NBC11.com
Friday, October 10, 2008, 10:20 pm
Search 
Search IBS  Search the Web
news
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news, daily headlines and more.
More
A documentary by a one-time U.C. Berkeley graduate student called "Standard Operating Procedure," takes Americans into the prisoner abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where technology showed the world what was happening behind prison walls.

Technology Helps Filmmaker Tell Story Behind Abu Ghraib

POSTED: 6:41 pm PDT May 9, 2008
UPDATED: 6:55 pm PDT May 9, 2008

A film opened on Friday that merges technology with the horrors of war.

A documentary by a one-time U.C. Berkeley graduate student called "Standard Operating Procedure," takes Americans into the prisoner abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where technology showed the world what was happening behind prison walls.

Filmmaker Errol Morris, who made "The Thin Blue Line," spoke with NBC11's Scott Budman at the San Francisco Apple Store, which is fittingly filled with technology.

Morris' movie explores the events surrounding the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. The movie stars Christopher Bradley, Sarah Denning and Joshua Feinman.

"Every single film I've made in the last 10 years would not have been made without new technology," Morris said.

The abuses at Abu Ghraib came to the world's attention because of digital technology.

Morris talked about how it was digital technology that brought us those famous photographs.

He said the Abu Ghraib images were "probably the most widely seen and distributed photographs in history."

And because technology has made it so easy to send photos, the world knew about what was going on inside the prison instantly."The way we look at photographs has completely changed and the way we distribute them has completely changed," Morris said. "Now we can send a photo to 100,000 places with one click."Morris said he believes in using technology to make the world a better place.

"I'm a great believer in democratizing the world through technology," he said "We would not know of the crimes at Abu Ghraib at all, save for the photos. The photos, as horrendous as they were, performed an enormous public service."

Morris said sending photos and making movies is a lot easier and faster because of technology.

"Technology is not our enemy, it's our friend," he said. "It levels the playing field, it gives everybody access."


Are you a news junkie, politics guru or a fan of Bay Area sports? Add news headlines and more to your Google or Yahoo! homepages.

Sponsored Links




Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Learn about the most common cancers that could affect you and what you can do to prevent them. More

If you’re starting to feel like your home needs a little warmth, try these helpful hints to make your living space just a little more cozy. More

If you’re feeling like you’re not doing what you’re supposed to, take this quiz and take control of your working destiny. More

Everyone needs iron in their diet. Find out which foods are the best sources. Some of them might surprise you! More

Like online video? Then you'll love Now See This.

Credit Report

See Your Complete Credit Picture. Get your Experian, Equifax & Transunion Credit Score & Report Instantly. View Online for free. More
Experian


Portions 2008 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Information | Contact Us