Mosul

In 2016 the Iraqi government led a military operation to reclaim the city of Mosul, which had been seized by ISIS two years prior. The bloody battle ended nine months later in victory for Iraq, but it came at a high cost. While the exact numbers are still unknown, the estimated death toll was somewhere around 10,000 people, with over 3,000 being civilians. At one point, ISIS began kidnapping innocent citizens, barbarically using them as human shields. Besides the loss of lives, the structural damage to the city was devastating. In director Dan Gabriel’s eye-opening documentary, Mosul, viewers are given an unparalleled amount of access to the infamous conflict. The film is assembled from point-of-view combat footage and raw interviews taken by Iraqi journalist, Ali Maula, and his crew. Making the documentary wasn’t easy as the filmmakers risked death, ducking sniper fire and carefully avoiding car bombs. Adding to the film’s authenticity is the fact that Gabriel did six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He and Maula’s personal experiences and vast knowledge of the region make this an important and in-depth documentary on the subject. (Cleveland International Film Festival)