Q&A: Beth Murphy, Director of The List

• October 09, 2012
• Article

09.10.2012 - Beth Murphy's compelling documentary The List follows Kirk Johnson, an American foreign-aid worker who compiles a list of thousands of Iraqis being persecuted at home and fights to get them refuge. Before the premiere of the film at ADFF, Murphy answered our questions.

You have directed a number of socially conscious documentaries before making The List. Where does The List stand in your career?

The List is representative of the kind of work I always want to do: Films that bring attention to individuals and groups who might not otherwise be heard, and films that address complex moral questions, examining them on both a global and a personal level. Stories of people like Kirk Johnson and the Iraqi workers in The List inspire me; in this case to chase after the footage and the interviews for nearly four years, all across the globe, from the US and Iraq to Syria, Jordan and Egypt. 

How did you first meet Kirk? And how was the film idea developed?

I volunteer on the board of the International Institute of New England, an organization that helps settle refugees in the Boston area. In early 2007, our organization was preparing for a flood of refugees from Iraq, especially those who worked directly for the U.S. government while we were at war in their country. Some of these people had been threatened, some kidnapped, others executed as a warning to anyone who might consider allying with the Americans.

Even though our agency was prepared for a big influx of refugees, they didn't arrive. This raised a red flag for me. If these people were endangered through their service to the United States, why weren't they turning up for resettlement?  That year, one State Department official suggested that 20,000 Iraqi refugees could be admitted into the U.S. over the course of 2007, but by the end of July, only 133 had been let in. I started making phone calls to try to figure out what was holding up the process.  It was a call with someone at the State Department that led me to Kirk Johnson and his work.

After meeting Kirk and getting some sense of his commitment to the people who had worked side by side with him in Iraq, I knew I wanted to film his story as it unfolded. Less than a month after our first meeting, I was on my way to Chicago to film Yaghdan, the first man from Kirk's list, as he arrived in the United States.

You followed Kirk's story over a long period of time. Can you tell us more about the production process including the frustrations you faced?

As an observer, it has been deeply disturbing to me to witness the massive bureaucratic failure of my government in its relationship with the Iraqi workers it directly employed. It's a failure that has often seemed to suggest that no one really cares if these people live or die. 

There have been moments of tremendous accomplishment for Kirk-the arrival of Yaghdan was a huge milestone. The much later arrival of Ana and her family was also a joy and a relief. However, even now when Kirk and his team have successfully brought almost 1300 people from The List safely into the US, every positive outcome is tempered by the knowledge that there are still thousands who are waiting, still in danger, their lives marginalized and on hold. I think it haunts him. I know it haunts me.

What were the challenges you faced when filming in the Middle East? How did you build the trust among the Iraqis?

The security of the Iraqis we interviewed was always our first priority. All the people we interviewed were already in danger because of an affiliation with America. This created constant challenges as we set up communication, meeting places, etc. There were two big factors that made it possible to capture the footage we have: First, Kirk Johnson is deeply respected by this community of refugees. They were aware of the work he had already done on their behalf and in the aid of others in the same situation. Kirk's fluency in Arabic also helped to put the Iraqis at ease. Secondly, the vast majority of the interviews we filmed in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Egypt were done with one major caveat: the interview could only be used in the film if the subject had safely been resettled in the United States. For this reason, a great deal of our footage remains unusable even today.

What's your personal view on American politics regarding the Middle East?

I'd like to focus on one particular area of US/Middle East politics:  The Special Immigrant Visa. This piece of legislation was a perfect example of both sides of the political aisle coming together to agree on an urgent and important policy. Prominent senators worked side by side to craft a system that would give priority to Iraqi citizens who worked for America and who were in danger because of that affiliation. 25000 visas were set aside just for this population, and the process was to be expedited to help save the lives of these allies.

Congress passed it. The President signed it into law. There was a tremendous time of hope among the waiting refugees who would be eligible. Five years later, more than 19000 of these visas have not been used. Organizations like Kirk Johnson's List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies and The Center for American Progress have advocated and worked and pushed and pulled, but the visas remain stuck in a mass of bureaucratic red tape that no one seems to be able to pass.

In my opinion, this apathy and disregard for a very specific piece of legislations designed to help a desperate population is a crime.  All of the United States' ally nations in Iraq airlifted their Iraqi workers to safety years ago. Unless someone at the top of our government stands up and demands action and accountability on this issue, it will never be resolved.

What are the latest news and updates from Kirk and The List project?

In recent months, Kirk has started a new list; not of cases he'd like the State Department to prioritise, but of what the US-affiliated workers are going through while they wait for someone in our government to process their Visa requests. This list is a sobering one:  death threats, assassination attempts, kidnappings and casualties. It is Kirk's hope that this approach might inspire a sense of urgency in the handling of the Iraqis' cases. Kirk is also writing a book that chronicles the story of The List. It will be published next year. 

How can we citizens from all over the world help Kirk and contribute to The List project?

The List Project still receives pleas for help on a daily basis from US-affiliated Iraqis. To support Kirk's Johnson's work, please visit the website for The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies (thelistproject.org).

If you want to be involved with the impact campaign for The List documentary, please visit Principle Pictures (principlepictures.com), or contact me directly at (bmurphy@principlepictures.com). Our goals for this campaign in partnership with the film include fostering public understanding and dialogue about issues of cultural tolerance and moral responsibility in war; creating opportunities for high school and college students to study the human consequences of war; engaging the legislative community to re-authorise the Special Immigrant Visa before it expires, and empowering the legal community to be better able to address the needs of refugee populations. 

Can you talk about how you started making documentaries and what was the main reason behind choosing this path? Which documentary filmmakers and documentaries influenced you the most?

I was a journalist and a news anchor before I started making documentary films, and every day that I delivered the news in 60-second increments, it drove me crazy to think about how much of each story had to be left behind to fit into the small time segment.  How can we ever really understand what's going on in the world when we only see and hear such a tiny part of it?   

When I founded Principle Pictures, I did it so I could tell more of the stories that matter to me.  The subjects my company chooses are ones that are close to my heart-stories that give a voice to people who are seldom heard; that raise social awareness; that emphasize the importance of education and compassion. The news industry has changed dramatically over the past decade-to the point of sometimes being just a rapidly moving ticker at the bottom of the screen. I think documentaries help to fill the void that is being left by the racing pace of the news media.

Özge Calafato