Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

Produced & Directed by Rory Kennedy
Produced by Liz Garbus
Written & Produced by Jack Youngelson
Cinematography by Tom Hurwitz
Edited by Sari Gilman

GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB examines and contextualizes the abuses that occurred in the fall of 2003 at that notorious Iraqi prison, abuses documented in photographs that remain etched in our national consciousness and will remain so for years to come. The documentary asks: what do those events still say about America, our government, our military, and human nature? The film is built on the direct, personal narratives of the perpetrators, witnesses, and victims of the abuse and probes the psychology of how typical American men and women can come to commit atrocious acts. On a parallel track, the film explores the chronology of recent policy decisions that have eroded our alliance with the Geneva conventions that contributed to making this abuse a reality.

Ghosts begins tracing the path to Abu Ghraib with 9/11. Facing a whole new war on terror, the Bush administration justified intelligence gathering at any cost. The administration's decision to ignore the rules of the Geneva Conventions laid the groundwork for the abuse. The result? Heinous acts of torture heretofore associated only with the world's most repressive dictatorships.

The now-infamous photos that emerged from Abu Ghraib represent only the tip of the iceberg, pointing to systemic abuse from Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan and beyond. These photos have come to redefine the United States--once considered a bastion of human rights--as a principal proponent of torture. Have we blurred the distinction between ourselves and terrorists in ways that will haunt our country throughout history? Powerful, restrained, and fiercely compelling, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib demands that we examine our conscience as a nation.