Fahrenheit 9/11

The reviews are out(some of them Anti-moore,others Pro-moore), so far it looks like its mainly about Iraq and less about Bushes ties with OBL.On a personal note I’d just want to see it for its controversial value. :slight_smile:

It may also be set for a July 4 release in the States.

Review from the BBC.
Controversial documentary-maker Michael Moore’s intensely political new film, Fahrenheit 9/11, was screened for the world’s media at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.

Disney has refused to release this film, other distributors also seem reluctant and - if Moore is to be believed - the White House wants to stop it being seen.

The reason is if viewers take the film at face value, they will think George Bush is a fraudulent and possibly corrupt president who went to war in Iraq because of a half-baked motivation of grudge, greed and thirst for power.

But this is a Michael Moore film and, while that does not mean he is wrong, it must be watched with a critical eye.

Moore wants Bush removed from office.

He is determined to have this film released before the US presidential election in November for that very reason.

Chilling

The film’s conclusions are reached through a mixture of firm evidence, interesting information, moving scenes and tenuous theories.

Starting with the presidential election in 2000, it firmly plants the idea that Bush’s election - thanks to just 537 votes in Florida - was not exactly free and fair.

Moore makes tough accusations against Bush

The first conspiratorial link comes when he identifies the Fox News Channel employee who took the decision to report that Bush had won Florida on election night - when all other channels were reporting an Al Gore win - as Bush’s first cousin.

If true, it is an interesting piece of trivia - but hardly proof of a family plot to steal the presidency.

He introduces 11 September with a blank screen and chilling audio of planes hitting the Twin Towers and the cries of those on the ground.

Moore also has footage of Bush sitting in a school classroom, reading a children’s book with pupils, for more than 10 minutes after being told the second plane had hit.

The film-maker said this full footage had not been seen before because no-one had asked the teachers at the school whether they had captured it on camcorder.

One of Moore’s chief accusations is Bush allowed planes to pick up 24 members of the Bin Laden family and fly them out of the US in the days following the attacks - when all other aircraft were grounded.

To back this up, he shows a document that seems to list them - and uses it as a base from which to explore the relationships between the Bush and Bin Laden dynasties.

‘Little proof’

They go back to Bush’s military days, Moore says - and produces military records apparently showing the future president was in the Texas Air National Guard with a man who it says went on to sell a plane to one of Osama Bin Laden’s brothers.

When Bush was trying to make his way as a Texan oil magnate, this same man was hired by the Bin Ladens to invest their money in Texas, and he in turn invested money in Bush’s company, the film says.

Moore asserts that prominent Saudis invested in Bush’s ailing companies to get access to his father, the former US president. But aside from the original military records, there is little proof to firm up links Moore goes on to make.

The result is the oil and arms companies the Saudis invested in, and the Bush family and their inner circle have interests in, profited from the aftermath of 11 September, Moore says.

Moore won an Oscar for his last film, Bowling for Columbine
Using a clip of former US head of counter-terrorism Richard Clarke talking about how Bush immediately wanted to find an Iraq link to the attacks, the film moves on to Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Afghanistan section - including a screen shot of a BBC News Online story - is a claim that the military action in Afghanistan was really about laying a natural gas pipeline across the country.

But the Iraq section is more substantial, and changes the film’s direction - using interviews with US soldiers, footage of civilian suffering and highly moving testimony from bereaved parents of US servicemen.

The film shows graphic footage of corpses of US soldiers being burnt, dragged behind a truck and strung up, and a scene of US soldiers apparently mistreating Iraqi prisoners.

Emotional interviews

All the while, persuasive army recruiters are followed as they try to sign up young people in Moore’s deprived hometown of Flint, Michigan.

So Moore went to Washington to try to persuade Congressmen to send their children to Iraq - the son of only one Congressman is in service there, Moore says.

Moore himself appears less in this film than he has in his previous documentaries, leaving most of the talking to politicians, soldiers, parents, experts and assorted real Americans.

There is highly selective editing, but the story is not totally one-sided. For example, there are soldiers in Iraq who believe in their mission, as well as those who say they are disillusioned.

But the movie’s conclusions - true or otherwise - and highly emotional interviews with bereaved parents and injured soldiers will have a big impact on audiences around the world.

wohoooo....... interesting review

are they really gonna let this movie to be released in US?

Miramax I think has taken over as the producers/distributors rather than Disney since Disney does not want to be associated with the product (the whole Florida run by Jeb Bush issue :)) I really liked his Bowling for Columbine so looking forward to this one as well :k:

^Yup and they are looking for distributors right now,not long before they get one.Can't wait. :)

I can't wait to watch it. Too bad they don't have a distributor in the States yet. Anybody know when it is coming out in Canada?
I watched Bowling for Columbine. That was really good.

Anti-Bush film tops Cannes awards](BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Film | Anti-Bush film tops Cannes awards)

Moore wants Americans to see the film before the presidential election
Director Michael Moore’s controversial anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 has won the prestigious Palme d’Or best film award at the Cannes festival.
It was the first documentary to win the top prize since Jacques Cousteau’s The Silent World in 1956.

The film received a 15-minute standing ovation when it was screened on Monday.

Fahrenheit 9/11 explores the Iraq war and alleges connections between President George W Bush and top Saudi families, including the Bin Ladens.

The documentary uses Moore’s customary satirical style to accuse Mr Bush of stealing the presidential election in 2000, ignoring terrorism warnings before 11 September 2001 and fuelling fears of more attacks to secure Americans’ support for the war in Iraq.

‘Overwhelmed’

“What have you done? I’m completely overwhelmed by this,” Moore said in his acceptance speech.

“I want to make sure if I do nothing else for the rest of this year that those who died in Iraq have not died in vain.”

Thanking the jury headed by cult director Quentin Tarantino, he added: “You will ensure that the American people will see this movie…You have put a huge light on this.”

Among other awards at Cannes:

The film Old Boy, by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, won the Grand Prize

Jury Prizes went to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film Tropical Malady and to actress Irma P. Hall for her part in The Ladykillers

French film-maker Tony Gatlif won the director’s award for his film Exiles

Yagira Yuuya, a 14-year-old Japanese boy, was named best actor for his role in the film Nobody Knows

The best actress award went to Maggie Cheung from Hong Kong for her performance in the film Clean

Keren Yedaya’s Or won the Golden Camera award for best film by a first-time director.

Positive

Michael Moore’s film was originally set to be released in the US through Disney subsidiary Miramax, before Disney blocked it. It is now expected to be released through a third party.

The critical reaction to the film has generally been positive, with praise coming from The Washington Post, Time Magazine and British newspapers including the Independent and the Telegraph.

However, others have been more critical of the film. The Hollywood Reporter said Moore was “pioneering a reality film as an election device.”

And trade paper Variety described it as “rather less incendiary than expected” and said it was “a blatant cinematic 2004 campaign pamphlet”.

Fahrenheit 9/11 was competing against 18 other films for the Palme d’Or.

cant wait to watch it!
must be a very well deserved win! hats off to Mr. Moore!

bowling for columbine was amazing too!

the documentary is so well documented that it could change the outcome of 2004 election.

^i hope so!
Moore should run for president too!

yup :k:, cant to wait to watch it..

Fahrenheit 9/11 To be distributed FREE on bitTorrent

Errr..nevermind, this news turned out to be fake :frowning: Here’s the source anyways.

Source : Denounce Newswire: BitTorrent To Release Michael Moore's New Film Free of Charge

False hopes kyon detay ho :(

how do you know its fake? :confused:

so many ‘cant wait to watch ppl’ :smiley:
Ok add me to the list too :halo:

"Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's controversial documentary on America since the attacks of September 11, 2001, will have its Australian premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on July 22" (theage)
:D

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Haris Zuberi: *
^i hope so!
**Moore
* should run for president too!
[/QUOTE]

hahah Moore and run in the same sentence..

The film apparently has some factual inaccuracies blended in with known truths. The purpose is just to make a point. The movie should not be deemed the solemn truth, however, going by the reputation of "Bowling" it will be entertaining, nevertheless.

WOOHOO!!

Moore’s ‘9/11’ to be released June 25
Expected to open on 1000 screens

Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Posted: 1414 GMT (2214 HKT)

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Michael Moore’s incendiary documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which had been looking for an American distributor, has found not one but three entities eager to share in the movie’s theatrical release.

The film, which Walt Disney Co. declined to allow its Miramax Films unit to distribute, is set to launch theatrically June 25 in the United States, through a complicated distribution apparatus that will see Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s newly formed Fellowship Adventure Group join forces with Lions Gate Films and IFC Films.

Showtime is taking pay-TV rights to “Fahrenheit” through an existing deal with Lions Gate. The film’s home entertainment rights have not yet been sewn up, though one source close to the film said that they could land with Universal Home Video.

Although plans have not yet been finalized – and summer screens can be hard to come by – “Fahrenheit” is expected to roll out on about 1,000 screens, sources said.

The partners all declined comment on how the film’s fees will be split.

According to a release issued Tuesday, the Weinsteins’ Fellowship will “personally finance and control distribution and marketing” of the film, with Lions Gate and IFC executing those plans. The Weinsteins have further appointed consultant and former Miramax staffer Matthew Cohen as marketing director for their new entity to create and oversee all marketing materials."

Sources said that “Fahrenheit,” whose rights cost the Weinsteins about $6 million, will have an initial print and advertising commitment of $10 million.

“On behalf of my stellar cast – GW, Dick, Rummy, Condi and Wolfie – we thank this incredible coalition of the willing for bringing ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ to the people,” Moore said in a statement.

“Fahrenheit,” which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is Moore’s take on the Bush administration. The film includes accusations regarding the 2000 presidential election, explores ties between the Bush family and the Saudis and says the Bush administration fanned fears of terrorism to boost American support for the Iraq war.

The Weinsteins added, “This is a true coalition. The passion that Lions Gate, IFC Films and Showtime have demonstrated reflects our desire to enable Michael Moore’s extraordinary work to be viewed by as many filmgoers as possible as soon as possible.”

While Lions Gate had long been considered a front-runner to distribute Moore’s film because of the company’s previous relationship with the Weinsteins – Lions Gate has rolled out such too-hot-to-handle Miramax fare as Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” – IFC emerged as a dark horse in the “Fahrenheit” theatrical race. Sources close to the film had previously indicated that units including Newmarket Films, Focus Features and ThinkFilm had all been in discussions at various times.

However, through its cable network, IFC has been doing business with the Weinsteins for years, and its theatrical division has had success in growing grassroots movements for such films as “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” The company also has a strong New York presence, while Lions Gate is based in Los Angeles.

Some sources also speculated Tuesday night that the Weinsteins could also be laying the groundwork to develop a further relationship with IFC parent Rainbow Media Enterprises, which is slated to be spun off by New York-based Cablevision Systems this year. The revamped Rainbow Media will include the Voom satellite TV division, other cable nets including AMC and the Clearview Cinemas theater chain. The Weinsteins have expressed an interest in developing a Miramax cable presence, and the nascent Voom division also is seeking content packages.

The Weinsteins also indicated that they aren’t finished bringing partners aboard “Fahrenheit” and that further names would be added, possibly in a bid to pack a more potent political punch. In addition, by bringing other corporations aboard – like Viacom, which owns Showtime, and, possibly, NBC Universal, parent of Universal Home Video – the move could give the Weinsteins the added satisfaction of making Disney look timid.

Lions Gate has no releases planned for the summer, while IFC has another documentary waiting in the wings in its acquisition “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.”

Paris-based sales agent Wild Bunch will continue to handle “Fahrenheit’s” international distribution rights deals.

In presenting his film at Cannes last month, Moore expressed his hope that “Fahrenheit” would hit theaters by the Fourth of July holiday weekend and subsequently be available on home video/DVD by the fall in order to impact the November presidential election.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/02/film.moore.reut/index.html

did u guys see the
trailer ?

Fahrenheit 911 looks like it will be quite a funny, engaging movie - i really like Moore's style of film-making - he makes the movie interesting and amusing all the way through.

God bless Michael Moore - the same people calling him anti-American prolly called Malcolm X, King, and many others Anti-American too - i think it's great to see someone on a large stage taking a stand against the injustices in this country - if that is anti-American, let it be.

If it were up to the Brian's and the Tom's of the world - we'd still be stuck back in slavery not because they necessarily agree with it but because they are constantly willing to accept the current state of affairs as "American" which always to them equals "right".

Jeez, Bush is a moron.

"Now watch this drive."