Bringing the War Home

By Laura Hanna & Astra Taylor

June 1, 2007

How does it feel to be caught in a war that shouldn't ever have been waged? In New York City on Memorial Day, Iraq war veterans used street theater to bring the reality home.

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Pointing imaginary guns and roughing up "Iraqi civilians", a group of antiwar veterans brought the realities of the Iraq debacle to Manhattan, in a Memorial Day protest that briefly turned the streets of the city into a combat zone. In "Operation First Casualty," a half-dozen members of Iraq Veterans Against the War employed the tactics of street theater to stage mini-dramas in Times Square, Union Square and the World Trade Center site, simulating sniper fire and staging mock arrests of fellow protesters who portrayed Iraqis. The group plans to take Operation First Casualty to the streets of Chicago June 17.

About Laura Hanna

Laura Hanna is a filmmaker who, with Astra Taylor, produces short-form documentaries for The Nation. Their New York-based production company, Hidden Driver, specializes in feature-length and short-form films focusing on intellectual, cultural and political issues

A California native, she has worked in all stages of production, as an editor, producer, sound recordist, post-production sound editor, mixer and designer. She is currently directing the documentary feature Megapolis.

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About Astra Taylor

Astra Taylor is a writer, filmmaker and director who, with Laura Hanna, produces short-form documentaries for The Nation. Their New York-based production company, Hidden Driver, specializes in feature-length and short-form films that explore intellectual, cultural and political issues.

She directed the 2005 documentary Zizek!. In 2006, she was named one of the 25 New Faces to Watch in independent cinema by Filmmaker Magazine.

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