Mosul

In the fall of 2016, an army of over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and militia men mobilize to liberate Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, from ISIS occupation. Among them is embedded Iraqi journalist Ali Maula, who witnesses the temporary alliance between Sunnis, Shiites, Christians and Kurds — all of whom have differing motivations in the region - but are driven by the unified goal of freeing their country from the scourge of ISIS.

The road to Mosul is not easy, and it provides a snapshot of the controversial and larger-than-life characters who are impacting a political climate that has reached its boiling point: a Sunni tribal leader called "The Crocodile;" a lawyer-turned-warrior; a, Iranian-backed female militia leader avenging the death of her husband; and the refugees who inhabit sprawling relief camps that are the scars of ISIS occupation. As we near the end of Ali’s journey, we encounter a jailed ISIS prisoner who reveals the haunting truth behind his organization.

In the aftermath of the largest sieges since Stalingrad, sectarian conflict begins to re-emerge - and the tactical victory is met by a stark realization: that the war against ISIS may be over, but the seeds of another conflict have already been sown.