A look at how multinational corporations curried favor with Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006), the despot of oil- and gas-rich Turkmenistan, primarily through translating "Ruhnama," his autobiographical book of cultural musings, into many languages and providing testimonials that legitimized his murderous dictatorship. Two European journalists interview Turkman dissidents and try, without success, to get statements from multinationals such as Çalik Holdings, Siemens, Daimler-Ch... (Full plot summary below)
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A look at how multinational corporations curried favor with Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006), the despot of oil- and gas-rich Turkmenistan, primarily through translating "Ruhnama," his autobiographical book of cultural musings, into many languages and providing testimonials that legitimized his murderous dictatorship. Two European journalists interview Turkman dissidents and try, without success, to get statements from multinationals such as Çalik Holdings, Siemens, Daimler-Chrysler, John Deere, Caterpillar, and Bouygues Construction as to why they put business interests ahead of human rights. A Finnish CEO provides the solitary moral compass.
Leave your thoughts about Shadow of the Holy Book.
| User ReviewPäivi LEveryone must see this documentary. Totally crazy and absurd country: Turkmenistan. |
| User ReviewJani BThe most absurd documentary I have seen. The theme, not the content I mean. I know I am going to ask a certain someone tons of questions. The docu reveals a different world, a world I'm glad to have gotten a glimpse of, and I love how the filmmakers have chosen humour in conveying the absurdity of the dictatorship. Highly recommended. |
| User ReviewRoland SOne of the best documentaries I've ever seen. We love Ruhnama and Turkmenistan! |
| User ReviewAntti KA very good investigative documentary from Halonen after a couple of nice docs from Cuba. I'd like to think this will help to break the absurd and cruel dictatorship regime of Turkmenistan since the film has been noticed around the world but I'm not holding my breath. Well worth seeing in cinema, highly recommended for everyone! Ashkabat did however look quite modern and almost on par with Dubai or one of those other Middle Eastern resorts... And I think one of those Ruhnama t-shirts would be a nice comment... Now, if anyone else knew what and where Turkmenistan is... |
| User ReviewPrivate UGiven the brilliant material they had to work with - comic opera dictatorship, corruption for oil, heads of multinationals being dick-wads on camera - they sure made an astonishingly dull movie. Any fool can be refused an interview, I don't need to sit through an hour and a half of watching these particular guys being refused interviews. There were some good moments, but I wouldn't recommend it. |
| User ReviewMinna SThe subject is interesting so I expected much more than I got. |
