Stealing a Nation
| Stealing a Nation | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of title card | |
| Directed by |
John Pilger Christopher Martin Sean Crotty |
| Produced by |
Christopher Martin Polly Bide |
| Written by | John Pilger |
| Starring |
John Pilger James R. Schlesinger Cassam Uteem Bill Rammell Mark Curtis Louis Olivier Bancoult |
| Music by | Nicholas Russell-Pavier |
| Cinematography | Preston Clothier |
| Editing by | Joe Frost |
| Studio | Carlton Television |
| Running time | 56 min |
| Language | English |
Stealing a Nation is a 2004 Granada Television documentary written and directed by John Pilger, produced and directed by Christopher Martin and with reconstruction footage directed by Sean Crotty. The documentary is about the expulsion of Chagossians from the Chagos Archipelago, chiefly from Diego Garcia Island, forcibly removed by the British government between 1967 and 1973 to Mauritius, 1,000 miles away, so that the island could be used as an American and British airbase.[1][2]
Synopsis
In the 1960s and 70s, British governments, conspiring with American officials, tricked into leaving, then expelled the entire population of the Chagos islands in the Indian Ocean. The aim was to give the principal island of this Crown Colony, Diego Garcia, to the Americans who wanted it as a major military base. Indeed, from Diego Garcia US planes have since bombed Afghanistan and Iraq. The story is told by islanders who were dumped in the slums of Mauritius and in the words of the British officials who left a 'paper trail' of what the International Criminal Court now describes as 'a crime against humanity'.
Interviewees
- James Schlesinger – US Secretary of Defence 1973–1975
- Cassam Uteem – former President of Mauritius
- Bill Rammell MP – Foreign Office Minister
- Professor David Stoddart – Berkley University, California
- Robin Mardemootoo – Lawyer for Chagos Islanders
- Richard Gifford – Lawyer for Chagos Islanders
- Marcel Mouline – Chagos Islands plantation manager
- Andrew Stuart – Foreign Office 1965–1983
- Mark Curtis – Author, Web of Deceit
- Olivier Bancoult – Leader, Chagos Refugees Group
- Marie Lisette Talate
- Charlesia Alexis
- Rita Bancoult
- Louis Onezine
Awards and festival screenings
- The Chris Award, Columbus International Film and Video Festival
- Best Single Documentary, The Royal Television Society Programme Awards
- United Nations Association Film Festival, Stanford
- Silver Lake Film Festival
External links
References
- ↑ "Stealing a Nation". Bullfrog Films. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- ↑ "Stealing a Nation". johnpilger.com. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- ↑ http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/stealing-a-nation
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