Get the latest gossip

‘Terrorist Spectacles,’ ‘Symbolic Acts’ and the ‘Fear Box’ Discussed by Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez at IDFA: ‘Images Are Screaming Out at You’


Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez, whose 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat' won an award at Sundance, mused on the significance of the 'symbolic act' at IDFA.

Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez, whose “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” won an award for cinematic innovation at Sundance, mused on the significance of the “symbolic act” during a talk at documentary festival IDFA on Sunday. The media and politicians in the West tended to focus on such “terrorist spectacles” in order to “deflect attention from what else was happening,” he said, such as intervention in Latin America – the invasion of Grenada during Ronald Reagan’s presidency being one example. For example, the film includes references to Apple and Tesla, alluding to the present-day exploitation of the country by armed groups fighting over the mining of cobalt, which is found in the batteries for smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Variety