| Film offers scorching look at the way our government contributes to and profits from disasters both here and abroad
Richard Dreyfuss to Narrate Documentary, "America Betrayed"
Academy Award Winner Richard Dreyfuss is set to narrate the heavily anticipated documentary America Betrayed, from Eclipse Entertainment and filmmaker Leslie Cardé. The film, slated for release in late summer of 2008, places the spotlight front and center on the specific ways our government contributes to and profits from disasters both here and abroad…from the way it shields itself from blame when all roads point to their culpability, to the friends in high places in corporate America who continue to benefit from the very disasters that leave the rest of us reeling.
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Richard Dreyfuss |
From 9/11, to the war in Iraq, to the worst disaster in U.S. history, the levee failures in Hurricane Katrina, America Betrayed follows the money, and the path leads straight back to the hallowed halls of Congress… the profits straight into the pockets of those with ties to the Executive Branch.
America Betrayed is the story of waste, fraud, and abuse at the very highest echelons of our federal government. Through interviews with Pulitzer Prize winning journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Time magazine, to noted scientists from Berkeley and Harvard, to U.S. Senators and Congressman, America Betrayed takes an in-depth look at just how our government's dirty little secrets have impeded an investigation into 9/11 and nearly ruined a great American city…New Orleans.
The gloves are off, and the inside story is being told, as longtime broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker Leslie Carde talks for the first time with insiders who know exactly how the game is played. From the contractors who built sub-standard structures in New Orleans and were told to "keep quiet", to the whistleblowers who sacrificed their jobs to come forward and expose the cover-ups, cooked books, and cronyism nationwide within the Army Corps of Engineers, this film digs deep to unearth the truth. While scientists charged with investigating the Katrina disaster were intentionally led astray, journalists dug their heels in to get to the root of "disaster capitalism," a process by which government insiders cash in with emergency no-bid contracts, in times of national stress.
"America Betrayed is a film that will be on the minds of all Americans searching for truth and justice from their elected officials," said filmmaker Leslie Cardé. "We are thrilled that a talent the caliber of Richard Dreyfuss would be inspired to participate in such a groundbreaking project."
Mr. Dreyfuss states: "One of the most important messages in this piece is the shared villainy, greed and suffering. The bad guys are of both political parties."
By bringing to the forefront the inherent problems with our government granting itself immunity from prosecution, post-disaster, the filmmaker hopes to bring forth legitimate commissions to investigate disasters, once they have occurred. This film will prompt Congress to start a dialogue regarding fair compensation trusts, so that victims of such disasters as the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and Katrina are all compensated fairly and equally.
America Betrayed clearly exposes our government's misappropriation of funds in spending its citizens' hard-earned tax dollars on rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure, while the bridges, dams, levees and highways in this country are crumbling. The film is a cautionary tale for those who trust their government, and hopefully a wake-up call to change the status quo in Washington. In an election year, this feature documentary may just have the public re-evaluating their options.
The documentary is set for a national theatrical release later this summer, as well as distribution on the film festival circuit and Academy Award consideration.
Filmmaker Leslie Cardé has had a long and stellar career in network news. She covered everything from the Iran hostage crisis in Tehran to the Daniel Pearl murder trial in Islamabad, Pakistan, and produced an investigative documentary on healthcare across the African continent for NBC. She was one of the first anchors at CNBC when it launched back in 1989. She has executive produced and hosted her own syndicated lifestyle/entertainment show and was a Supervising Producer at E! Entertainment Television. Leslie's first love is investigative journalism.
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2008 by AlternativeApproaches.com
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