Battleground: 21 Days On The Empire's Edge
  Peace & Justice
  (2004, 83 minutes)

In late 2003, two filmmakers from the Sundance award-winning Guerrilla News Network spent three weeks on the frontlines of the simmering guerrilla war in Iraq, gathering intelligence, dodging bullets, and capturing the untold stories of what has become the world's most covered, and misunderstood, conflict. BattleGround is an emotionally intense journey that will challenge the orthodoxies of Left and Right, and highlight the humanity of all sides of the conflict. BattleGround is a critical film for anyone who wants to understand the powerful forces that are sucking America deeper and deeper into a Middle Eastern quagmire. Is Iraq our generation's "Bright Shining Lie," or is it the frontline in a global battle for national survival? Or is to some combination of both?

“Stephen Marshall, co-founder of the Guerilla News Network, is a good enough journalist to let the stories of the people he met there during the first days of the occupation speak for themselves. … the film features footage of US troops expressing their own candid opinions about the war, and -- surprise! -- they're somewhat less than gung-ho.”
-- Adam Nayman, Eye Weekly

BATTLEGROUND consistently delivers an unvarnished view of what things are really like in Iraq. It’s a strange air of resentment mixed with hopefulness, and while some believe that our intervention there can only bring about the downfall of their civilization, others hope for the best and foresee an era of prosperity that was not possible under Saddam Hussein’s iron-fisted regime. What BATTLEGROUND does so effectively is bring the day to day reality of a war in a foreign country home to it’s target audience, giving one a stark sense of just what the day in and day out existence is like there.”
--Brian McKay, The eFilm Critic

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
2004 Chicago Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Chicago Film Festival
2004 Mill Valley Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Mill Valley Film Festival
2005 Brisbane Film Festival. For more in the 2005 Brisbane Film Festival

Shot and Directed by:
Stephen Marshall

Take The Next Step!

Connect a screening of Battleground to efforts to end the war and support Iraqi civilians. Visit our Peace and Justice Action Page and our Civilian Action Page

For a full listing of actions visit our Actions Page!


Available on DVD:

Purchase at: GNN and Amazon for $26.99 and to rent from Netflix, Blockbuster, and Hollywood Video. If it isn’t in your local video store, tell them to order it! If you purchase a DVD from GNN you may use it for a small community screening.

Website:
www.gnn.tv