[Imc-auckland-events] Aotearoa Indymedia presents - The Antidote #14: Brand New MCLIBEL (2005). Sun Dec. 4

[Geraldene Peters]

((((i)))) 
Indymedia (Auckland) Presents
The Antidote #14 
An evening of alternative political documentaries
Sunday, December 4 @ The Classic Comedy Bar and Theatre
321 Queen Street, Auckland
7.45 pm start time for films
$5 

Feature Documentary:

McLibel(2005)

85 mins

 
³Brand² New ­ released in time for McDonald¹s 50th Anniversary earlier this
year.  This documentary has never been shown before in Aotearoa New Zealand.

With new material covering recent developments and completely re-edited
archival footage, this update of the David and Goliath story where ordinary
people face off against the corporate ogre - is the culmination of ten years
of filming by director, Franny Armstrong, and her crew.

An example of low to no budget documentary-making at its most successful,
the documentary came together through donated equipment and largely
voluntary crew work, and acclaimed film-maker Ken Loach donating his
services to directing the dramatic reconstructions.

Synopsis
McLibel is the story of how two ordinary people humiliated McDonald's in the
biggest corporate PR disaster in history.

McDonald's love of using the UK libel laws to suppress criticism was evident
as major media organisations like the BBC and The Guardian crumbled and
apologised, but then they sued gardener Helen Steel and postman Dave Morris.

In the longest trial in English legal history, the "McLibel Two" represented
themselves against McDonald's £10 million legal team. Every aspect of the
corporation's business was cross-examined: from junk food and McJobs, to
animal cruelty, environmental damage and advertising to children.

During the hearings, Dave brought up his young son alone and Helen supported
herself working nights in a bar. McDonald's tried every trick in the book to
unsettle them, including legal manoeuvres, top executives flying to London
for secret settlement negotiations, spies and even a visit from Ronald
McDonald himself. 

Seven years later, in February 2005, the marathon legal battle finally
concluded at the European Court of Human Rights. And the result took
everyone by surprise - especially the British Government.

McLibel is not just about hamburgers. It is about the importance of freedom
of speech now that multinational corporations are more powerful than
countries. 

Filmed over ten years by no-budget Director Franny Armstrong, McLibel is the
David and Goliath story of two people who refused to say sorry. And in doing
so, changed the world.

Press Pack
http://www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=1419

McLibel
www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=161 <http://www.spannerfilms.net/?lid=161>

Reviews
http://www.spannerfilms.net/reviews

McSpotlight
http://www.mcspotlight.org/

This feature will be preceded by two short documentaries from the
Oceania Indymedia Newsreal
http://oceania.indymedia.org/newsreal

For more information, please contact:
Matthew Donaldson
Aotearoa Indymedia
(09) 360 3306
021 896 175
mdmd at paradise.net.nz

ENDS

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-auckland-events/attachments/20051118/4baf8cf3/attachment.htm