Boots on the ground

After spending two weeks in Iraq in 1991, docmaker Ziri Rideaux knew she wanted to explore more of what was happening on the ground in areas of conflict. Rather than rely on overused officials to get stories, however, Rideaux wanted them from locals. That first trip to Iraq, she tagged along with a friend who'd gone there to report. 'I realized that there is so much censorship going on that the stuff in the news or on tv about warfare is really crap. It's like they're making it for kids: this is the good guy, this is the bad guy,' says Rideaux. 'That just made me angry, so I thought, 'Okay, I want to go and see more firsthand.'' Over the next four years, Rideaux traveled everywhere from Bosnia to Afghanistan to film in countries impacted by war.