PROSECUTOR (NFB, 2010) D: Barry Stevens. Rating: NNNN DVD package: None. Rating: NNNN
Filmmaker Barry Stevens follows the International Criminal Court’s first prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, from 2008 to 09 as he prepares the ICC’S first trial and works toward a momentous event – the indictment of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for genocide against the Darfuri people – the first-ever indictment of a sitting head of state.
But Ocampo has no police force. For arrests, he must rely on member states and, while everyone wants justice for their enemies, no one wants it for themselves.
Lawyers in meetings is dry stuff, but the conflict between law and power here is complex and fascinating. So are the remarks of the ICC’s critics, who demonstrate that the institution may be operating on outdated assumptions. Stevens gives the naysayers ample opportunity to talk, and they make some good points.
EXTRAS English, French audio. No subtitles.
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