I just got done watching Voices of Iraq. Wow. My initial reaction was one of being shocked. Not shock from the violence or the “occupation,” but from the hopes and dreams of the Iraqis that are not presented in today’s media. While our media is spreading bad news every single day because violence sells, Voices of Iraq tells us a much different story.

Voices of Iraq is not U.S. propoganda, it is recorded directly from Iraqis and they choose what they wish to film. You have footage of thousands of Iraqis, all with the same wish that Democracy will prevail and they will have a better life because of it.

There are very few people in this film that curse the United States and wish for a return to Saddam. In fact, the entire film is filled with Iraqis that tell of Saddam’s cruelty and rejoice at their new-found freedoms.

Showing headlines of prominent United States newspapers, Voices of Iraq throws these headlines out the window with real-life footage and reactions to the stories that seem to be disasters. Take for instance Abu Gahraib. While U.S. newspapers printed that this would be the downfall to the war in Iraq, Iraqis joke about it and call the apology given by President Bush himself on Iraqi television as a grand sign of democracy. What about the church bombings? The New York Times painted it as if there was an impending war between Christians and Muslims. Not so say the Iraqis in Voices of Iraq.

Towards the end of the film, Iraqis discuss the terrorist acts and what reasons terrorists might have for the bombings and beheadings. Our media presents this as a “rebellion,” whereas Iraqis paint the entirely different picture where terrorists are funded by other nations in the region so Democracy will not succeed in Iraq. It is Democracy that outside countries fear and that is why they fund the terrorists.

After watching Voices of Iraq, I question not whether the U.S. media is glorifying violence because it sells, I question why they are leaving out what truly are stories; the hopes and the dreams that Iraqis now have because of Democracy.

For more of the good news though after seeing Voices of Iraq it’s closer to the real news) see Freedom’s Voices, a Blogs of War special.

Update:
Joel Mawbray has written a good review on Voices of Iraq appearing on Townhall.

Groundbreaking and instantly compelling, VOI is sort of the anti-Michael Moore film. There’s no narration, no heavy-handed editing. And whereas the man from Flint started with his premise and assembled his film to support it, the only goal when making VOI was to emulate the producers’ trailblazing MTV show Fear, which gave cameras to everyday youths who filmed themselves at supposedly haunted locations. Defying expectations, the show was a hit.

You cannot view Voices of Iraq and say that our undertaking inside of Iraq is not noble and life altering for not only the Iraqis, but for every single person who lives under a dictatorship. Whereas the media hypes the war in Iraq as a quagmire and even suggests we are less secure, Voices of Iraq tells us the different story where even a fraction of hope has made every single person in the entire world more safe in the long run. It is a must-see and I only wish it had been released a month sooner.