WATCH: 'Dirty Wars' Director Richard Rowley Explains How to Tell a Global Story Through One Journalist
By KJ Relth
After spending a few years embedded in the Afghan press corps, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill knew that his privileged and protected position was causing him to miss out on the real stories in the war on terror. Deciding to unembed and push himself into a grey area, he understood that he would learn more about the human side of the war -- things that were hidden in plain sight. Through a narrative that unfurls much like a hard-boiled detective procedural, Richard Rowley's Dirty Wars uses one family’s tragedy to dig deeper into the motives behind this nebulous war that is quickly spinning out of control.
Dirty Wars screened on Tuesday, October 8 in Los Angeles as a part of the IDA Documentary Screening Series. Filmmaker Richard Rowley spoke with The Nation's Jon Wiener about taking Jeremy Scahill—a man typically comfortable in the background—and making him the star of his documentary.
You can watch more moments from this Q&A at our IDA Screening Series playlist on our YouTube channel.
Learn more about the other docs set to play in the IDA Documentary Screening Series.