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SHADOW OF THE HOLY BOOK - Directed by Arto Halonen Finland/US 2008 (90 minutes, in English/Turkmen/Russian, with English subtitles)
This high-spirited political satire exposes the complicity of multinational corporations in supporting and legitimizing dictator Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan, self-appointed President for Life and one of the world's most egregious violators of human rights. Through interviews with Turkmeni dissidents, journalists and human rights advocates now either in jail or exile, the film explores how Niyazov transformed a remote Central Asian republic into one of the most oppressive regimes in recent history. The "holy book" in the film's title refers to Niyazov's Ruhnama - a bizarre blend of legend and the dictator's delusional thinking that rivals Mao's "little red book."
Contact: Larry Daressa LD@newsreel.org