George Orwell’s 1984 is unfolding before our eyes: “surveilled” a documentary on how democracies fall with ronan farrow

journalist ronan farrow investigates the growing commercial spyware industry – and the ethical dilemmas of 21st century cyberespionage.

“surveilled” movie trailer

interview with journalist ronan farrow

tracking the new yorker journalist ronan farrow as he investigates the growing business of commercial spyware, following the story from new york city to tel aviv, israel, a thriving center of espionage cybertechnology (including the NSO group, and black cube). once a target of covert surveillance himself, (while investigating harvey weinstein who had hired black cube to intimidate farrow) farrow explores the multibillion-dollar industry, addressing the twofold uses and implications of phone hacking, the ability to monitor criminal activity and the attendant threats to civil liberties. most important now more than ever. by dd

wilmington 1898 how North Carolina’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government was illegally ousted

american coup wilmington 1898 

directed by brad lichtenstein and yoruba richen

you can watch the full film on PBS website – link in copy below

the film, which is a part of american history seldom displayed, tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in north carolina’s largest city (wilmington) in 1898 — the only successful coup d’état in the history of the united states to date. stoking fears of “negro rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy black political and economic power and overthrow wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. black residents were murdered and thousands were banished.

the story of what happened in wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. today, many of those descendants — black and white — seek the truth about this intentionally buried history. the film is available on pbs website for viewing,

 

Straight To You : interviews and documentary on nick cave and the bad seeds

“…most people learn to deal with life and relationships… the artists doesn’t, because he is unable to spend the time to do that…”

“my personal life tends to remain in a state of chaos – and i never seems to have the time to put it all together…”

“i understand people more, before i was incredibly naive, i would fall in love at the drop of a hat, or give myself fully to people… i now know the way of the world these days”

this was the first ever authorized nick cave documentary directed by nanni jacobson

nick cave with iggy pop

above – nick cave and anita lane. the film spans nick caves career from birthday party onwards.

above – a young brad pitt and nick cave in and early film : johnny suede

nick in berlin

this docu was broadcasted on tv stations in various countries (germany, australia, israel, switzerland, austria, italy)

nick cave straight to you documentary – if not available here click here

the macabre crooner documented here with his favorite outfits and gorgeous lyrics, the highs and lows of life are all captured here… some nice insights on an intimate level with nick cave. nick reveals how he has finally aged and knows the world a bit better, burned by love, still unable to manage his personal life, and disappointed by the outcome of his rehab, he still finds himself in his depths of darkness, but he feel he has now a good grasp on life and is finally a well-adjusted citizen of sorts. the footage is not beautifully shot but the substance and insights are all there. recommended for any nick cave fan. by xy

Watch How Democracy was extinguished in Iran and elsewhere, and who was to blame

stars ralph fiennes, walter murch, and winston churchill amongst others

ralph fiennes reads the transcripts of norman darbyshire who was a british spy who worked for the SOE and the MI6. he played a key role in the 1953 coup d’état that overthrew mohammed mossadegh, the democratically-elected prime minister of iran.

the cia is quoted acknowledging the coup was carried out “under cia direction” and “as an act of u.s. foreign policy, conceived and approved at the highest levels of government”.

watch how the MOSAD worked with iran in helping the shah to remain in and grip to power.

coup 53 documentary directed by taghi amirani – if unavailable click here

must watch… riveting, provocative and revelatory, coup 53 plays out like one of john le carré’s spy thrillers and is one of the most important and relevant documentaries of our time. 10 years in the making, the film – a meta textual account – seeks to uncover the past and expose the underhandedness that went into staging a coup d’état, by british and american forces, in 1953 iran- overthrowing the democratically elected government of prime minister mossadegh, reinstating the shah as head of the state, and ultimately leading to the revolution.

through a series of video interviews and transcripts – some aired as part of a documentary-series ‘end of empire’ and some that never saw the light of day, but were carefully preserved – the film’s director – taghi amirani – stitches together an intricate yarn that is gripping, powerful and extremely detailed in both its analysis and its cinematic scope. this is what documentaries need to be. riveting, provocative and revelatory, coup 53 plays out like one of john le carré’s spy thrillers and is one of the most important and relevant documentaries of our time.

10 years in the making, the film – a meta textual account – seeks to uncover the past and expose the underhandedness that went into staging a coup d’état, by british and american forces, in 1953 iran- overthrowing the democratically elected government of prime minister mossadegh, reinstating the shah as head of the state, and ultimately leading to the revolution.

through a series of video interviews and transcripts – some aired as part of a documentary-series ‘end of empire’ and some that never saw the light of day, but were carefully preserved – the film’s director – taghi amirani – stitches together an intricate yarn that is gripping, powerful and extremely detailed in both its analysis and its cinematic scope. this is what documentaries need to be. by nw

“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine” – the faces of che

rene burri photograph of ernesto che-guevara 1963 havana

lisa howard and fidel castro first meeting havana riviera hotel april 21 1963. in the early 1960s, lisa howard became ABC news’s first woman reporter, and was the first woman to have her own national network television news show (insert: mole). howard developed a relationship with cuba’s fidel castro, whom she met to interview, and was a go-between for a time between castro and the american white house.

blue bird production “the faces of che” and the cuban revolution

a very good and rare documentary (watch it before this bootleg is taken down) on cuba and its revolution with some details about the relationship of che and castro that i didn’t know. worth a watch for any history buff. by xy

Lakota Nation and their quest for justice

“lakota nation vs. the united states”

great documentary on the lakota nation and their quest for justice – quite an interesting film to view in these trying times. saw this again for the third time tonight (if you count movies seen on flights as one) available on apple tv and on youtube – well worth the watch, especially if you pay for it xx  by xy

gianni agnelli : what a ham! and why we love him…

with his first wife marella

even giants start small

oh hi jackie kennedy!

older wiser agneli and the fiat empire

good clip on gianni agnelli’s life…

“the agnelli look was about ease, grace and never trying too hard. like the dinner party just happened without any planning.”

“was he vain? He invented it.”

“he had the view of Aristotle – where goodness and beauty overlap.”

three quotes that sum up gianni agnelli and la dolce vita. this video is part 2 of the HBO documentary agnelli (2017). genuine style is both timeless and priceless, it is innate and money (though not necessary to have flair) in the hands of agnelli made his life shine so brightly that the whole world was lit up. by uh

Rahsaan Roland Kirk : The Case Of The Three Sided Dream

“the case of the three sided dream”

i was updating an old fela kuti clip and showing it to a good friend of mine, and he pulled out this little trailer…. an older documentary i must have missed on the great rahsaan roland kirk. kirk was politically outspoken. during his concerts, between songs he often talked about topical issues, including african-american history and the civil rights movement. his monologues were often laced with satire and absurdist humor. kirk became blind at the age of two, which he said was a result of improper medical treatment. he often played several instruments at once not as a gimmick but rather as a necessity to communicate his layered thoughts. his blindness stifled his life to some extent, but that did not stop him from becoming one of the most influential jazz musicians in history. excited to watch it and thank you my friend for the lead. by uh

The Third Memory | P. Huyghe | Dog Day Afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

attica ! attica !

 

that sort of thing. we’ve all seen it.

last ditch effort, pleading to the hopeful crowd.

intertwine compassion and grey rage.

you get it..

 

they say.. anyway. it is pierre huyghe, the french video art and performance art gem, that delves a bit deeper into what was an otherwise the closed shut case of the cultural moral evaluation regarding john wojtowicz that al pacino cementing with his portrayal of the character sonny wortzik, under sydney lumet’s ever expansive eye, sought to advocate for. and many other kinds of alike sentences could bore us further.

 

 

i love the movie, it’s a masterpiece. and huyghe’s the third memory pushes ever more sensitively into the person. an incredible feat of subtle and delicate nature.

how the piece is intended to be shown.

what remains, and is available online, is nothing of the sort.

it’ll have to do.

 

a process of making out what has been taken out. by lsd

wikileaks’ julian assange : what really happened? what was he? abandoned hero or russia’s useful idiot?

talent role in this love mystery: sofia wilen (the cashmere girl) also referred to as “miss w” was 27 years old at the time. she was an assange groupie. when she found out the wikiLeaks head was speaking in stockholm on august 14, she went to the event, insisted on spending the evening with assange and friends after the talk, and ended up alone with him at the cinema… they then had sex.

julian assange was 39 years old at the time. he was considered a soft spoken revolutionary cyber rockstar. he was first admired by the LEFT, for releasing the ‘truth’ about the iraq war, and having the RIGHT call for his assassination. he was then loved by the RIGHT and trump team, for releasing hillary clintons documents and ‘telling the truth to the public about hillary’ and hated by the LEFT, with hillary herself asking “cant we just take him out with a drone strike?” today he is abandoned by ALL and perishing in belmarsh prison, the gitmo of uk.

let me stop for moment for a little off-topic sidebar:

“…my pastor who graduated from brooklyn community baptist college down my street believes in god al mighty. but physicist cosmologist and cambridge graduate stephen hawking doesn’t… just this makes me atleast wanna look into it a bit more. now let me tell you who supports julian assange: they are noam chomsky, ken loach, ai weiwei, roger waters, and 338 intellectuals from 33 countries who signed a petition for his release. ok… back to sensationalism…

anna ardin was referred to as “miss a”, she was 31 at the time, and was working as an unofficial go-between for assange and journalists during his visit to stockholm. she also offered him her apt upon his arrival on august 11. they had sex several times at her one-room stockholm flat, giving details that were blocked out of the police transcript.

sex, lies and julian assange – four corners – four corners broadcasts on ABC TV: sex lies and julian assange

four corners is an award winning (Including 23 logie awards and 62 walkley awards) australian investigative journalism/current affairs documentary television program.

hero or villain julian assange – four corners

the us vs julian assange – four corners

whether you are on the left or the right or simply clueless, before you form an opinion on assange (or agree with tonight’s dinner table crowd narrative) you should watch this documentary. because if he was indeed the rapist, russian useful idiot, who helped trump… or the unpatriotic russian spy that they say he was… then all is fine, let him perish in jail. but if he was the champion of truth and the enabler of civilians holding to account the wrong doings of their powerful governments, then shame on all of us for abandoning him, and abandoning free press. by dd