Shadow World
Description
Shadow World uses vivid and haunting imagery as visual evidence of Andrew Feinstein’s frightening book on the global arms trade and the new growth industry of war. With insightful interviews, archival and found footage and a keen eye for content, director Johan Grimonprez examines the Iran-Contra scandal, the Iraq War, the dynamics of profiteering concealed within the War on Terror, weapons deals between Britain’s BAE Systems and the Saudi-Arabian government and more. Shadow World digs deeply into the corruption and conflicting interests inherent in companies that deal in arms, the privatization of war and the relationship between powerful lobbyists and politicians in an era when munitions manufacturers are deeply entwined with governments around the world. Several visual passages illuminate the words of late journalist Eduardo Galeano, whose work sought to cure society of its historical amnesia about conflict. But the film’s most telling comment may come from Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who inadvertently calls attention to the dangers of turning a blind eye to the finance of war when he says, “I would be offended if I thought we had a monopoly on corruption.” —Gustavus Kundahl
Born in Belgium in 1962, Johan Grimonprez studied cultural anthropology, photography and multimedia before making Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (SFIFF 1998), a prescient film essay showing how airplane hijackings have altered the course of news reporting. His short, Looking For Alfred (2005), combines Alfred Hitchcock impersonators and surrealism, and his first feature, Double Take (2009), also employs Hitchcock in a tale of Cold War paranoia.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/158394268?autoplay=1Film Details
Language English
Year 2016
Runtime 94
Country USA/ Belgium/ Denmark
Director Johan Grimonprez
Producer Joslyn Barnes, Anadil Hossain
Writer Johan Grimonprez
Editor Per K. Kirkegaard, Pedro Collantes, Dieter Diependaele
Cinematographer Nicole Mackinlay Hahn