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.
He may have in the DC area at the beginning of the war.
I will work on that, Ann.
"vicious lashing out so viciously"
I really need to preview my posts... :(
Goodnight everyone, and happy detecting... :)
Thank you, girl. If you don't have a carbon monoxide detector, get one today.
Oh geez sorry - yes there are hideous pictures - very graphic, on that radical guy's site!!!! Beware! Click only if you can handle those - also the mounds of BS the guy spews in between his research.
Ah, yes. Connect the dots.
I waded through a lot of Muslims sites yesterday before this story came out, just to see what was being said.
Lots of whacky theories that seemed impossible yesterday; not today.
And my Favorites folder now unfolds into the next room!
Very good thinking there. I agree.
He may really have it. But you're right - he could be saying it just for he reasons you give.
We knew we could count on you! :)
Unfortunately I have to leave for the day...don't know how I'll wade through anothe 800 posts tonight! But if a Berg info/research thread starts - please do add me to the list so I can beline it for that thread later.
bye all!
See my post #865, I had intended to include you.
Good points -- what did Eisner know? I was shocked when he pulled the plug!
I think this Aziz guy spoke at the Patriots Rally in D.C. on the Mall last March or April. If it is the same guy I am thinking of, I think he was also at the freeper rally earlier that winter, at the Lincoln memorial. My husband and I were impressed by him at the time.
Isn't this him on the guest list? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/869829/posts
Angelwood, is this the same guy?
"They are talking to soldiers and gathering the true sentiment about what is really going on."
Geeze that sounds like O'Reilly's interview with Ann Coulter last night!
Great find. Sometimes, my 65 year old CNS system amazes me.
Piasa asks the question, "I immediately respond that he may have been in one of the DC events before the war."
Then you post that he was on the list.
He signed in with his second name:
Aziz Al-Taee, Chairman, Iraqi American Council
I heard that rumor about Berg here and from all accounts it is probably true but everything here goes under the "rumor" category because no one wants to confirm anything in public. I think that is strange.
White guy hanging out with the Islamic Society is the only reason a lot of people remember him. The only buses we have running here in Norman go between the apartment complexes and the university all day long. Now how could he have given Moussaoui his email access code unless they were here together on a bus coming or going to an apartment complex? That means Berg was here in 2001 or Moussaoui was here in late 1999/early 2000.
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