For twenty years, the United States Marine Corps tried to bury the truth about Haditha.
In 2005, 24 civilians were killed by a squad of United States Marines in the Iraqi city of Haditha, a massacre that became one of the most notorious and controversial incidents of the war. What followed was a years-long battle over what really happened, who would be held accountable, and how far the Marine Corps would go to protect itself.
At the center of the story is NCIS Special Agent Michael Maloney, the most senior forensic consultant assigned to the case. As Maloney examined the evidence, he discovered that prosecutors hid from him a key eyewitness, sponsored perjured testimony, and granted immunity to Marines who were likely guilty of murder. When Maloney spoke up, he came under intense political pressure to alter his findings and his testimony in the case.
Now, for the first time, the complete story is finally being told. Based on over 100 hours of documentary footage shot without the government’s knowledge or permission, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Michael Epstein delivers a gripping investigative series that finally reveals the truth about the Haditha Massacre and the government cover-up that followed.
Michael Epstein is an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and podcast producer whose work has been awarded two George Foster Peabody Awards, two Primetime Emmys, a Writers Guild of America Award, a Clio, and numerous other honors. His films have premiered at dozens of international festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, FIPADOC (Biarritz), and the Tribeca Film Festival.
Epstein has worked for several PBS series, including American Masters, The American Experience, and Frontline. He has made films for A&E, AOL, Channel 4, and the BBC. From 2009 to 2023, Epstein taught documentary journalism in the MFA program in documentary film at the School of Visual Arts. Fault Line: Haditha, which Epstein wrote, directed, and hosts, is a new 13-part podcast series for iHeartMedia. The series is the result of twenty years of dogged reporting by Epstein, and tells, for the first time, the complete, comprehensive story of the Haditha Massacre, where 24 Iraqi civilians were killed by United States Marines.
For direct inquiries, contact him at info@viewfindernyc.com.
