June 05, 2010
PAX AMERICANA now playing in Vancouver! Coming soon to Ottawa
By
Katherine Dodds
KINOSMITH presents: PAX AMERICANA AND THE WEAPONIZATION OF SPACE * a film by Denis Delestrac * from executive producer Mark Achbar (THE CORPORATION)
Director Denis Delestrac and Producer March Achbar available for interviews
The prospect of Earth being ruled from space is no longer science-fiction. The dream of the original Dr. Strangelove, Wernher von Braun (from Nazi rocket-scientist to NASA director) has survived every US administration since WW2 and is coming to life. Today the technology exists to weaponize space, a massive American industry thrives, and nations are maneuvering for advantage.
When Hitler had the first V2 missile launched in 1944, the weapon race in space officially began. The most important player has always been the United States, and in the years after World War II, the U.S. lost no time in hiring missile expert (and Nazi) Wernher Von Braun to investigate the possibilities of using space as "a new arena for war." More than half a century later, the prospects of a space war are greater than ever. By shutting down a few satellites, the infrastructure of an entire country or continent can be paralyzed. Just how scared should we be?
PAX AMERICANA and the Weaponization of Space seeks to answer this question. Does the U.S. really want to maintain world peace, or is it more interested in dominating the world? How realistic is the U.S. Department of Defense's contention that China is preparing for an "electronic Pearl Harbor"? We meet important supporters of putting weapons in space, some of whom work for organizations like the U.S. Air Force Space Command, but also fierce opponents like Noam Chomsky and the spokesmen for action committees like Citizens for Peace in Space.
PAX AMERICANA tackles this pivotal moment. Are war machines already orbiting Earth? Can treaties keep space weapons-free? Must the world capitulate to one super-cop on the global beat? With startling archival footage and unprecedented access to US Air Force Space Command, this elegant, forceful documentary reveals the state of play through generals, space-policy analysts, politicians, diplomats, peace activists, and hawks.
Executive Producers MARK ACHBAR • BETSY CARSON • LUCIE TREMBLAY
Produced by LUCIE TREMBLAY • JEREMY EDWARDES • BRICE GARNIER
Directed by by DENIS DELESTRAC
Written by HAROLD CROOKS & DENIS DELESTRAC
Narrated by MIKELA JAY
Narration written by DENIS DELESTRAC & SIOBHAN FLANAGAN
Director of Photography JEAN-PIERRE SAINT-LOUIS
Original Music by AMON TOBIN
Distributed in Canada by KINOSMITH
Distributed internationally by FILMS TRANSIT & FILMS DU 3 MARS
Director Denis Delestrac:
Prior to PAX AMERICANA, Denis Delestrac made several social-political and cultural documentaries. His film Human Rights, shot in Israel, Colombia and Pakistan, analyses how armed conflicts increasingly affect civilian communities and foster displacement; The Mission to Educate examines the sustainability of the nomadic Nigerian Touareg and Wodaabe tribes; The Face of the Human Condition, with legendary National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, and The Nomad Spirit looks at how the market economy has transformed Mongolian society. Â More recently, Delestrac assisted director Jordi Llompart and contributed to the writing of the award-winning Mystery of the Nile, the highest-grossing, most-attended IMAX film in the last five years. PAX AMERICANA and the Weaponization of Space is his first feature length documentary.
PRESS KIT
To request and interview or for more information, please contact:
Virginia Kelly or Meghan Parnell, V Kelly & Associates, 416-466-9799
Tag(s):
Pax Americana,
The Corporation
Recent Blogs by Katherine Dodds:
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Katherine Dodds AKA "Kat" is the founder of Good Company Communications and HelloCoolWorld.com. Trained in renegade advertising & branding through her work with Adbusters in the '90s, Kat's early induction into the possibilities of the web-world was inspired by the term hypertext, which she immediately found comforting. She is dedicated to cause-related communication and to the development and use of tools that promote democratic processes.
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