Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Film & Music

Media Credit: www.operationfilmmaker.com Muthana Mohmed

Media Credit: www.operationfilmmaker.com Nina Davenport and Muthana Mohmed, on the set of Operation Filmmaker

Operation Filmmaker, a compelling documentary that screened at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, started out as an idealistic and naïve attempt to give a young and aspiring Iraqi filmmaker a chance to realize his dreams.  Muthana Mohmed, who grew up in Baghdad and whose film school was destroyed in a bomb blast a few years ago, had his first 15-minutes of fame in the form of an MTV show called True Life: I’m Living in Iraq.  The few minutes he had on screen caught the attention of American actor and director Liev Schreiber, who was flying to the Czech Republic to shoot his film Everything is Illuminated.  Feeling guilty about the war in Iraq, Liev saw an opportunity to help one of those in need and invited Muthana along as an intern on his film set.

Nina Davenport, an award-winning documentary maker, went along to see if this was a story worth telling.  The result is a poignant, smart, sometimes funny, and incredibly thought-provoking telling of the conflicts that arise between a lone Iraqi, an American film crew, and the clashing expectations and hopes they have of each other. The Strand’s Jen Stevenson sat down with Davenport to discuss the film.

The Strand:  What were your motivations for starting this project?  How did it come to you?

Nina Davenport:  [Producer] David Schisgall, who made the [MTV] show that led to this whole film, was a friend of mine from college; we went to Harvard together.  Liev [Schreiber] had raised a little money to make a documentary about this, then he approached David, [and] David approached me.  So the first shoot was just work-for-hire, to make some money and see whether or not there was potential for a film…As I realized this interesting conflict was arising between the Americans and the Iraqi - because [the] expectations of what the situation was going to be were [not] being met - I realized, ok now maybe there is a really interesting film here.  So I kept going, I shot more… I kept going for the next 3 years, and here I am today.

What was Muthana’s family situation like in Iraq?  In the film you mention his father worked for the government.

It’s hard to get him to talk about it…but not every Shi’ite in Saddam’s Iraq was in a horrible situation…because [the Shi’ites] were the majority, they had to be playing important roles in various institutions, but I think the more years [Saddam’s rule] went on, the more those people started to lose their money.  So by the time of the war, I don’t think they were doing so well, but when they were younger they were.

When he signed onto this project did Muthana know the limits of Liev’s charity?  He got set up with a plane ticket and an apartment, but did he know he was responsible for himself?

They did tell him that they wanted him to go back to Baghdad; it was a discreet amount of time, round-trip ticket.  But, and this is what you could argue they should have anticipated, things got much worse in Iraq from the time he arrived…It got significantly worse with each passing month, so five months later he didn’t want to go home anymore - but he never would have wanted to go home.  I mean, he’s the kind of person who’s been wanting to get out of there forever.  He’s just a wanderer, an explorer.

You represent Muthana as expecting too much, depending on Liev, David, and you for money.  Why do you think he was so dependent?  Was it the cultural barrier?

I think he was, by definition, dependent because he was a refugee.  It’s not easy to survive as a refugee, and it’s even more difficult if you’re not willing to do just any horrible job to make money.  He found that kind of thing so humiliating - serving people, playing music on the street, begging…That I think is somewhat cultural; I also think it’s part of his personality.  It’s very hard to distinguish, but I don’t think it would be a mistake to assume either that everything you see in the film is an example of Iraqi culture, or that it’s all just Muthana; it’s a combination.  And it’s also about how he reacted to the Americans having expectations of him... It’s just very complicated and layered.

I’m sure it was overwhelming for him to come from war-torn Baghdad then suddenly be on a film set, preparing coffee a certain way and mixing the crew’s snacks.  Could you relate to Muthana’s reaction at having to deal with those menial tasks?

I can relate to being bored by being an intern on a set of a Hollywood movie.  I mean, I’ve been a P.A. [Production Assistant] on the set of a Hollywood movie and it’s unbelievably boring.  A lot of what happens on a film set is just waiting around, and unless you’re really in the thick of it, it’s not that interesting.  So yeah, I did relate to his being bored.  One of the reasons I prefer documentaries is that, you know, I am making the film from start to finish; I’m not waiting around for someone…so I can relate, but I can’t relate to how angry he was about it.  On the other hand, it could well have been displaced anger, and maybe the anger was really about the war and living under Saddam and all that.

At what point did you become more personally involved and subjective?

It didn’t take that long really, because I just saw him making bad decisions that were leading to people not liking him on the set.  And I naively thought, “Oh I can just give him some advice.  This is how you get Americans to like you, and he’ll listen to me and everything will be great for him.”  But he just resented my advice and certainly didn’t follow it at all…I couldn’t just watch the train wreck and not help.  Then once he was left there by the crew of Everything is Illuminated and was alone, then it was like, he’s alone in Prague and I’m the only person with any resources that he knows, and he has no money…So, what am I going to film?  I’m going to film him on the street, starving to death and freezing to death, and we’re going to go back to our nice hotel room?  I mean, especially because [Iraqi] culture is so much about hospitality… It wasn’t even an option to do that, it just wasn’t.  He was [also] very aggressive and very vocal about getting as much help, money, whatever it was, out of us.

When you’re in a situation like that, when do you say ‘enough’?  How do you draw the line between making your film and helping this person?

It really just became indistinguishable, the film and helping him.  I just couldn’t separate them anymore. I eventually got to that point [where I had a film] and realized I didn’t need to shoot anymore…I also realized I just personally couldn’t take it anymore.  He really used me as a scapegoat, punching back, and he was accusing me of doing horrible things that I would never in a million years do to my worst enemy.  And so I finally had to just cut him loose.

David Schisgall keeps in touch with him and still helps him and everything.  I sort of feel like I didn’t start this problem, I just came on board to film; whereas David, who did the MTV show, probably felt a little more responsibility to him than I did.

Do you think it was a good thing for Muthana to be brought onto that original set?

The film makes you ask yourself that question:  Was this worth it?  Was this really a good idea?  And another question is:  Should it have been somebody else?  Should they have picked someone else?  And I certainly did fantasize about, you know, what if they did pick someone really hard working and really great, and how awesome that would have been.  You have to deal with the guy that you have [though].  It’s like your family: you can’t choose, you’re stuck with them, that’s it.  And I think [there was] a process of accepting that…For me, all the negative things that came with it - and this is often true of documentaries - made the film more interesting, so I was conflicted.

What was the biggest challenge for you?

The hardest thing is always actually making the film work and making the film be great; that requires patience and persistence when you’re filming, and an unbelievable amount of work in the edit room.  That’s incredibly hard…but specifically with this one, it was just dealing with him.  It was a full-time job just managing his accusations…I couldn’t do anything else - this was my life for three years.

Did you have a hard time trying to be fair in the edit room?

I think I made him look great compared to what he’s really like; my conscience is clear about that.  You know, his friend, [who was in Toronto promoting another film at TIFF, saw the film and said] “This is the Muthana I know.”… He also wanted people to know this is not what all Iraqis are like…
I’ve made other personal films, so at this point I know how to separate what I actually think or feel from the character that I’m making myself into.  And it’s the same thing with him: I’m not going to make some personal vendetta.

What was Muthana’s reaction to the documentary?

He seemed to like it, and then he went onto the internet and found a blog where someone accused him of being spoiled.  Then he decided he hated it and threatened us with a lawsuit (which is not going anywhere).

How do you feel about the final result?  What do you hope the audience will take from it?

I think I want them to be engaged and entertained in the way that you are when you watch any Hollywood blockbuster.  I strive to make documentaries that are interesting, entertaining, and engaging, and not preachy, not with an omniscient narrator telling you what think and believe.  And then I want them to think it’s artfully done…

The second thing is that, to me, it’s like holding up a mirror to the Western world, and specifically to the United States, to any American, saying: This is what we did.  What would you do? What do you think of this?  Examine your own naiveté and your own willingness to believe what you want to believe, despite what you see …Projection is a huge part of human interaction, and it can be dangerous in a personal relationship; it doesn’t allow you to see the other person.  And it’s really dangerous when bombs are involved.  It’s like, we wanted to believe [the Iraqis] would be happy, but it doesn’t work that way.  They’re not just projections of our values; they are real people with real issues, a history, problems, whatever it is.  And it’s the exact mythology with Muthana: it’s like, eager film student, he’s going to be so psyched to mix vegan snacks on the set.  Well, he’s Muthana, he’s one guy, he’s got a lot of emotional issues and problems, and so you need to be prepared for that.

But not everyone was.  You didn’t know what was going to happen.

But on the other hand I think it was a good thing that Liev [brought Muthana onto the set]; it was a generous act.  I’m sure that Muthana would say he’s glad, because he’s now in the UK with asylum for five years.  He’s psyched, and I guess it’s probably better for anyone to not have to be in Iraq at this point.  He has definitely been through enormous amounts of emotional turmoil, so there have been moments when I thought, Was this even worth it?  This guy has so many problems and maybe he would have been better off staying where he was, and not [have] to deal with all these enormous issues and cultural confusion, and things that I can relate to just because I lived in France.  Even that was traumatic.  And then not being there for his family when they’re going through all those things… it’s so complicated.  I’m sure that he would tell you he was glad that he came.

For more information on Operation Filmmaker please visit www.operationfilmmaker.com.  It will be airing on TVOntario next month.

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