Operation Filmmaker

Documentarian Nina Davenport’s movie about an Iraqi film student who gets an opportunity to leave war-torn Baghdad and work on the film sets of Liev Schreiber’s Everything is Illuminated and Doom starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson morphs into something much more complex when the inspirational story turns political, guilt-ridden and morally questionable. It’s a fascinating piece that grows organically in ways that Davenport couldn’t have foreseen—she finds herself giving her subject advice, friendship and money—and nearly turns into a reality TV show, but not before offering some startling insight into the dangers of “do-gooderism.”

Shelf Talk: Operation Filmmaker picked up some outstanding reviews and respectable awards on the festival circuit last year and has the potential to attract fans of programs on filmmaking a la Project Greenlight and others interested in the Middle East situation minus the real-life bloodshed. Fans of “The Rock” also might be intrigued when they see his name above the title on the cover.