THE SHOCK DOCTRINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) SYNOPSIS

Transcription

1 THE SHOCK DOCTRINE (WORK IN PROGRESS) SYNOPSIS Based on the book by Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine seeks to explain the rise of disaster capitalism : the exploitation of moments of crisis by governments and big business in order to ransack the economies of vulnerable countries. The film traces the doctrine s beginnings in the radical theories of Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago, and its subsequent implementation over the past forty years; in countries and situations as disparate as Pinochet s Chile, Yeltsin s Russia, Thatcher s Britain, and most recently the neo-con invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. It will expose the darker side of Friedman s ideology, which was so unpopular it could only be implemented through the use of torture and repression. The archive material is intercut with new footage following Naomi interviewing key figures such as Janine Huard, a victim of Ewen Cameron s mental health experiments in the 1950s, the results of which formed the basis of the CIA s torture manuals. Milton Friedman

2 The film expands on the book s arguments, showing that the need for a counter-narrative to Friedman s theories particularly in the current global financial crisis - is more urgent than ever. As Donald Rumsfeld has said, Milton Friedman is the embodiment of the truth that ideas have consequences. Given the influence of Friedman s theories over the past half century, Naomi Klein's alternative history needs to be heard. NAOMI KLEIN - BIOG Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times and #1 international bestseller, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Published worldwide in September 2007, The Shock Doctrine is being translated in 27 languages. It was a finalist for several prizes including the 2007 LA Times Book Award, New York Public Library Bernstein Award for Journalism, and the National Business Book Award (Canada). In 2008 it won the Canadian Booksellers Association s Libris Award for Non-Fiction Book of the Year and is longlisted for the inaugural 2009 Warwick Prize for Writing (UK). The six minute companion film, created by Alfonso Cuaron, director of Children of Men, was an Official Selection of the 2007 Venice Biennale and Toronto International Film Festivals and was a viral phenomenon, downloaded over a million times. Her first book, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies,was also an international bestseller, translated into over 28 languages with more than a million copies in print. A collection of her work, Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate was published in Naomi Klein writes a regular column for The Nation and The Guardian that is syndicated internationally by The New York Times Syndicate. In 2004, her reporting from Iraq for Harper s Magazine won the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism. Also in 2004, she co-produced The Take with director Avi Lewis, a feature documentary about Argentina s occupied factories. The film was an Official Selection of the Venice Biennale and won the Best Documentary Jury Prize at the American Film Institute s Film Festival in Los Angeles. She is a former Miliband Fellow at the London School of Economics and holds an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of King s College, Nova Scotia.

3 THE DIRECTORS Michael Winterbottom Mat Whitecross MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM DIRECTOR BORN 1961 BLACKBURN, ENGLAND Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Michael Winterbottom earned a degree in English at Oxford before studying film at Bristol and London. His work for television includes The Magic Lantern a documentary based on Ingmar Bergman s autobiography, which won the Best Documentary Prize at Valladolid Film Festival, Forget About Me and Under the Sun shown at the Turin and London Film Festivals, Cracker and Family a four-part BBC serial, written by Roddy Doyle, which was shown at Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. His first feature was Butterfly Kiss, starring Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves, which was selected for Competition at Berlin Film Festival in In 1994, Winterbottom, formed Revolution Films with producer Andrew Eaton. Their first production was Go Now, a BAFTA winning television drama which was also selected for Toronto Film Festival. Winterbottom s next film was Jude (1996), an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel Jude the Obscure starring Christopher Eccleston and Kate Winslet, which was selected for Director s Fortnight at Cannes and which won the Michael Powell award at Edinburgh Film Festival. His next film was Welcome to Sarajevo. Set in the former Yugoslavia it focused on the experiences of ITN journalist Michael Nicholson in war-torn Sarajevo. It was shown in Competition at Cannes (1997) as was Wonderland (1999), which also won Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards. In between he directed I Want You, starring Rachel Weisz, which won a special prize for Cinematography at the Berlin Film Festival. This was followed by the gold rush love story The Claim (2000), shown in competition at Berlin. Next came another collaboration with Frank Cottrell Boyce, 24 Hour Party People, his third film to be selected for Competition at Cannes(2002). The film charts the Manchester music scene while focusing on the rise and fall of Factory records impresario Tony Wilson. Next Winterbottom made the BAFTA winning In This World, which follows two young Afghan refugees as they make the perilous journey to London from a refugee camp in Pakistan. It won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in This was followed by the science fiction love story Code 46, which was selected for competition at Venice in Next came the ground-breaking 9 Songs, which charts a sexual relationship over twelve months. It won the cinematography prize at San Sebastian (2004). A Cock and Bull Story (2005), starring Steve Coogan, was based on Laurence Sterne s 18th Century novel Tristram Shandy. A year later Winterbottom made The Road to Guantanamo (2006). Co-directed with Mat Whitecross, the

4 film traces the story of the incarceration of the Tipton Three in Guantanamo. It won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival (2006) for Best Directing. A Mighty Heart, staring Angelina Jolie, was based on the memoirs of Marianne Pearl, whose husband Daniel was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan, while reporting for there for the Wall Street Journal. It was premiered out of competition at Cannes Winterbottom s most recent film Genova (2008), starring Colin Firth, tells the story of a father and his two daughters trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of their mother. It has been selected for the Toronto, London and San Sebastian Film Festivals, where it won the Silver Conch for Directing. Along side this, Winterbottom has been working on Seven Days, which will be filmed in parts over five years. Based around the lives of an imprisoned man and his family, the film will star John Simm and Shirley Henderson. MAT WHITECROSS - BIOG BORN 1977, OXFORD Mat Whitecross worked as editor on 9 Songs, before co-directing The Road to Guantanamo with Michael Winterbottom which won the Silver Bear at Berlin in He has directed music videos for Coldplay, Jay-Z and The Magic Numbers. He is due to shoot a biopic of the singer Ian Dury starring Andy Serkis in the Spring, followed by a documentary for Coldplay THE SHOCK DOCTRINE CREDITS Director Director Executive Based on the book by Line- Sound Designer Dubbing Mixer Sound Post Facilities MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM MAT WHITECROSS ANDREW EATON ALEX COOKE AVI LEWIS ALAN HAYLING NAOMI KLEIN MELISSA PARMENTER JOAKIM SUNDSTRÖM RICHARD DAVEY CLARITY POST-PRODUCTION

5 Post Production by Archive researcher PEPPER JOON GOOH Assistant to M Winterbottom CLEM BLAKEMORE & A Eaton MONTREAL FILMING UNIT Camera Operator (Montreal) Sound Mixer (Montreal) Interviews RONALD PLANTE ANDRE ABOISBVERT JANINE HUARD CHICAGO FILMING Local Line Cameraman Assistant PHIL KOCH RICH BALL SALLY MARSCHALL CHILE FILMING Local Line HERNÁN SZYL BERLIN PRESS CONTACT MATTHEW SANDERS Premier PR 91 Berwick Street London W1F 0NE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Office: E: matthew.sanders@premierpr.com PRODUCTION COMPANY REVOLUTION FILMS 9a Dallington Street London EC1V 0BQ Tel: +44(0) Fax: +44(0) E: @revolution-films.com