JEREMY SCAHILL Will Do a Q&A This Wednesday Night, June 12th
After the 7:40 PM Screening of: DIRTY WARS Follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, author of the international bestseller Blackwater, into the heart of America's covert wars, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia and beyond. Part political thriller and part detective story. Dirty Wars is a gripping journey into one of the most important and underreported stories of our time. At The Landmark Theater 10850 West Pico Blvd, West Los Angeles ý11:00amý ý1:10 <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp%3Fafid %3Dgoog%26house_id%3D10485%26movie_id%3D155370%26perfd%3D06112013%26perft%3D 13:10&sa=X&oi=moviest&ii=7&usg=AFQjCNGAb_1IPOk9FqJbHTscC-sfl5lrcA> ý ý3:20 <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp%3Fafid %3Dgoog%26house_id%3D10485%26movie_id%3D155370%26perfd%3D06112013%26perft%3D 15:20&sa=X&oi=moviest&ii=7&usg=AFQjCNHFmRQpwP80UlJPxXiBdXp34hiXBA> ý ý5:30 <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp%3Fafid %3Dgoog%26house_id%3D10485%26movie_id%3D155370%26perfd%3D06112013%26perft%3D 17:30&sa=X&oi=moviest&ii=7&usg=AFQjCNHZZCaVbCPS3hxjKTx7XCpiFgQuvQ> ý ý7:40 <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp%3Fafid %3Dgoog%26house_id%3D10485%26movie_id%3D155370%26perfd%3D06112013%26perft%3D 19:40&sa=X&oi=moviest&ii=7&usg=AFQjCNFHq2Eb31i9gBtAeKkudcls-Owoxg> ý ý9:50pm <http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp%3Fafid %3Dgoog%26house_id%3D10485%26movie_id%3D155370%26perfd%3D06112013%26perft%3D 21:50&sa=X&oi=moviest&ii=7&usg=AFQjCNGemxu77QQNS8YkypRF3qfL-DTBIg> ý Dirty Wars Trailer: www.dirtywars.org/trailer "JAW-DROPPING...Has The Power to Pry Open Government Lock Boxes." Variety www.dirtywars.org Read this Message from Jeremy Scahill <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeremy-Scahill/112236792126381?directed_targ et_id=133496430173006> to Theater Goers about the Movie & the Book: Dirty Wars By Co-Writer & Journalist Jeremy Scahill People often ask me about the connection between our film Dirty Wars and my new book of the same name. How are the stories related? Is the film based on the book or vice-versa? In reality, while sharing a name, and similar concerns, each explores in its own, different way what I consider to be the most important story of our time, the declaration that "the world is a battlefield" and that the president of the United States can operate without meaningful Congressional oversight or public scrutiny. In going on this journey, the film became a much more personal exploration of the stories I report on in my book. And the film also exploresin ways that at first I was uncomfortable sharing publiclyhow I personally have coped with what it means to be a journalist covering these wars. We are always humbled when the credits to our film roll in theaters. The list of people we thank and whose work we acknowledge is a long one. But we wanted to be sure to acknowledge all of them because this film is as much theirs as it is ours. Every film is a collective and collaborative effort. But in documentaries filmed in war zones you face distinct challenges. When people ask us about our safety in filming in various areas of intense conflict, and the risks we face as journalists, we are quick to point out that the people taking far greater risks, the real heroes of our film, are the journalists and many other translators and field producers who helped us but who remain and cannot leave like we can. Even though we can physically leave and return to the United States, these stories have stayed with us. A number of amazing families let us into their homes, put their trust in us, and shared some of their most painful personal moments, in the hope that people in the United States might hear their stories. One of the most powerful moments for us in watching Dirty Wars comes toward the end of our movie. At first, we didn't even realize it, but when we first saw Dirty Wars in a movie theater, projected on a big screen, we realized that you can see myself and director Richard Rowley in the reflection of a young girl looking into the camera and observing us. That elemental connection is profoundly important to us. And it is at the heart of the story we are trying to tell about an interconnected world where we must learn to see our common humanity. Dirty Wars is for us the beginning of a new journey. By screening the film across the country, and traveling to as many theaters as we can for discussions, we hope to participate in a long overdue conversation in our country about the nature of our wars and about our future. Thank you for opening your hearts to the people in our film and joining us in this dialogue. Jeremy Scahill Review of DIRTY WARS by Rob Nelson "Filed from the frontlines of the war on terror, documentarian Richard Rowley's astonishingly hard-hitting Dirty Wars renders the investigative work of journalist Jeremy Scahill in the form of a '70s-style conspiracy thriller. A reporter for the Nation, Scahill follows a blood-strewn trail from a remote corner of Afghanistan, where covert night raids have claimed the lives of innocents, to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a shadowy outfit empowered by the current White House to assassinate those on an ever-expanding 'kill list,' including at least one American. This jaw-dropping, persuasively researched picture has the power to pry open government lockboxes." "This film blew me away from the first shot. It is one of the most stunning looking documentaries I've ever seen. So, for elevating the art of observational cinema through sophisticated lensing and an electric color palette, the <http://www.sundance.org/festival/stories/award-winners/> Cinematography Award for U.S. Documentary goes to Dirty Wars" - <http://www.sundance.org/video/sff13-2013-sundance-film-festival-awards-cere mony/> Sundance Juror Brett Morgen <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/dirty-wars-sundance-review-413968> Dirty Wars: Sundance Review by John DeFore: "Bottom line: A strong filmmaking voice turns already disturbing material into a hot doc."The film's narrative drive offers a compelling package for viewers numbed by one news report after another about civilian deaths and secret hit lists. Its tough investigative tone and surprisingly stylish photography enhance cinematic appeal for a doc that merits theatrical exposure." <http://www.wwd.com/eye/people/dirty-wars-documentary-wins-praise-at-sundanc e-debut-6688669> 'Dirty Wars' Documentary Wins Praise at Sundance Debut by Marcy Medina: "Journalists are trained to keep themselves out of the story, but some cant help become a part of it. In one of the most well-received documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival, Dirty Wars, Jeremy Scahill is both narrator and subject of one of the most incendiary stories in recent history. Directed, shot and edited by fellow war journalist and filmmaker Richard Rowley, Dirty Wars follows Scahill, national security correspondent for The Nation, as he reports on the U.S. covert war on terror, which according to the film has seen thousands added to the U.S. militarys 'kill list,' and elite forces that operate in the shadows." <http://www.slashfilm.com/dirty-wars-review-and-the-government-thought-tortu re-in-zero-dark-thirty-made-them-look-bad-sundance-2013/> Dirty Wars Review By Germain Lussier: "Dirty Wars is a focused, fascinating and frightening look at war in the 21st century. A film youre sure not to forget." <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-abeel/a-true-life-thriller_b_2935188.ht ml> A True-Life Crime Thriller About America's Covert Wars By Erica Abeel, The Huffington Post: "Dirty Wars is a game-changing, mind-blowing film. Dirty Wars assumes the tantalizing shape of a mystery thriller as compelling as any feature film." LA Times Review: <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-dirty-wars-m ovie-obama-20130602,0,6721159.story> DIRTY WARS Filmmakers Go Behind Obama's Counterterrorism Nonfiction Film: Reporter-Narrator Jeremy Scahill, Director Richard Rowley, Writer David Riker Discuss Telling the Stories in the Documentary & US Policies. By Julie Makinen, Los Angeles Times - June 1st, 2013 www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-dirty-wars-movie-oba ma-20130602,0,6721159.story Those who tuned in to President <http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/barack-obama-PEPLT007408.t opic> Obama's speech last month on counterterrorism and national security heard some pretty remarkable things: The commander in chief defending his decision to sanction the killing of a fellow citizen without due process, even while acknowledging that it's unconstitutional. A critique of the expansion of presidential powers that allowed him to do so. A warning that carrying out such assassinations on U.S. soil would be, well, a bad idea. It's enough to make even a devoted student of current affairs pause to reflect: Just how did we get here? The timely new documentary "Dirty Wars" offers some critical back story. Opening in L.A. and New York June 7, the film follows reporter Jeremy Scahill, national security correspondent for the left-leaning magazine the Nation, as he investigates the expansion of covert U.S. counterterrorism missions in places like <http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/afghanistan-PLGEO00000021.topic> Afghanistan, <http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/yemen-PLGEO00000072.topic> Yemen and <http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/somalia-PLGEO00000615.topic> Somalia under the aegis of the Joint Special Operations Command. Scahill's quest started in 2010, before the secret and powerful JSOC became widely known after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. He and director Richard Rowley, a longtime friend, sought to throw light into the shadows where night raids and drone strikes kill suspected terrorists yet also mistakenly wipe out noncombatants and sow new seeds of anti-Americanism. Thousands of such raids and strikes have been launched in the last several years, with little public accounting of their efficacy or even a list of the dead. Though the film tackles complex matters of national security policy, its approach is decidedly personal. In a series of gripping and sobering scenes, Scahill and Rowley bring us face to face with the family of an Afghan police commander whose home in the city of Gardez was erroneously attacked with lethal force by Americans; with Nasser al-Awlaki, an academic and former Fulbright scholar whose American-born son, a radical imam, and 16-year-old grandson were killed in U.S. drone strikes in Yemen; with Somali warlords who have become Washington's proxies in the murky fight against Al Qaeda in Africa. Scahill goes a step beyond that, foregoing the standard role of detached journalist guide. Instead, he narrates "Dirty Wars" in first person, revealing himself as a character wrung out by his own journey in a moral no man's land. Acknowledging what many war correspondents feel but rarely include in their dispatches, he shares an inner monologue of doubts and dilemmas, both as a reporter and simply as an American. "When I first visited Gardez, I had no idea where the story would lead," he says in a voice-over. "I didn't know just how much the world had changed, or how much the journey would change me." The release of "Dirty Wars," which premiered at the <http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/movies/film-festivals/sundance-f ilm-festival-EVFES0000051.topic> Sundance Film Festival in January and won Rowley the prize for cinematography, follows the April publication of Scahill's book of the same name. (It's his second, after his 2007 bestseller "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.") The 642-page book can be read as a deeper, more formal companion piece to the documentary, which came about almost on a whim. "I hadn't thought about doing a film at all. I knew I wanted to do a book.... It was going to be called 'American Ninjas,' and it was just going to be about the guys in JSOC and their history," Scahill, 38, said over coffee in Los Angeles last month, a day after drawing a full house for a reading at the Last Bookstore downtown. "I had gotten a grant to support my reporting, and Rick had no money at the time. I said, 'Listen, I'll pay for your plane ticket to Afghanistan, we'll bunk in the same room and travel.' >From the moment we got there and started filming, I knew we were going to end up doing something together." Though the two had extensive experience abroad Rowley has worked for <http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media-industry/televi sion-industry/al-jazeera-%28tv-network%29-ORCRP000017580.topic> Al Jazeera, <http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media-industry/bbc-OR CRP001723173.topic> BBC, CBC, CNN International and made several other documentaries arranging access to remote locales was often difficult and frustrating, requiring meticulous planning, even kidnap and ransom insurance. "There's a lot of negotiating, because for Afghans, if you come there and something happens to you, an American, when you're in their home someone comes and kidnaps you or you end up getting shot their fear is America will come and wipe them out," said Scahill. At least once, Rowley and Scahill narrowly avoided being abducted. "After one meeting our Afghan colleague told us, 'They were sitting there discussing the positives and negatives of taking you guys.' I said, 'Well, thanks a lot for speaking up!' And he was like 'If I had spoken up I think they probably would have taken us,'" Scahill recalled. "I'm glad I didn't know at the time," he added. "If I had, I would have needed a Depends diaper." If the logistics could be harrowing, so could the emotions and thoughts that such reporting stirs up. "You come across people and they've lost something incredible, like their family has been killed, or someone's been maimed. They don't understand why a raid happened. And no one from the military has said, 'This is what happened, here's compensation.' So essentially you are an ambassador of your country, whether you agree with the policy or not, that's how you are viewed," Scahill said. "I did start saying to people, I'm sorry for what happened and some people have criticized me for that, saying it's not journalistic." "I often feel like I'm in a position where I'm the only American these people are ever going to meet, and I want them to know that we actually care about this," he added. "Whether it's true or not in the government I don't know, but where is the rule that journalists aren't allowed to be human beings?" Telling that dimension of the story wasn't initially in the cards. After two years of work, Rowley and Scahill had assembled a rough, four-hour cut of the documentary. They invited their friend David Riker, a screenwriter on narrative films, to view the footage and offer advice. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
