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In 'Operation Filmmaker,' an Unscripted Outcome Actor Liev Schreiber had what he thought was a good idea: He'd reach out to a Baghdad film student, offering him an internship on a shoot. But as Nina Davenport's documentary proves, good intentions don't always end in good outcomes. Critic-at-large John Powers has a review.

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In 'Operation Filmmaker,' an Unscripted Outcome

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In 'Operation Filmmaker,' an Unscripted Outcome

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Muthana Mohmed in Prague, Czech Republic. Icarus Films hide caption

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Icarus Films

Muthana Mohmed in Prague, Czech Republic.

Icarus Films

Operation Filmmaker

  • Director: Nina Davenport
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Running Time: 90 minutes

This film is unrated.

A year after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, actor Liev Schreiber had what he thought was a good idea: He'd reach out to a Baghdad film student, offering him an internship on a shoot in the Czech Republic.

But good intentions don't always end in good outcomes: Muthana Mohmed wasn't the person the Hollywood veterans expected he would be — and the dreary realities of an on-location shoot weren't what Mohmed thought he was signing up for.

Critic-at-large John Powers reviews Nina Davenport's documentary Operation Filmmaker, which follows Mohmed and his benefactors as a well-meant gesture goes dramatically (and comically) awry.

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