Nice Bombs

Chicago-based filmmaker Usama Alshaibi returns to Iraq, the country of his birth, after an absence of nearly 24 years. Accompanied by his American wife, Alshaibi reunites with his cousin and childhood friend Tareef, who acts as tour guide and driver, as well as many members of his extended family in Baghdad. What he discovers is a city permeated with the smell of gasoline, and everyday Iraqis who offer reflections ranging from exultation at Saddam's downfall to despair for the future of their country. "Surprisingly warm" — Chicago Tribune.