Operation Filmmaker (2008)

In the haunting aftermath of Baghdad's fall in 2003, amid the skeletal remains of its film school, a magnetic young film student, Muthana Mohmed, shares his shattered dreams of cinematic glory with an American television audience. His aspirations, first crushed under Saddam Hussein's regime, then pulverized by American airstrikes, seem forever buried. Yet, fate takes an unexpected turn when Muthana's tale of despair, aired on MTV, ensnares the attention of Liev Schreiber, a well-known actor/director in the United States. Plagued with guilt over a war he vehemently opposed, Schreiber offers Muthana a glimmer of hope - an invitation to Prague to work on an American film, Everything is Illuminated. However, as Muthana steps onto the film set, a web of unmet expectations and cultural misunderstandings begins to weave, complicating his relationships with his American sponsors. Meanwhile, Nina Davenport, the filmmaker behind Operation Filmmaker, finds herself inextricably drawn into Muthana's escalating predicament as his visa nears its expiration, and the chilling specter of a return to war-torn Baghdad looms ominously. The film unfolds as an engrossing allegory of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, delving deep into the complex dynamics between the American filmmaker and her Iraqi subject. Operation Filmmaker not only brings to light Muthana's personal journey but also casts a harsh light on the larger geopolitical landscape.

Operation Filmmaker is a comedy movie featuring Alberto Bonilla.

Operation Filmmaker is currently streaming on Fandor.