Synopsis
Director/Writer/Producer, Zachary James Miller ("After Fall, Winter", "A Cry From Within,) along with Richard Schiff (The West Wing) takes the audience on a journey to a present day heart of darkness, the global surveillance state. Along on this wild ride is award winning Producer, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock ("Mugabe and the White African", “Grierson”) and a team of investigative journalists including New York Times bestselling author and award winning reporter, Greg Palast ("Billionaires and Ballot Bandits", "Vultures Picnic”, “Armed Madhouse”, “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy"). The film takes a deep revealing look at the world’s most powerful intelligence agencies, their technology, and the past, present, and potential problems when too much power goes unchecked and abuse of power goes unanswered. The film examines life without privacy, drone strikes based on Meta data, the ending of habeas corpus, the culture of constant surveillance and much more. The film in a clear voice states, “What you don’t know will hurt you”.
The film traces the story of global surveillance, its uses and abuses by the most secret and powerful intelligence agencies on the planet. The filmmakers state, “We’ll examine what seems to be a war on investigative journalism and whistle blowers. We’ll probe the culture of constant surveillance and the intelligence agencies in question; NSA, CIA, FBI, GCHQ, KGB, the 5 Eyes, and others. We’ll be looking at aspects of their deadly past, to the equally disturbing present and a potentially terrifying future if allowed to continue without proper oversight. In an effort to get all sides of the story, we will feature conversations with some of the most relevant figures on the issue of spying, privacy, and prevention of terrorism; from political activists, to celebrity activists, to American and foreign political leaders, former and current employees of the agencies themselves, to the White House. We will reveal the tools, the technology, and the spy craft that has become pervasive in everyone’s life and seeks to make privacy a thing of the past. This feature length documentary while speaking to many individuals will never be a talking heads documentary. It will look and feel like a fast-paced thriller/spy film as we travel the world of espionage and global surveillance, all the time enlightening as well as entertaining and all the while seeking to give the viewer counter measures to an Orwellian future. In essence, we not only want to highlight the problems but present the solutions.”
In summing it up the Director says, “There’s an element in some parts of government now that seem to want to know everything about everyone; it’s a growing addiction that cannot seem to be satiated. Yet on the other hand they want us to know nothing about “them”. Somehow to “them” this seems fair. To the makers of this film that seems unreasonable.