Working Films in the USA has a long-standing, highly successful track record in maximising the social and campaigning impact of documentaries. One example is their work on the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.
The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib Campaign is a USA-wide community engagement and action initiative aimed at stopping U.S. sponsored torture.
Rory Kennedy’s Emmy Award winning HBO documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a groundbreaking examination of the psychological and political context in which torture and humiliation occurred at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Through dozens of interviews the film exposes the truth: the responsibility for the abuses at the prison goes right to the top. Prison guards at Abu Ghraib were instructed to use torture tactics approved by the Bush administration.
Abu Ghraib Extra Information
The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib Campaign is a national community engagement and action initiative aimed at stopping U.S. sponsored torture.
The problem
Since the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in 2004 it has been revealed that the United States is routinely utilizing violent and humiliating abuse against military detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, and elsewhere. Harsh interrogation techniques -including waterboarding, stripping detainees naked, exposing them to extreme hot, cold, noise and light, sleep deprivation, inflicting beatings, and other mal treatment – violate the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The film
Rory Kennedy’s Emmy Award winning HBO documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a groundbreaking examination of the psychological and political context in which torture and humiliation occurred at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Through dozens of interviews the film exposes the truth: the responsibility for the abuses at the prison goes right to the top. Prison guards at Abu Ghraib were instructed to use torture tactics approved by the Bush administration.
The outreach
In the summer of 2007, Working Films reached out to organizations campaigning against torture to solicit their commitment to using the documentary in their ongoing work. We facilitated a coalition that formed the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib campaign.
The campaign is a collaborative effort, directed by Working Films, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union, American Freedom Campaign Amnesty International Human Rights First, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Together, they are utilizing the film as a tool to build the momentum and support needed to stop torture in America’s name.
The solution
The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib campaign is a national community engagement and action initiative aimed at ending U.S. policies and directives that sanction torture. The campaign has involved expansive initiatives with the film to raise national awareness and engage thousands of viewers in targeted actions to end to U.S. sponsored torture. To that end, the primary focus of the campaign has been around U.S. policies and directives that sanction torture. Partner organizations also collaborated in the development of campaign resources – including an interactive informative website, available at www.ghostsofabughraib.org; an instructional viewing guide; and a legislative background paper.
The result
Working Films secured committed partnerships and workplans from organizations at the forefront of efforts to stop torture: The American Civil Liberties Union promoted Ghosts of Abu Ghraib to their affiliates in key election districts as part of their Safe and Free Campaign. This resulted in 900 screening events – both house parties, public, and targeted screenings – which began in December 2007 and are scheduled through the Spring of 2008. Audience members have written hundreds of letters to local newspapers and to elected officials demanding legislation to restore habeas corpus (HR 2826), the right to seek relief from unlawful detention. The final 100 DVDs are going to be used in numerous ways to enhance ACLU outreach on issues of torture and detention.
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) sponsored over 600 “Spotlight on Torture” screenings aimed at involving congregations and other faith-based groups in ongoing efforts to raise awareness and advocate against torture. NRCAT will continue to utilize Ghosts of Abu Ghraib in 2008, and just distributed nearly 100 copies to activists from congregations across the country at the 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days in DC.
“It was a great way to draw people to our table and get them involved in our work. We have already been referring non-religious groups to the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib website and will continue to do so.”
– John Humphries, Director for Program Coordination.
Amnesty International incorporated the film into their 86 Days of ActionCampaign and sponsored approximately 300 screening events nationwide. Audiences spoke out to their Senators to encourage the cosponsor and passage of S. 1943, a bill which would ensure uniform standards for interrogations for everyone in U.S. custody, regardless of which agency is holding them.
Case Study by Molly Murphy, Deputy Director of Working Films and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib Campaign Coordinator. Reprinted from Working Films’ Campaign Spotlight, available at www.workingfilms.org