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SFFILM Festival

Shadow World

Directed by Johan Grimonprez

USA/ Belgium/ Denmark | 94

24 Apr
Sun, Apr 24, 2016 at 6:45 pm PT

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

Director Johan Grimonprez

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=1

Film 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