‘Shadow World – Johan Grimonprez’

In SHADOW WORLD, Johan Grimonprez lays bare the business of the international arms trade – a business which counts its profits in millions of dollars and its losses in human lives… In the aftermath of every war there are always tales of bribery, conflicts of interest and the unethical pursuit of profit. A shadowy world of arms dealers, corruption, greed, bribes and backrooms. But also of politicians, secret services, military commanders and world leaders who have mislaid their moral compass. Their only objective seems to be to let the war last as long as possible and to earn money, irrespective of the human and moral cost. With the aid of accounts from investigative journalists, arms dealers, lobbyists, politicians and insiders, Shadow World shows how the international arms trade represents a threat for democracy. Not just in the countries where the weapons are used but also in the West, where they originate.
 
Johan Grimonprez
Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez (Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y, Double Take) seamlessly interweaves talking heads, archive material and philosophical thought in a powerful argument against this world of dark backrooms and a plea for more collaboration, sincerity and dialogue. Just like the historian Howard Zinn once said “The fact that war governs our history doesn’t mean that it has to be part of the future.”