Films by Vanessa Ciszewski

France, Germany 2022, 99 min
by Stephane Malterre

27,000 photos of civilian detainees tortured to death were stolen from the Syrian regime’s secret archives by a military defector codenamed Caesar, and made public in 2014. But international justice proves impotent in prosecuting the criminal Syrian state. As the case seems doomed to oblivion, victims’ families, along with activists and Caesar himself, seek truth and justice through state courts across Europe instead. More than five years of investigations and fighting will lead to the first trial against high officials of the Syrian death machine.

USA, Israel, Germany, France 2022, 141 min
by Dror Moreh

A thorough and sober examination of the US response to genocide and war crimes over the past 40 years. From the corridors of power in the White House and with Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright as expert witnesses.After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US stood as the sole global superpower. With that title came the burden of being the moral guardian of the planet. But how does a power decide whether to intervene in conflicts beyond its borders? Dror Moreh’s immensely thorough film brings together the political elite – Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and others – to examine the motivations behind US interventions (and lack thereof) from the 1990s genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, to the wars in Iraq and Syria in the 21st century. Contributing as a moral beacon in an extremely complex and sometimes terrifying field is the formidable Samantha Power, who was Obama’s personal adviser. A film for anyone interested in politics on a grand scale. [CPH:DOX]Oscar® nominated director Dror Moreh (THE GATEKEEPERS) returns with an examination of US foreign policy of the past 40 years in this striking documentary filled with insights of more than 30 political heavyweights including Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice.Quotes: utterly engrossing'- Deadline, 'a deeply disturbing examination of genocide during recent decades' - The Hollywood Reporter