UAE | Leisure

DIFF looks at a fictional future

Death of a President is a film about a historic assassination and the subsequent investigation. But the interesting and shocking thing is that the victim is American president George W. Bush.

  • By Jyoti Kalsi, Gulf News Report
  • Published: 23:36 May 3, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut poses during an interview with Gulf News in Dubai.
  • Image Credit: Rangarajan/Gulf News

Dubai: Death of a President is a film about a historic assassination and the subsequent investigation. But the interesting and shocking thing is that the victim is American president George W. Bush.

British director Gabriel Range has skilfully woven archival footage of the president and shots of events attended by him and of anti-war demonstrations with fictional interviews and digital effects to create a docudrama that is convincing, gripping and thought-provoking.

The film highlights the sad realities of post 9/11 America through elements such as the attempts of the investigators to indict a Muslim despite limited evidence, the administration's eagerness to link the crime to Syria, the psyche of the real assassin and "President" Cheney's belligerent views.

The film is a key element of the Café Europe programme at DIFF 2006 and evoked a lively discussion about social, political and ethical issues at a press conference held yesterday.

"A lot has happened in the last five years. I thought that imagining the assassination of George Bush would be an interesting way to promote reflection on the events of the last few years," said Range, explaining his reason for using such an unusual plot and technique.

Commenting on the unfair treatment of the Muslim suspect in the film, Range said, "The Bush administration has exploited the situation. In the aftermath of 9/11, many Arab-Americans were detained using a new statute, yet there were few protests because of the climate of fear and anger. The characters in my film are fictional, but they are all inspired by true stories."

Death of a President will soon be released in the Arab world and Range hopes that it will be viewed as a serious film.

He has no concerns about the film sending out the wrong message. "My film has a strong anti-violence message. I have shown the assassination as a horrific event with terrible consequences.

"I strongly believe that after seeing my film no one will think that assassinating Bush is a good idea, especially with the prospect of having Dick Cheney as president," he said.

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