Only days after the U.S. declared the war officially over, the American and Iraqi teens from Bridge to Baghdad I reunite to talk about what has happened and what is to come.
As Americans wait in anticipation to see how the dawn of a new Iraq will unfold, many questions about the war, and about life under Saddam, remain unanswered. Imagine being able to call up an old friend and ask those questions, directly, honestly, with no hesitation. This is what happened when DCTV and Chat the Planet brought together the youth of the critically acclaimed Bridge to Baghdad to speak again for the first time since the bombs fell.
Bridge to Baghdad I was filmed on March 1, 2003, just two weeks before the start of the war. Airing on WorldLink TV, NHK and a host of independent media outlets, American audiences were captivated by the simple premise of the show: connecting the youth of New York City and the youth of Baghdad for a no-holds-barred conversation. Afterwards, during the war, the American teenagers waited anxiously stateside for phone calls and emails that never came. Were their new friends dead or alive?
Only days after the U.S. declared the war officially over, DCTV and NextNext Entertainment sent a crew to a now smoldering Baghdad to search for the young Iraqis, found emerging to begin their adult lives in a strange new world. In Bridge to Baghdad II, the teens are reunited and finally able to ask the questions which have been burning inside them for weeks: What happened during the war? How do you feel now that Saddam is gone from power? Were there things you wanted to say last time but could not because of the regime? The American and Iraqi youth together tackle the largest question of all -- What now?
Free from the restraints of Iraqi dictatorship and American mainstream media, the teens speak frankly and directly about their hopes and fears for the future.
As in Bridge to Baghdad I, dramatic documentary footage of daily life for the teens in Iraq compliments the conversation and provides a new lens through which to view the conflict.
It also provides the American public with an unprecedented look inside of Iraqis’ homes during the rule of Saddam Hussein and during the first months of the war in Iraq.
Awards:
Aegis Award: Award of Excellence, Television News
Credits:
Editors: John Custodio, Carrie Goldman, Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud
Executive Producer: Jon Alpert, Kate Hillis, Laurie Meadoff, Matthew O'Neill
Field Reporters: Jon Alpert, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Craig Renaud, Brent Renaud
Technical Details:
2003, trt:58:18 min, English, Color
; "Bridge to Baghdad II")
