Posted on 05/27/2004 9:26:51 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
May 27, 2004 | Filmmaker Michael Moore filmed an interview with American Nicholas Berg in the course of producing his documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" before Berg left for Iraq, where he was taken hostage and killed, Moore confirmed to Salon in a statement Thursday. The 20 minutes of footage does not appear in the final version of "Fahrenheit 911," according to the statement.
Word of the footage reached Salon through a source unaffiliated with Moore or his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is reported to feature stark images of U.S. civilians and soldiers grappling with conditions in war-torn Iraq, as well as examining the relationship between President George W. Bush and the bin Laden family. It received the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, on Saturday.
In a statement widely circulated by Moore's people after an initial request for comment by Salon, Moore said, "We have an interview with Nick Berg. It was approximately 20 minutes long. We are not releasing it to the media. It is not in the film. We are dealing privately with the family." Moore's camp declined to comment further on any aspect of the interview. Because the footage is not in the film, a spokeswoman for Miramax Films, the production company behind "Fahrenheit 9/11," said the company had no comment.
It was not clear from Moore's statement whether footage from the interview with Berg had ever been included in early cuts of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Reports about a film industry controversy surrounding distribution of the film first hit the news on May 5, a week before Berg's death. The film officially screened for the public and the press for the first time during the Cannes festival on May 17.
The news that Moore spoke to Berg while he was still in the United States only adds to the mystery surrounding the young man's presence in Iraq and tragic death. The interview was shot before the 26-year-old Berg left for Iraq late last year as a private contractor in the hopes of helping to rebuild the ravaged country. Though it was unclear what Berg spoke about in his interview with Moore, or how the two men met, unrelated reports following his death indicate that he headed for the Middle East with plans to work to improve the country's technological infrastructure and communication abilities. He ran his own company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Berg did not find employment in Iraq, and when he attempted to return to the United States he was detained by Iraqi police and questioned by American forces. He was released after his family complained. But shortly after, he is believed to have been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists. Video of his beheading was released on an Islamist Web site on May 11. Salon was unable to reach the Berg family for comment before publication.
Moore's film chronicles the United States' military, political and business involvement in the Middle East in the years before and after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His previous politically charged films, including "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine," have created controversy and won him praise (including an Oscar, for "Columbine"). "Fahrenheit 9/11" has already sparked a media storm; in early May, Miramax's parent company, Disney, announced that it would not allow Miramax to distribute the film, which is highly critical of Bush and his administration.
Miramax has yet to make a deal with a distributor, though the film's warm reception at Cannes and the publicity surrounding the film have made it a hot property that is generating a lot of interest in Hollywood. "Bowling for Columbine" grossed $21 million, making it the highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary of all time.
A source close to "Fahrenheit 9/11" said that a new distributor will be announced shortly, and that the film is expected to be released in theaters during the first week of July, as originally planned.
I think it's a dead-end with the tape being released to the family. MM's off the hook.
Aziz is one busy guy. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?
I'm not sure. As far as I can tell, he came on the scene a couple of years ago as an Iraqi expatriate who was in favor of ousting Saddam. He was quickly embraced by the right wing media and made the talk show and speaking circuit (i.e. appearing like a good guy). Only after the Berg murder did his shady past come forth. He was one of the most quoted in the media as to Bergs comings-and-goings, had access to his cell phone records, etc.
*IF* I were a skeptic, I might suspect that he was an infiltrator from the beginning. The Tridish and Tridish.com thing is yet ANOTHER coincidence that I'm having a hard time accepting.
You are pulling up some interesting information.... just checked out the post by kristinn...am wondering if that's the same guy who was on c-span chanting death to saddam last year?
"She went into her rant about Bush being evil again. I stopped her and asked her how come she was supporting a mass murderer (Saddam). I told her about Aziz Al-Taee's cousin who was cut into little pieces, delivered to his house in a bag, and the family was presented with a bill for the bullets. If the family complained, someone else would be shot."
am speechless by that...
I believe he is one and the same.
He knows how to work the crowd. Did you see the rally?
We were referring to extremely long and/or off-topic posts, which is another level of research. Anyway,I haven't been able to follow the thread, too busy with all sorts of distracting things like family and business, but am interested in the OU angle. Where is that going?
No. I have read a bunch of posts though. Everyone believed him to be sincere and very effective. His stories about atrocities inflicted on his family were horrific.
From the news articles I have read, however, he appears to be a two-bit con-artist who also got involved in Russian OC drug smuggling and distribution. I guess on that note, I put him as bad guy (right or left wing). LOL.
how can you tell that it's the same aziz? I was under the impression the above list was pertaining to numerous people who have the name aziz..
No accusations here..just pure speculation wrt:the aziz at the rally...if he is the same...Now that is disturbing...and can only imagine how kristen and the rest of the dc chapter would feel knowing they might have had a drug smuggler working in their midst?
I can't reconcile Aziz's apparent criminal history (plastic vials can be used for other things besides crack, however), getting busted selling stolen pc's, and his conservative political views.
He could have very well been an infiltrator. We Westerners have a disadvantage when it comes to dealing with the mindset and culture of the Middle East. The Tridish connection is just another disturbing coincidence in this mess.
I show him in Uganda in 1998... so he was in the same neighborhood. I'll keep my eyes open for anything else.
"Aziz said that on April 10 Berg "surprised me by calling me at 9 or 10, to say that he found some friend to travel with to Jordan." Berg said he was en route, but Aziz doesn't know who he was with or what kind of vehicle they were driving. "He said they were nice people. I told him to have a nice trip.""I wonder if these were the people arrested?
"He said this weekend he understands Berg's phone was used as recently as April 19, and that three calls were made that day to Jordan, to the United Arab Emirates and to a local number."
In other words, the videotape of the Nick Berg beheading was an outtake from Moore's film?
Aziz is a good guy. I'm not surprised to learn he was helping Nick Berg.39 posted on 05/15/2004 2:26:16 PM PDT by kristinn [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies ]
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Posted on Mon, May. 17, 2004
BERG MET WITH SHADY IRAQI
By WILLIAM BUNCH
bunchw@phillynews.com
There's another strange new twist to the saga of Nick Berg and his final days of Iraq before his savage videotaped beheading.
Berg teamed up in Baghdad with an ex-Philadelphia man who led a controversial group of Iraqi expatriates encouraged by the U.S. government - even as he faced deportation for his role in Russian-emigre crime ring selling millions of vials used for crack.
Michael Moore linked to Al Queda?
Why am I not surprised?
Ooops... my response was to Kim's post above Owl's. Sorry.
Berg talks of Iraq's business potential on Michael Moore footage
AP, Centre Daily.com ^ | 5/29/04 | JASON STRAZIUSO
Posted on 05/29/2004 9:13:24 AM PDT by Dane
Posted on Sat, May. 29, 2004
Berg talks of Iraq's business potential on Michael Moore footage
JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press
In a 16-minute interview shot for Michael Moore's latest film, slain American Nicholas Berg talks about his travels to Africa and the work he hoped to find as an independent businessman in Iraq, Berg's brother said Saturday.
Moore's crew shot the footage at an Iraqi business conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 4, David Berg said...
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread
It's too bad MM didn't accompany his buddy Nick Berg into Iraq.
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