'I'd Like to See a Lot of People in the Administration Indicted' (Errol Morris interview)

[reorg]

The Berlin International Film Festival (more...) has always put a focus on political movies, (...)

In terms of politics, the highlight of this year's festival is undoubtedly Errol Morris' "Standard Operating Procedure," which tells the story behind the famous photographs taken of US military personnel apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. When the photographs were published in the spring of 2004 it caused an international outcry. They are widely considered to have damaged the reputation of the US government and to have hampered reconstruction efforts in Iraq.

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Errol Morris tries to get at the truth behind the scandal by interviewing almost all of the military personnel involved in the incident, including England herself, Javal Davis, Jeremy Sivits, Megan Ambuhl Graner, Sabrina Harman and Janis Karpinski, who was in charge of Abu Ghraib at the time. The US military refused to allow Morris to interview Charles Graner, who is currently serving a 10-year prison term for his role in the incident.

The interviews provide fascinating context to the photographs, revealing that some of the incidents depicted are not what they seem. However, they also raise disturbing questions about what else went on in the prison. The military police specialists interviewed talk about "ghost" prisoners who did not officially exist and who were allegedly tortured by shadowy interrogators from unidentified government agencies.

read article and interview in: Spiegel Online International

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The documentary on torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, "Standard Operating Procedure" by Errol Morris won the "The Grand Jury Silver Bear". Morris' film was the first documentary to screen in competition in Berlin.