THE DICTATOR HUNTER
The Netherlands 2007 • Director: Klaartje Quirijns • 54 minutes • English/French/Arabic with English Subtitles
Festivals: DOCNOIR Award - Best Documentary Courmayeur Noir In Festival Italy 2007, IDFA, Toronto IFF 2007
“If you kill one person, you go to jail. If you kill 40 people, they put you in an insane asylum. But if you kill 40,000 people, you get a comfortable exile with a bank account in another country, and that’s what we want to change here.” Reed Brody, Human Rights Watch
He hunts dictators for a living, as a lawyer for Human Rights Watch. For seven years, Brody has been chasing one former dictator in particular: Hissène Habré, the former leader of Chad, who is charged with killing thousands of his own countrymen in the 1980s. Now Habré lives in Senegal where Brody is attempting to have him brought to trial or extradited.
Director Klaartje Quirijns has a keen instinct for exploring international politics through the eyes of memorable characters. Her previous film, The Brooklyn Connection, tells one man’s story of building a guerrilla army. He did it by buying high-powered sniper rifles; weapons that can be legally purchased in the US.
In The Dictator Hunter we follow Brody over the course of two suspenseful years as he travels through Africa, Europe and the United States. He conducts diplomacy like the chess games he plays with his son. But in his work, the chess pieces are politicians, journalists, and judges that Brody positions against his opponent. The Dictator Hunter shows what it takes for one man to break the cycle of impunity.
Screenings
| Wellington | Tuesday 13 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 15 May, 8.15pm |
| Auckland | Tuesday 20 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 22 May, 8.15pm |
| Christchurch | Tuesday 27 May, 6.00pm | Thursday 29 May, 8.15pm |
| Dunedin | Tuesday 3 June, 6.00pm | Thursday 5 June, 8.15pm |
Related
WESTERN SAHARAOCCUPATION 101
NOW THE PEOPLE HAVE AWOKEN
2008 Dates
Wellington 8 - 16 May
Paramount Theatre
Auckland 15 - 23 May
Rialto Newmarket
Christchurch 22 - 30 May
Regent on Worcester
Dunedin 29 May - 6 June
Rialto Dunedin