Taxi to the Dark Side wins best documentary.
Last night, Taxi to the Dark Side, a documentary about an innocent Afghan taxi driver tortured to death by U.S. officials at Bagram Air Base, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. From director Alex Gibney’s acceptance speech:
This is dedicated to two people who are no longer with us. Dilawar, the young Afghan taxi driver, and my father, a Navy interrogator who urged me to make this film because of his fury about what was being done to the rule of law. Let’s hope we can turn this country around and move away from the dark side and back to the light.
Watch it:
As ThinkProgress has reported, the Discovery Channel reneged on its contract to show Taxi before the 2008 elections. Last week, however, HBO announced plans to air the film in September 2008.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
30 Responses to “Taxi to the Dark Side wins best documentary.”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Register
RSSLogin
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Think ProgressContact Us
Donate
Last week, however, HBO announced plans to air the film in September 2008.
——————————————-
And now HBO gets to air an Oscar-winning documentary, which they probably got for cheap because the Discovery Channel didn’t want it. Sounds like they win.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:16 amExcellent!
February 25th, 2008 at 10:19 ammissmolly -yes, HBO wins at this point. However, since HBO is a premium channel, only it’s subscribers will see this film until after the elections in November. The losers are the vast majority of the American public. I’m sure you agree.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:20 amThe losers are the vast majority of the American public. I’m sure you agree.
Comment by impeachcheneythenbush — February 25, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Excellent point. I can always hope for a run on the film at Blockbuster if there’s enough publicity over this flap.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:30 amBig ratings for HBO, and a big slap across the timorous buttocks of the Discovery Channel.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:36 amI never thought I’d see the day that HBO has more integrity in programming than CNN.
They’re trying so damn hard to be Fox Lite they’ve lost their identity.
They’ve also lost me as a viewer.
Discovery? I’m disappointed, but would have been surprised if they had run it; it really doesn’t fit their normal scope of programming.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:41 amOh, trust me… FAR more people will now make the effort to see this film now that it’s won an Oscar. Nothing draws attention quite like controversy. Truthfully? You CAN’T buy this sort of publicity.
This is probably the best thing that could have happened to “TTTDS”, in terms of getting people to watch.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:43 amDoes HBO still have marketing campaigns where cable companies provide free HBO for a week end? Maybe they will show their patriotism and do that while featuring this film.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:47 amHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:20 amI just find it so ironic that Cheney would use the Star Wars metaphor. He is so much like the real life emperor with Bush as his Darth Vader it is scary.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:22 amHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
Comment by VA Voter — February 25, 2008 @ 11:20 am
Maybe you’d like to provide them with a list of excellent Right Wing documentaries. And, no, it’s too late for Leni Riefenstahl.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:23 am9 - VAV - amazing, isn’t it, that artists, visionaries and other creative people tend to be liberal…?
I think you’re just plain old pig jealous.
I mean, who *wouldn’t* be proud to be represented by Ted Nugent…?
February 25th, 2008 at 11:29 amHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
Comment by VA Voter — February 25, 2008 @ 11:20 am
You appear to be under the impression that casting a spotlight on an innocent Afghan taxi driver tortured to death by U.S. officials is a “left” issue. I see it as a human issue — and should outrage the left and right equally.
But since you see this as a “left” issue, and based on your body of TP posts I am assuming you are a bona fide “righty” — what does this say about you? Do you support the torture and murder of innocent taxi drivers, or do you just support keeping such activities hidden?
February 25th, 2008 at 11:36 amIf you’re looking for talent, brains, or money, best look in a Blue State.
btw, we don’t mind having our tax $ go to support Red States whose economies lie in ruin thanks to R mismanagement.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:37 am“timorous buttocks”
thanks for the A.M. chuckle, barfly.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:38 amThis movie will probably go into theaters now that it beat “Sicko” and won’t be on HBO for some time. That might give more people a chance to see it.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:55 amHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
Comment by VA Voter — February 25, 2008 @ 11:20 am
Do you realize what a “documentary” is ?
Main Entry: 1doc·u·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: \-ˈmen-tə-rē, -ˈmen-trē\
Function: adjective
Date: 1802
1: being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing
2: of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art; broadly : factual, objective
Yup, that terrible Hollywood ; how dare they drift to the “left” , and reward a factual and objective film that puts the entire Chimpy administration and their policies into proper focus ………….
February 25th, 2008 at 11:56 amHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
Comment by VA Voter — February 25, 2008 @ 11:20 am
What is surprising is that some so called Americans support torture by the US government. Hopefully when the new administration takes office they will investigate all this antiAmerican activity that has made all of us look bad.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:58 amI mean, who *wouldn’t* be proud to be represented by Ted Nugent…?
Comment by Leftside Annie — February 25, 2008 @ 11:29 am
Now be fair LA, they have Chuck Norris, Toby Keith and Britney Spears too.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:59 ambtw, we don’t mind having our tax $ go to support Red States whose economies lie in ruin thanks to R mismanagement.
Comment by tombaker — February 25, 2008 @ 11:37 am
But maybe we should.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm19 - Ah, Shayne, you’re right. And they have Rambo too, those lucky dogs!
*eyeroll*
February 25th, 2008 at 12:06 pm“an innocent Afghan taxi driver tortured to death by U.S. officials”
Ok you scum sucking, traitorous, vile trolls, defend this.
Come on Frank it’s all about me, or the RNC Tool GiGi, let’s hear what the subhuman, low IQ, scum have to say about this.
Do you feel safer now?
Buck Fush
February 25th, 2008 at 12:07 pmHollywood loves the left. Big surprise.
Comment by VA Voter — February 25, 2008 @ 11:20 am
Thank God, VA Voter looks as he hasn’t anything left sided on his body… but, wait! What means that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Lateralization_of_brain_function
Linear reasoning and language functions such as grammar and vocabulary often are lateralized to the left hemisphere of the brain. Dyscalculia is a neurological syndrome associated with damage to the left temporal-pariet junction [3]. This syndrome is associated with poor numeric manipulation, poor mental arithmetic skill, and the inability to either understand or apply mathematical concepts.[4]
So, no reasoning, grammar and vocabulary dystrophy and dyscalculia. Hey, 4 of 4, VA Voter has demonstrated that he HASN’T LEFT SIDE OF THE BRAIN. Right side of the brain, on the other hand, hasn’t proved to exist either…
February 25th, 2008 at 12:12 pmNow be fair LA, they have Chuck Norris, Toby Keith and Britney Spears too.
Comment by Shayne — February 25, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Beware, because Chuck Norris can circle kick the whole USA electorate to vote for Huckleberry…
http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/page1.html
February 25th, 2008 at 12:17 pmBeware, because Chuck Norris can circle kick the whole USA electorate to vote for Huckleberry…
http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/page1.html
Comment by Evil Spaniard — February 25, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
Those who keep voting for McInsane in the GOP primaries sure as hell don’t seem at all impressed by that……….
February 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pmHey, this is WAR!
And there will be collateral damage.
Sometimes, innocent people will get caught up in the stampede for justice.
They, along with the terrerists they hang out with will get crushed.
Then we’ll set fire to their families if they don’t tell us what we want to know. We’ll raze their homes and salt the earth!
Oh, wait, uhr, never mind…
February 25th, 2008 at 1:32 pmHas anyone noticed the Repubs don’t make many documentaries…They tend to lean towards “docudramas”…Much more flexibility witht he facts.
February 25th, 2008 at 4:18 pmBe careful of awakening the giants, history is typically on the side of the right wing. Notice how Comedy Central is our propaganda channel, the History Channel is theirs, there is a reason for that. I have recently seen a documetary on the US-Mexico border made by Republicans that was very pursusive but has not seen the light of day yet. So don’t throw too many hateful rocks because their coming up behind us. Another documentary I noticed them making was on the definition of evil, very interesting and extremely pursuasive. We need to get out of “Michael Moore/South Park” Comedy Mode of politics and look to more actual facts. And the reason why CNN and Discovery Channel won’t air it, is because they do not want to seem to defend the people responsible of this:
http://abcnews.go.com/ International/ wireStory?id=4226818
February 25th, 2008 at 6:43 pmcougar9770,
That news you posted is dated February 1st. Your “actual facts” have already been discredited:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23261370/
Get with the program.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:21 pmleopardtweezer
February 27th, 2008 at 8:22 pmAre You Joking? OK 100 people died instead of 70! discredited? Let’s play this out. What if there is a terrorist group made of Muslim extremist out there and they do get a weapon into this country and destroy say 100,000 people. It would destroy the economy, destroy a city, wipe out hospitals, could you imagine the lawsuits. I’m sorry for sounding right wing but I’m tired of us lefties turning a deaf ear as if it can’t happen. If your program is ignorance, I will not get with it!