast that he tripped and fell to the ground.

The heart of his mother fell from his hands.

Covered with dust, the heart of the mother cried,

'My dear son, are you hurt?'

Despite its softness,

the voice of the mother seemed to express the anger of God against the child.

The child picked up the heart of his mother

and washed it with his tears of repentance.

The child then spoke to the heart:

'Punish me and do not forgive me, for my crime is unforgivable.'

Brandishing his dagger, he wanted to plant it in his heart,

to serve as an example for posterity.

But the heart of his mother cried,

"'Stop! Do not hurt me twice!'"

I hope that soon...

life will return to this place,

so that it becomes a meeting place for the intellectual elite.

Sami Kaftan celebrates the marriage of his daughter.

Seven suitors asked for her hand!

You say ten?

Ten suitors asked for her hand!

You say one hundred?

One hundred suitors asked for her hand!

No, no! A thousand suitors asked for her hand.

They asked her father Sami for her hand.

A thousand suitors asked for her hand.

But her father refused.

He refused... refused!

And finally he said yes to Anis.

After the marriage of his daughter, Sami Kaftan ends the party with friends.

The days flowed like tears, but for you it was just fun!

Yet it was my life!

The days flowed like tears

Uncle! These are the pigeons of my cousin Ali.

- Your pigeons aren't afraid of airplanes? - No.

On the contrary, airplanes noise excites them and encourages them to fly.

- But noise could make them flee! - No.

- You had pigeons during the 1991 war? - I have had pigeons since childhood.

And during the bombing in 1991?

Pigeons helped me endure confinement at home.

They distracted me.

All hearts beat for Saddam.

All roads follow the trace of his footsteps.

His voice and his sword rose.

For the glory of Iraq among the nations.

You, our master and the best of men!

To you, all the laurels!

You eclipse the sun You raise armies.

And under the cloak of night, you face the enemy.

Give my regards to your brothers in the Republican Guard.

And my greetings to your families.

We are your soldiers, Mr. President.

I would like to mention an important thing.

During mobilization exercises, instructors insist on...

how to protect yourself from the enemy.

A good leader does not achieve his objectives regardless of the price.

A good leader achieves...

his objectives with minimal sacrifices.

Isn't it so?

America starts wars everywhere.

Far from its territory!

Two things motivate these wars:

Zionist aims and greed.

Not the greed of the peoples, but the greed of oil companies.

Their threats of war are not new.

We already suffer their war every day.

Every day, their missiles target us.

And every day martyrs fall on the sacred soil of Iraq.

Not to mention the destroyed property.

The embargo itself is a war.

And Iraq is under embargo.

So Iraq is already a victim of their war.

Regarding their threat of a new war...

worse than the one we are already experiencing...

this is something that we have already known.

We don't want it.

We want peace, but not at any price.

We want peace that preserves our sovereignty...

and the dignity of our people...

and preserves all our rights.

I don't have time to go there!

Mom, it's not on my way.

Transporting food rations has made me muscular.

I go there every month.

It is heavy to carry.

You're going to get the rations for which month?

June and July.

- In February? - Yes.

- Why? - In anticipation of war.

Thus, if war breaks out, we will have supplies.

Shops will be closed.

What do the food rations contain?

Rice, sugar...

soap...

tea, pulses...

And the price?

Symbolic. 2,000 dinars.

- The equivalent of a dollar! - Yes.

It's cheap.

Any taxi costs 1,250 dinars in Baghdad.

In the market, the components of the ration are much more expensive.

There will be a sack of rice in the ration that I'll get.

It is more expensive in the market.

A sack of rice costs 4,000 dinars in the market,

while the entire rations costs only 2,000.

- I brought an empty can. - Put it on the floor.

- How much do I owe you, Abu Iman? - The price of today's ration,

and that of last month.

How much money do you have?

If you don't have enough, you can pay me next time.

- Are we even? - You still owe me a sack!

You'll pay me the rest next time!

Go get a taxi!

Take this, Haidar!

Can you put it between your legs?

You put it between your legs?

There is no room!

- You forgot the salt! - I forgot the basics!

Be careful! You tore the bag!

Wait! Put it in another bag!

Can you help us?

The bag is torn!

- He is filming you! - Yes.

Not this bag, the other one!

This is our life!

Show them our life! The Iraqi supermarket!

Make a knot!

You forgot the salt.

You still owe me a sack.

- Haidar, you go to school today? - Of course.

Sir! Do you need a bag?

Muhammad, the most honorable of men!

Muhammad, the best of men!

Muhammad, the generous!

It's ancient!

These are photos of old paintings.

It's beautiful!

It is Greek art.

Can you sell us the three for 500 dinars?

It's just a torn page!

The three for 500 dinars!

No, I can't.

I would agree for 1,000 dinars.

I am looking for a book on electricity.

This kind of book has become rare.

To remedy this problem, booksellers make photocopies.

The original books are expensive.

Booksellers make photocopies that cost less.

Students have no money,

and since the embargo the phenomenon of photocopies appeared.

Copies don't cost much.

Does the threat of war disrupt your work?

We have already experienced this.

During the war with Iran and the Gulf War in 1991.

We haven't stopped coming here.

To work. It is our business.

This street doesn't die, no matter what happens.

Nothing changes.

Intellectuals continue to come.

- Despite the situation? - Yes. Their caf� remains open.

I was born in a poor family.

Very poor.

We were sharing a slum with three other families in Al-Adamyia neighborhood.

Our situation was unbearable!

I finally managed to get away.

I bought a car.

But I would have done better to buy a house.

At the time, a house cost the price of a car.

Can't you sell the car to buy a house?

Nowadays a house is four times more expensive than a car.

We will sacrifice our souls and our blood for you, Saddam!

It's me you are filming?

I go there?

On February 13, 1991,

Americans bombed Al-Amiriyah shelter, killing more than 400 civilians.

If war breaks out, we'll see dozens, hundreds more like this.

And I hope they show that on TV.

Because what happened here is...

just an absolute horror.

Three or four hundred kids

and friends who've died.

And that's the last thing we want.

Uncle, look at the marks on the wall!

Photos of people who died in the shelter.

All burned!

Columns endured the shock!

The walls are completely blacked out!

You see the marks on the wall? It looks like the trace of a skull!

The bodies were torn apart by the explosion.

Photos of the victims!

He got burned.

Completely burned!

All are dead!

A baby.

He was a month old when he died.

Another child.

He has no more hands.

They weep over their dead.

Look at this mother! She mourns her son.

Reporters...

They photograph the corpses.

Marks everywhere!

that it is something truly inhumane.

In the event...

Al-Amiriyah shelter.

This is the place which proves that war is inhumane.

THE WORLD CONDEMNS THE AGGRESSION AGAINST IRAQ