The Road to Fallujah follows the story of Mark Manning, the only westerner to live with the people of Fallujah, Iraq immediately following the November 2004 battle that destroyed their ancient and holy city. With unique access to both sides of the conflict, the film gives a voice to the people directly involved and affected by the war and takes an in-depth and humanizing look at the issues in Iraq, breaking through the myths and misconceptions surrounding the violence and offering alternative solutions to war.
Disillusioned with the lack of un-biased information about the war in Iraq, Manning leaves his job as a diver on the offshore oilrigs of California and travels to the Middle East, where he meets and joins forces with an Iraqi woman, Rana Al-Aiouby, a humanitarian aid worker and journalist from Iraq. Together, they travel into the heart of the Iraq war, unembedded and without armed security, to experience and document the reality of war from the perspective of the Iraqi people.
As one Military Commander said, "As went Fallujah, so went Iraq." The Road to Fallujah gives a detailed analysis of the circumstances that led to the siege of Fallujah, the actual events of the siege itself, and the consequences of the battle that have shaped the present situation in Iraq and beyond. With a clear presentation of the reality on the ground in Iraq, the film provides a human perspective of U.S. policy in the Middle East, offering a new direction towards solutions to the current crisis and a guide for future foreign policy decisions.