Shadow Of The Holy Book
Hot Docs Toronto 2008
Solothuner Filmtage 2008
IDFA 2007
Shadow Of The Holy Book
FI/CH/DK/US/DE 2007 53'
Director: Arto Halonen
Script: Arto Halonen, Kevin Frazier
Camera: Hannu Vitikainen
Sound: Martti Turunen, Samu Heikkilä
Editing:: Samu Heikkilä
Music:: Timo Peltola
Production:: AFP Oy, Dschoint Ventschr, Kamoli Films
This documentary investigates the morality of international companies and the dictatorship of oil-and-gas-rich Turkmenistan. These companies help give the dictatorship the propaganda support that it needs to survive. Turkmenistan's dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov, has written a ludicrous book: the Ruhnama, the Book of Soul, a key tool in the government's subjugation of human rights and free speech. Yet many international companies give their clandestine support to the Ruhnama and help suppress the country's voices of opposition and dissidence – in return for multimillion-dollar business deals.