{"id":18655,"date":"2019-07-24T08:44:51","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T15:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=films&p=18655"},"modified":"2023-10-30T09:36:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T16:36:35","slug":"the-interpreters","status":"publish","type":"films","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/documentaries\/the-interpreters\/","title":{"rendered":"The Interpreters"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Interpreters <\/span><\/i>is a poignant but tense portrayal of a very human and high-stakes side of war’s aftermath, the story of how Afghan and Iraqi interpreters risked their lives aiding American troops–but then became the people we left behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 50,000 local interpreters helped protect U.S. military forces on the ground, enabling them to communicate with the local population. But those who took the job were often considered traitors (a Taliban spokesperson heard in the film declares that interpreters “still cooperating with foreign forces are enemies of the nation…. collaborators of the infidels, so legally and morally we have the right to finish them off.”) As the years go by, hope dwindles for the thousands of interpreters still seeking the protection they were promised for their sacrifice. In the aftermath of war, some have been able to leave their home countries and reach safety, with others still languishing in hiding, fearing for their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Filmed over the course of two years <\/span>The Interpreters<\/span><\/i> follows three of these men, each facing what seems an impossible, unfathomable dilemma for them and their families: remain in place and wait for paperwork that may never arrive, or attempt a hazardous exit route to Europe to return to their home countries, where they’ve been targeted by fundamentalist insurgents. One of the men, nicknamed “Phillip Morris” for security and in teasing reference to his chain-smoking, is fortunate to have an American soldier advocating on his behalf, National Guard member Paul, who works tirelessly to get Phillip to safety in the U.S. But when his family\u2019s paperwork is delayed, and they\u2019re forced to stay behind in Iraq amidst the rising threat of ISIS, Phillip must wait anxiously for his family to join him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phillip has fared better than many of his peers. Malik, an active interpreter at the American Air Force base in Kabul, has been waiting for his Special Immigrant Visa for nearly four years, while stuck in visa process limbo. Traveling to the base carries with it the specter of death, so to ensure his family\u2019s safety, Malik moves with his wife and two children from the homes of different loved ones, back and forth, every few days. And Mujtaba, an Afghan interpreter who worked with the Army and the DEA, and who becomes fearful for his life while waiting endlessly for his visa, leaves with his family for Turkey, and then hopes to make a risky crossing to Greece and freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, these stories <\/span>of the relationships formed as a result of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan serve<\/span> as a reminder of the responsibilities of armed conflict–and how it affects people on the human level, even decades later.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Interpreters is a poignant but tense portrayal of a very human and high-stakes side of war’s aftermath, the story of how Afghan and Iraqi interpreters risked their lives aiding American troops–but then became the people we left behind.\u00a0 During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 50,000 local interpreters helped protect U.S. military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":19024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[1261,1239,1220,1225,1258],"class_list":["post-18655","films","type-films","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-human-rights","topic-identity","topic-immigration","topic-politics-and-government","topic-war-military"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Interpreters | Afghanis & Iraqis Left Behind | Independent Lens | PBS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Afghan and Iraqi interpreters risked their lives aiding American troops and are now in 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