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Director Ben Moses tells the stories of courageous democracy activist in five countries.
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This is an authoritative -- fooled by the fiction of democracy.
-- -- -- It is the dragons Obama.
We must destroy.
Together.
-- faithful when we get.
From them and got incredible relief immediately look -- instead go to the -- I thought -- yeah.
In Yemen overnight they dominated us -- -- my.
-- better than we.
It's CNN and vicinity I'm playing.
Fifteen years at the moment finished -- We're getting that.
You know.
And that was a clip from the movie a whisper to a role or.
Fantastical look at.
Quote we're going to be talking the director Ben Moses -- energy is -- had terrific look at five countries.
Fighting for promoting democracy throughout their stories and is just if you've seen the trailer which -- to -- portion of on you can tell how moving this film -- -- Moses joining us live the director of this film thank you so much for being with us here today it's great to meet you via.
Remote.
Thanks Laura hi if you want to subtitles and a I know right -- you know I as does want its title at while I wanna toss it to you first.
To have you set up what this film is all about bring people into your story and what you are trying to convey.
Well the he did that conversation started.
34 years ago.
Doctor Larry Diamond of Stanford wrote a book called the spirit of democracy.
And gave it to me you know he and I've been friends for a long time and done.
And I read his book and it was very hard to get through but it was actually powerful and knowing Larry's forty year career he has been working in this field for all those years with -- activists around the world.
And I felt like -- we needed to try to communicate what he knows and what those people do.
To a wider audience and that's how we got started with -- but it's really about.
It's about despotism and it's about power corrupting.
About the universal.
-- condition of humankind that when when we get power we tend to.
-- -- Outrageously crazy -- that sometimes.
The examples.
Extreme examples are you know Hitler Stalin -- -- in Zimbabwe but it happens all of us to some degree whether we admit it or not.
And that's really the story we wanted to tell power it would give a manpower.
And that wave contest is real character and that's what this is about.
And -- one of the things that seems so interesting about this is that you're not just focusing on on one country and we were talking about.
Five countries -- facing different challenges that all with that underlying threat right.
Absolutely it's the universal nature of the of the beast.
And what happens when someone gets too much power they will hurt you.
And we exit cautionary tale for everybody everywhere including here.
And you see what happens and all these countries the people rise up they will rise up and you know to their credit.
And and in -- situations they'll face it you know.
And and dangerous situations we see throughout this -- What was it dangerous to film -- about some of the challenges and we're talking about five different countries Egypt Malaysia Ukraine as well as Zimbabwe.
What what are the challenges and and filming this.
We'll wind so its -- god I've been in this business for a long time and and in order to make it documentary and then get into the depths of it.
You really really have to open your soul and in order to stay sane through the whole thing you kind of become detached.
I don't know if you've heard.
Pilots in in different difficult situations.
They all start cracking jokes and everything.
But they're really facing life and death -- situations and and so it's really easy for me to tell you about in a joking manner how we almost didn't make it out of Zimbabwe for example or how.
How after we interviewed them that much here Mohammed former prime minister of Malaysia we had to change hotels and our film crew quit on us over there.
But the truth is that we -- facing anything like the people that we were talking about face all the time I mean.
-- -- and Malaysia was thrown in jail in solitary confinement for six years.
My little danger.
And -- might -- little danger was nothing compared to that we might -- throw -- country period you know.
So yes when there were some issues except -- that they're not they don't amount to as we used to -- in the midwest deal would be his.
Right right interesting analogy and I I've seen that as a reporter out you know covering when you go to a horrific fire.
-- horrific shooting and the cops -- where the firefighters are talking about you know this kid's soccer game when we're standing there watching.
You know something really horrible and there is a detachment that have to happen to get you through that.
One of the young men in the film says this is about the responsibility.
Everyone must assume.
For their country.
And when you when you hear him say it.
Even though there's -- you hear -- say it but you -- -- look on -- space you can really feel I mean this not just some.
You know these people are throwing out these ideas lightly this is something they feel all the way down to their core and it comes across.
And they act don't.
I mean that's the difference between then and me I may think that.
But they MI and the guy who -- -- -- stands in the streets no -- film a documentary about those people who do right and they're amazing people they're just amazing people.
And now I am honored that -- mean we were just in -- of of all of these people that we talked to you know we're talking with -- Moses director of a -- to a -- A -- how long did this film take from us to tonight's.
Well it's hard to it's hard to say because.
We were working with the -- relation on the Morocco who.
Was our major benefactor and also did the interviews of most of the major heads of state or most of the heads of state.
And his schedule required that we stopped occasionally so we would take the time to edit.
Four and six weeks or something until he was available again to go with this to another country.
So over the whole course of of and production it was about three years but you really can't say that it took that long I would say it took a year and a half.
Most of the most of the time consuming part was in post production because.
We probably shot 200 hours of material I I could make.
Six more documentaries out of when I have right including interviews with other other heads of state that we didn't -- -- -- like Lech Walesa -- -- that -- And the president of Indonesia and lot of other places like that.
What what a fascinating look at at this.
You finding free speech and democracy I appreciate you coming on so much I know that this came out October 12 where can people find this film is very important phone.
It's.
It's -- -- difficult for a while we open in new York and Los Angeles ran for a week.
-- had eight premiere in LA on the third of October to about 600 people a really wonderful premiere it directors guild theater here.
Now we're taking it to Europe we are doing translations into Spanish French Arabic and Ukrainian ironically in Russian.
And it's gonna hit it's gonna play in Europe more before or the plays in the states.
I think it will be available on Netflix until.
February -- march although.
You can sign up for it now.
And I'm not sure really what's gonna happen theatrically with -- yet our television once.
Well we'll look for it and following you on Twitter we had to Twitter handle up there earlier how -- people be -- website you want people to check out.
Absolutely.
A whispered to a -- dot com.
And whisper to a -- dot com yet please do.
All right very -- -- it was very nice to meet you -- Moses director of a whispered to overall -- exploring the power free speech and promoting democracy -- so glad that you were able to join us here today.
Thanks -- nicely to connect to the news well all -- and don't forget to go check up that website is an incredible film.
Incredible contact that we all must pay attention to and check out great voices in that film.
