Nick Broomfield adds his voice to the wave of films on modern warfare and terrorism with Battle For Haditha, which gets its much anticipated world premiere here on Sept 11.
The British film-maker employed his trademark unflinching storytelling style in the re-enactment of an alleged retaliatory massacre of 24 Iraqi innocents by US Marines after their comrade was killed by a roadside bomb in November 2005.
The $2m Lafayette Film, HanWay and Film4 co-production used little-known actors and actual Marines, including one, Elliot Ruiz, who was invalided out of the war after he was injured following an IED (improvised explosive device) blast.
Broomfield was careful not judge either side. 'The Marines in our film wouldn't have wanted to be in anything that showed them not sticking up for the Corps.' Conversely, he says there was concern in Jordan, where he shot the film over eight weeks earlier this year, that this was going to be an anti-Iraqi film. 'When the Jordanians saw what we were doing they were happy. They were incredibly supportive.'
The producers made the actors playing Marines sleep in a makeshift barracks to build the sense of camaraderie. He used a real Iraqi family to portray the residents caught in the crosshairs, and for the insurgents he cast Iraqis with unspecified experience. 'When I asked if anybody knew how to build an IED, several of them put up their hands and then looked a bit sheepish.'
Broomfield wrote a detailed outline and encouraged the cast to improvise when the camera rolled. Action sequences were carefully choreographed.
As the hearings into the Haditha killings are ongoing, Broomfield had to be careful not to be in contempt of court and used only information gleaned from official reports and public press coverage.
'I'm not out to get anybody or look for character flaws. These things are an inevitable outcome of what happens in war. If I were to blame anybody it would be Bush and the Administration. The Marines are the scapegoats and are taking the rap for a very unpopular war.'
The British film-maker employed his trademark unflinching storytelling style in the re-enactment of an alleged retaliatory massacre of 24 Iraqi innocents by US Marines after their comrade was killed by a roadside bomb in November 2005.
The $2m Lafayette Film, HanWay and Film4 co-production used little-known actors and actual Marines, including one, Elliot Ruiz, who was invalided out of the war after he was injured following an IED (improvised explosive device) blast.
Broomfield was careful not judge either side. 'The Marines in our film wouldn't have wanted to be in anything that showed them not sticking up for the Corps.' Conversely, he says there was concern in Jordan, where he shot the film over eight weeks earlier this year, that this was going to be an anti-Iraqi film. 'When the Jordanians saw what we were doing they were happy. They were incredibly supportive.'
The producers made the actors playing Marines sleep in a makeshift barracks to build the sense of camaraderie. He used a real Iraqi family to portray the residents caught in the crosshairs, and for the insurgents he cast Iraqis with unspecified experience. 'When I asked if anybody knew how to build an IED, several of them put up their hands and then looked a bit sheepish.'
Broomfield wrote a detailed outline and encouraged the cast to improvise when the camera rolled. Action sequences were carefully choreographed.
As the hearings into the Haditha killings are ongoing, Broomfield had to be careful not to be in contempt of court and used only information gleaned from official reports and public press coverage.
'I'm not out to get anybody or look for character flaws. These things are an inevitable outcome of what happens in war. If I were to blame anybody it would be Bush and the Administration. The Marines are the scapegoats and are taking the rap for a very unpopular war.'
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