Film Night - Friday, November 7th, “The Road to Fallujah” - 7:45 PM - At Yoga Desa - 120 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga - Director Mark Manning in Attendance
Film Night
Friday, November 7th
The Topanga Peace Alliance Presents:
The Road to Fallujah
With Director Mark Manning
Snack Potluck at 7:45 PM – Film Starts at 8:00 PM
at
Yoga Desa in the Pine Tree Circle Shopping Center
120 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Topanga 90290
In the Pinetree Center (across from the Post Office). Located 4 miles north of Pacific Coast Hwy, on the right and 8 miles south of the 101 on the left (across from Old Topanga, the Post Office, and Abuelita’s).
Please bring wine, cheese, dip, fruit or crackers.
RSVP to Julie at: 310-455-9389
Requested Donation $10.00 (No one turned away)Please do not disturb the yoga class in session before the movie.
Pot luck is outside a few steps north of the studio.
THE ROAD TO FALLUJAH follows the story of Mark Manning, the only westerner to live with the people of
Fallujah, Iraq immediately following the November 2004 battle that destroyed their ancient and holy city. With unique access to both sides of the conflict, the film gives a voice to the people directly involved and affected by the war and takes an in-depth and humanizing look at the issues in Iraq, breaking through the myths and misconceptions surrounding the violence and offering alternative solutions to war.Disillusioned with the lack of unbiased information about the war in Iraq , Manning leaves his job as a diver on the offshore oil rigs of California and travels to the Middle East, where he meets and joins forces with an Iraqi woman, Rana Al-Aiouby, a humanitarian aid worker and journalist from Iraq . Together, they travel into the heart of the
Iraq war, un-embedded and without armed security, to experience and document the reality of war from the perspective of the Iraqi people.A joint production between American and Iraqi filmmakers, THE ROAD TO FALLUJAH includes interviews with Iraqi civilians, refugees, resistance fighters, members of the American Military and Congress, media analysts, Islamic scholars, and world leaders of peace, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Arun Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Thich Nhat Hanh.
As one Military Commander said, "As went Fallujah, so went
Iraq ." THE ROAD TO FALLUJAH gives a detailed analysis of the circumstances that led to the siege of Fallujah, the actual events of the siege itself, and the consequences of the battle that have shaped the present situation in Iraq and beyond. With a clear presentation of the reality on the ground in Iraq , the film provides a human perspective of U.S. policy in the Middle East , offering a new direction towards solutions to the current crisis and a guide for future foreign policy decisions.Mark Manning is a friend to Topanga and to the Topanga Peace
Alliance, and is delighted to be pre-screening his completed film with us:“When I first got back from Fallujah I was devastated by what I had seen in Iraq and at a loss of how to put the story together and get it out to people here in America . The people of The Topanga Peace Alliance came together after viewing a short documentary I had made and offered their assistance and support in getting a full feature documentary film made on the subject of the suffering in Iraq . It was a long struggle and without the initial support from the people of Topanga the film might not have ever been completed. Their support and friendship was invaluable. I am honored to be able to screen this sneak preview in Topanga where the initial work began to the people who had the compassion and generosity to offer their support. I will always be grateful to the Topanga Peace Alliance and look forward to showing the film there and reconnecting with my old friends.”
