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GUEST: Laura Poitras, New York based Peabody award-winning film maker

When the tragedy of 9/11 occurred five years ago, President Bush and many of his administration officials were desperate to hit Iraq in retaliation, a country they had been eyeing since Bush’s presidency began. It wasn’t until over a year later that the US invaded Iraq, starting an occupation that continues today. This week, a new documentary, My Country, My Country, by independent award winning film maker Laura Poitras, opens in Los Angeles. The film is an intimate portrait of occupied Iraq, focusing on a single Iraqi, Dr. Riyadh, and his family. Riyadh is a doctor and was a Sunni political candidate in the January 2005 elections in Iraq. While he is extremely critical of the US occupation, he is equally passionate about the need to establish democracy in Iraq. Laura Poitras worked alone in Iraq for over eight months making this extraordinary film. Her last film, Flag Wars, a documentary about gentrification in Columbus, Ohio, won numerous awards including the Peabody, and Best Documentary award at the 2003 South by Southwest film festival. It was also nominated for a 2004 Independent Spirit Award and a 2004 Emmy Award.

Her latest film, My Country, My Country has also begun attracting the attention of major film festivals – it opens at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills on Friday September 15.

For more information, visit www.mycountrymycountry.com

Laemmle Music Hall is located at 9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, 90211.