Early in 2004, 150 digital video cameras were distributed to ordinary Iraqis. After 24 years of silence on matters that might offend the state, Iraqis turn the cameras on their compatriots, who freely express their thoughts, grief, hopes and dreams for themselves and their country. Voices of Iraq pushes past violence and mayhem that is played out daily in the Western media, capturing the everyday lives of children, mothers, students, taxi drivers and politicians, among others. It presents not embattled and embittered survivors of a bloody regime, followed by allied occupation and militant insurgency, but rather a range of dynamic personalities, who provide texture and richness to our understanding of what it means to be Iraqi today. By turns, the stories are disturbing, amusing, endearing and horrifying. Above all else, the stories are deeply compelling. Perhaps surprisingly, these voices portray a robust and optimistic people full of energy, urgency and hope. These survivors of conflict also have a remarkable capacity to remain generous towards the American forces, whose presence is not bringing peace in any great hurry.

Contains scenes that may offend some viewers