Baghdadi Street Life: Examining the Challenges of Representing and Recreating Baghdad in Interactive Documentary – A Practice-Based Case Study

Hsham Aburghif

doi:10.5195/cinej.2026.710

Baghdadi Street Life: Examining the Challenges of Representing and Recreating Baghdad in Interactive Documentary – A Practice-Based Case Study

Authors

Hsham Aburghif Victorian Institute of Technology-Melbourne https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4297-2073

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.710

Keywords:

interactive documentary, urban representation, practice-based research, Baghdad, city image, hub narrative, co-creation, ethical filmmaking, misrepresentation

Abstract

This study explores the challenge of representing urban environments, focusing on the misrepresentation of Baghdad in mainstream cinema. It argues that interactive documentaries (i-docs) offer a powerful framework for creating more authentic, nuanced, and participatory city portraits. Drawing on a practice-based research methodology, this article analyses the creative and structural choices behind the i-doc Baghdadi Street Life (2022). Specifically, it demonstrates how the project employs a hub narrative structure to subvert monolithic narratives of conflict. The study provides concrete examples of the i-doc's user interface, navigation, and layered multimedia, showing how users can explore themes of resilience, culture, and daily life on streets like Al-Mutanabbi and Abu Nawas. By foregrounding co-creation with Iraqi participants, the project counters the passive viewership of traditional film and establishes Baghdad’s streets as sites of community and lived experience. The article concludes by discussing the ethical considerations of this co-creative process and the i-doc’s potential impact on its intended audience, contributing to scholarly debates on urban representation, i-doc typologies, and ethical filmmaking.

References

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Published

2026-05-22

How to Cite

Aburghif, H. (2026). Baghdadi Street Life: Examining the Challenges of Representing and Recreating Baghdad in Interactive Documentary – A Practice-Based Case Study. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 14(1), 588–600. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2026.710

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Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): Spring

Section

Articles

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