ROAD TO GUANTANAMO

DC Premiere

From celebrated filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and co-director Mat Whitecross, this critically acclaimed hybrid of documentary and narrative cinema reconstructs the tale of four mates who travel from Great Britain to Pakistan in 2001 for a friend's wedding. They are looking forward to a week of fun, adventure-and perhaps the opportunity to sample some of the country's famous oversized Naan bread.

After an inspirational prayer session at a local mosque, the young men change their plans and take off to Afghanistan to provide humanitarian aid to its war-ravaged people. But what starts as a simple change of plans soon becomes a wrong turn that will change their lives forever.

An unforgettable journey of mistaken identity, unspeakable horror and prisoner mistreatment at the hands of the US government, ROAD TO GUANTANAMO blurs the line between reality and fiction by casting the actual subjects in a recreation of an experience deliberately rendered invisible. Drawing on meticulous research and hundreds of hours of interview footage, Winterbottom and Whitecross create a documentary narrative that plunges the viewer deep into these otherwise inaccessible life experiences. The documentary elements engage the audience intellectually, but as in a narrative thriller, viewers hang on to every twist and turn, never giving up hope that the truth will set the young men free.

-Amy Dotson

DIRECTOR BIOS
Michael Winterbottom was born in Blackburn, England, in 1961. His films include WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and TRISTAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY, and he has won awards at Cannes, Berlin and Edinburgh, among other festivals.

Mat Whitecross worked as editor on Michael Winterbottom's 9 SONGS and 2nd Unit director on CODE 46. He directed the short film JOB STREET and has directed music videos for Asher D, The Magic Numbers and Coldplay. He is currently writing his first feature.

Print Source:
Roadside Attractions
421 South Beverly Drive, 8th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310.789.4710

PRECEDED BY...NIGHT VISIONS
Kathy Huang
USA, 2005, 7 MINUTES

A soldier, returning from Iraq physically unscathed but struggling with his brutal experiences, reminds us that the wounds of military conflict are not always visible.

Print Source:
Kathy Huang
3422 Shady Spring Lane
Mountain View, CA 94040
650.814.1017
huangfilms@gmail.com

6/18 at 8:00 PM

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