In this episode, Richard Rowley talks to Monica Castillo about his new documentary Dirty Wars. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name and follows investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill around the world as he investigates a side of the War on Terror most media outlets rarely cover: drone strikes, assassinations, U.S.-backed warlords, and more. Rowley talks with Monica about the three-year process of making the film and what changes he hopes to inspire.

SHOW NOTES:

About Our Guest:

Richard Rowley has made multiple award-winning documentary features including Fourth World War and This Is What Democracy Looks Like. His shorts and news reports are also regularly featured on leading outlets including Al Jazeera, BBC, CBC, CNN International, Democracy Now!, and PBS. Rowley is a co-founder of the Independent Media Center and has been a Pulitzer Fellow, Rockefeller Fellow, a Jerome Foundation Fellow, and a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellow.

The Episode:

0:26 - Introduction and clip

2:07 - Was the film inspired by the book, or were they produced at the same time?

4:05 - Have you been surprised by the reception?

5:25 - Are you hoping this leads to more transparency?

8:04 - How were you able to connect the dots?

10:01 - Have you heard anything from the Obama administration?

10:40 - Aren't some of the incidents depicted in the film still under investigation by the government?

13:07 - How would you like to see the wars end in both Iraq and Afghanistan?

14:06 - Show close

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