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.
Australia, huh? I guess I noted that earlier somewhere in this thread. I have an Uncle who is a socialist who went to live in Australia 20 or so years ago. Of course that's neither here nor there to the topic :)
I spent a great deal of time searching for Berg's Texas tower employer. I can't find them mentioned by name anywhere which seems kind of odd to me since there seems to be a sort of fraternity bond between these types of guys. There is that block of unaccounted for time (after the semester at Oklahoma) and I did find an article that said he went to work for a Texas tower company. But that's about it. I will keep checking.
Great job, I am incredibly thankful to have this consolidated and organized in such useful fashion. I hope to be adding some useful information later tonight.
HOLY CRAP......that's amazing!
And A Citizen Reporter has been working on an Excel project that's very good........only we can't figure a way to post it.......any ideas????
If we can decide what to do about that, I'll ping the whole thread again!
WOW! Impressive!! Nice work NN.
WOW! Marked for reference. FR is an amazing resource because of freepers.
Wow! I haven't checked in on this thread for a few days, so Nita, your work is especially appreciated. Howlin: thanks for the ping. (And I repeat--WOW!)
Donate!
Printing, travel, telephone calls, it all costs money. Please help us out with a contribution of any size. Checks can be made out to the Prometheus Radio Project and mailed to:
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If you want to make your contribution tax deductable, make your check out to:
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(put "Prometheus Radio Project" in the memo)
I'm bookmarking this. You all are incredibly talented. Is the FBI even on the same page as you folks?
If you want to email that Excel project to freeper@allspark.net, I will get it hosted and posted one way or another.
Well, that certainly sorts the wheat from the chaff! Very impressive, and very much appreciated by all, I am sure.
I want to add a little information, though I can't say how significant it all might be...however...
EDWIN BUKONT.
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20040518-092853-8800r.htm
Quote: "...he was gifted at electronics. He had an incredible ability to take a tin can and a piece of string and make a communications tower" said Edwin Bukont, a radio engineer in Baltimore who was his friend and a colleage.'
Edwin Bukont www.comm-struction.net
Specialising in Radio, TV, RF, Remore Broadcasting. (Site under construction) Linked to:
http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/feed-line/01_rwf_feed_2.shtml
Read final paragraph headed: Net access.
Excerpts: 'There are other benefits...One is that we now have high-speed Internet access at our transmitter sites...For security, we have installed Webcams that we can monitor from anywhere over the Internet...'
Perhaps this is the technology Berg employed in Iraq? HOW and WHEN were the prison 'abuse' photographs and video transmitted to the outside world? I no longer believe the Michael Moore Fedex story.
"Man is more than by fire tamed" (?) Prometheus Towers...
If NOT by Fire...then what else? Idealogy/Communication? When Michael Berg (father) said "they killed their best friend" I understood that to mean the islamists in Iraq. Did he not understand how many factions were struggling for power in Iraq? Berg's activities may have made him some dangerous enemies - who did not want an Islamic State.
His idealogy, possible anti-coalition activities, comments detrimental to the Iraqi prison-guards - calling the jihadi's from various muslim countries 'poor fellows' and being seen with Hugo Infante who was selling unflattering photographs would not have made him any friends amongst those who want a secular Iraq.
Four Iraqi men were arrested in relation to the beheading crime. Two were released. I do not think their names have been released. The story continues...
Let me ask A Citizen Reporter first, okay???? I want to make sure it's READY to go up!
I hope your uncle isn't one of our left wingers who keep shouting that we should let all the detainees out of the detention centres in Australia. There are enough of the home-grown variety here! Good luck with your research.
Okay. We have the technology to make this work.
Jihad Watch. May Archives.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
Four Arrested in Berg Beheading. (Excerpt)
'...the suspects were former members of Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen paramiltiray organization, the Iraqi security official said on condition of anonymity. Iraqi police arrested them on May 14 in a house in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad. The province includes Tikrit, Saddam's hometown. The group that was involved in the killing of Berg was led by Yassar al-Sawabi, a nephew of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi official said. He said American intelligence had asked Iraqi authorities to hand over the suspects but they were still in Iraqi hands. A-Sabawi was not among those arrested...'
Has everyone else seen this? I believe two of the men have since been released.
From todays Toronto Star:(huge barfer)
Pictures, more than ever, tell Iraq story
GEOFF PEVERE
Last month in Cannes, Michael Moore was asked where he got some of Fahrenheit 9/11's more amazing footage: Scenes of Iraqi prisoners being abused in the field, of wounded civilians and dead soldiers, and of George W. Bush making silly faces to the camera just before he lets his country know it's officially at war.
Moore shrugged. He's a magnet for the stuff. It just gets sent to him. Anybody with a camera and a conscience is a potential contributor, he explained.
While Fahrenheit 9/11 contains an exhaustive account of the economic ties that bind the Bush family and the Bin Ladens, and while it all but claims the current administration used the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 as a reason to launch a war against Iraq it was planning anyway, the most powerful indictments are in the pictures: Bush railing against the terrorist threat before turning away and swinging his golf club ("Now let's drive!";....snip.....
Marking to read tomorrow.
I suspected as much (see #1841). I wonder what standards of evaluation he used in considering his sources. My guess is if the material fit his anti-Bush theme, the source didn't matter. And the same is obvious to those who would feed them their propaganda.
Thanks Nita. Great summary! I feel up to speed...Sorta. Wish i knew how his paternal aunt died. I doubt it was a natural death.
great table, Nita, thanks!!!!
Not sure if you caught it but the Bergs started calling
out on the internet for help in finding their missing son
on May 6th or earlier, not May 8th... (from post 1734)
[Thu, 06 May 2004 12:43:54 -0400]
http://www.broadcast.net/pipermail/broadcast/2004-May/218634.html
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