21 November 2004.
This replies to "Voices of Iraq: Who Are They?"
http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 17:01:20 -0800 (PST)
From: Martin Kunert <martinkunert2002@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: martin@KunertManes.com
Subject: about VOICES OF IRAQ
To: postmaster@cryptome.org
I’m Martin Kunert, one of the three producers of the nefarious, mysterious VOICES OF IRAQ. Surfing the net and having found your site, I’m here to shed light on your questions.
A. writes:
1. Mark Bennett's employer, Manning, Selvage and Lee, is a P.R. firm employed by the Army:
That’s news to me. But than honestly, so what. Manning, Selvage and Lee is a massive PR film. They have numerous clients. Saying that because MS&L promotes the Army commercial campaigns reveals a bias in our film is akin to claiming Mickey Mouse films are liberal propaganda because Disney financed Michael Moore. And, btw, MS&L had nothing to do with the financing and making of our film.
3. MS&L's motto: "At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don't just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds."
Doh - they are a PR firm. As in “public relations”, meaning change the public’s view to their client’s advantage. That’s called selling.
8. More ponderage: when you're handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully. It's just a guess that these cameras weren't handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class.
The cameras were cheap JVC GR30’s DV camcorders bought of the net for $250. (see the movie and look at them, if you don’t believe me) Times 150, the grand total is $37,500. 500 DV tapes, bought at bulk, can be acquired at $2 a pop (even cheaper if you’re buying from the same place you purchased the cameras). That’s $1000 for raw stock.
Total cost (cameras and stock): $38,000.
We expected to loose most of the cameras. That’s why we sent in ONE HUNDRED FIFTY of them. We even budgeted money to buy them back from Iraqis though never needed to. It helped the cameras were NTSC, a video format not used in the Middle East, making the cameras worthless on the Iraqi black market. As for who did we hand the cameras to… everybody who’d take them, rich, poor, educated, illiterate, etc. Look at who in the film had cameras – poor kids on the Tigris river bank, destitute families living in mud tents in the Marshlands, As for insurgents: if you saw the film, did you catch the Falluja sheik who’s fighting Americans. Did you see the three videos supplied by insurgents, including one mocking America’s claims of bringing democracy? BTW, we tried to get cameras to Al Zaraqawi, to no avail.
And even if it was only the education class – which it is not – are they not valid voices from Iraq? They are to me.
Also consider this – the idea of Iraqis being pro-American, anti-American; or Iraqis showing pro or con American issues, is an American perspective. The idea of the film was to show the Iraqi’s perspective – let them film what’s important to them. For example, a few people complained that we showed Iraqis having birthday parties. Guess what – that’s what Iraqis thought was important to them to film.
9. Unclear, so far, is who paid for the cameras, stock, post-production, and distribution for the film. That's a question for Mr. Bennett.
Question for Bennett?!?! Why not a question for the filmmakers. Seesh….. Here’s what I don’t get about this line of query. You play six degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon on our film (Bennett worked on a Army campaign, so ask him), yet never bothered to look at people directly responsible - the filmmakers. Scan the net. We made MTV’s FEAR – a show where people video taped their own experiences in haunted places. Wow – think there’s a connection there? We also created film and television projects for studios and major networks. Li! ke all filmmakers in Hollywood, we sought our own financing and found it. VOICES OF IRAQ is the first of several films we have in the hopper. Some are fictional, some are docu’s.
As for who paid for the distribution; Google the film’s name and you’ll find dozens of press releases; look at the netflix site, imdb.com, or go look at the credits in the movie theater, or check in newspaper articles about the movie. You’ll find the answer. The film is distributed by Magnolia Pictures, which is owned by Mark Cuban, who owns Landmark Theaters – a chain of cinemas that shows quirky small films – which, surprising, the film is playing in. A real mystery there.
S. writes:
Specifically the Production Contact :
Booya Studios, LLC
Voices of Freedom, LLC
11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
Studio City, CA 91604
818-769-7558
Having lived in that area for a number of years, I somewhat familiar with the area. Be advised that quite a number of addresses on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA, are mail drops. I searched GOOGLE on this:
11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
Found this also...
"Boyfriend Cosmetics 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 Studio City, CA 91604"
Address appears to me as a "mail drop" as opposed to a "real" office.
Err… wrong. 11026 Ventura Blvd. is a small complex of office buildings that house many small businesses. We’re across from Vineland, so anybody can come and verify my statement. Many offices are film related as the building is down the street from Universal Studios. As for Suite 13 once being “Boyfriend Cosmetics”. Yup, that’s true. They went under and we took over their offices. ! That happens in office buildings
Martin Kunert
Martin@KunertManes.com
(310) 990-8335