Use Hollywood films to counter China & Russia: Integrity Initiative psyop plan exposed in new leaks.
RT.com
6 Jan, 2019 22:20
UK-backed covert influence network apparently planned to use its connections to ensure Hollywood and foreign-language films put out a pro-Western message and sought to influence awards like the Oscars and Baftas, show leaked docs.
“We need to refocus and reenergize 'Western' entertainment to combat increasing authoritarianism and illiberal tendencies worldwide, how to go about doing so BUT without it being 'propaganda',” states an undated “Memorandum” uploaded
online last week, in the fourth tranche of leaks from the international Foreign Office-funded Integrity Initiative.
The PDF document title bears the name of Victor Madeira, a leading researcher at the Institute for Statecraft, the parent body of Integrity Initiative, who has featured extensively in files that have been anonymously leaked online since early November.
World no longer believes in President Bill PullmanIt begins with concern at China’s growing grasp on US media assets. AMC Theaters, the second-largest American cinema chain, film studio Legendary, Dick Clark Productions, which puts on the Golden Globes, are just several companies that have been bought – often at premium prices – by Chinese investors in the past decade.
“Films critical of Beijing/China's past or present policies are not as easy to make any more or, if they are made, they won't now be carried by Chinese-owned US cinema chains,” writes the author.
“If studios know their bottom-line is going to be affected by taking on politically sensitive projects, they will self-censor. Job done.”
The author acknowledges that selling liberal democratic values is an uphill task, not only due to fear of losing money – Hollywood is “increasingly driven purely by financial considerations” – but also because audiences are “no longer receptive to or interested in such content” in a “polarised” world.
‘Coordinating’ output messagingWhile the compiler of the report appears to be stumped at the unintended consequences of the capitalist system the West itself helped spread, and which is now being used against it by China, they are not without solutions. Specifically, that producers and writers must be politically educated by agents of influence to put in the “correct” message in their films.
“Get actual experts like e.g. [
writer] Martha Bayles and [
academic] Nick Cull to articulate how US and other global entertainment powerhouses, either on their own or in collaboration, can improve and 'coordinate' so that output messaging converges to bolster shared democratic values but with locally-relevant content,” says the memorandum.
Agents representing Integrity Initiative’s interests could appear “before relevant government committees,” while the memorandum suggests to “not just focus on outputs but also on the vast surrounding network of events, institutions and sub-communities.”
“Think of the global reach/impact of e.g. the Oscars, the Grammys, the Brits, the BAFTAs, the Film Academy, etc.” it reads.
And rather than just focusing on the US, those involved could work with emerging foreign film industries, which are presumably less money-driven, and more credible in the eyes of foreign audiences.
“Even Russian and Chinese entertainment communities should not be out of bounds for 'Western' support,” writes the author, citing Leviathan, the critical Oscar-nominated Russian film from 2014, which was ironically part-funded by the Russian government.
The author is presumably planning to fund these networking efforts with the £2 million ($2.5 million) acquired from the Foreign Office, as has now been acknowledged, along with the money Integrity Initiative receives from NATO. Think of the FSB providing support for political filmmakers working in the US as the mirror equivalent. If Robert Mueller discovered that the latest Michael Moore documentary criticizing the political establishment was made with help Kremlin money, would that be considered similarly fair game?
Heroes in White Helmets?Integrity Initiative has acknowledged that its documents were “hacked,” but issued a double denial of the validity of the files recovered, saying they may not be genuine, but also “dated and never used.” Even if real, it is tempting to dismiss the memorandum as a piece of bedroom fantasy – frustrated spooks dreaming of pulling the strings of multi-billion conglomerates.
It’s all just too far-fetched: after all it wouldn’t be possible to suggest to multi-billion conglomerate Neflix that they should make an uncritical documentary film about the (Western-funded) White Helmets in Syria, and then have that documentary put forward for an Oscar nomination, which it captures, thus sealing the story of heroism, forever available in 21 languages.
No one is saying that Integrity Initiative is stuffing Oscar ballots, or brainwashing George Clooney, but a nudge there, a little Hollywood heart-bleeding here, a dash of newsworthiness on top of it, and next you are watching Rambo III about the heroic mujahideen fighting the Soviets, or Rocky IV, and cheering against Ivan Drago. Or closer to the present day, would McMafia, a 2018 US-UK series about international Russian crime, based on a 2008 book, be as readily commissioned five years ago?
Maybe in the future, if you enjoy an as-yet-unproduced “morally ambiguous” show about Russia in the 1990s, homing in on the “the West’s noble – and ignoble – efforts to help,” don’t thank the BBC or HBO. Send your congratulations to the Integrity Initiative’s registered address in an empty barn in Scotland. Because that is the exact idea pitched by the aforementioned Martha Bayles to its director.
Martha Bayles' pitch to Integrity Initiative
hmmm...a bit suspect this other news, maybe has to do with that James Wan included the Russian navy, Aquaman rescuing them and make them look like good guys, irritated Hollywood..James Wans Slams Academy for Not Including Aquaman in Oscars VFX Shortlist.
screenrant.com
BY ANA DUMARAOG – ON JAN 03, 2019 IN MOVIE NEWS
Director James Wan criticized the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for failing to recognize Aquaman's impressive CG work after it has failed to be included in this year's Oscars VFX shortlist. Starring Jason Momoa, the latest DCEU movie introduces fans to the half-human/half-Atlantean hero, divided into two parts - on the surface world and the underwater world. The film was also tasked with introducing Atlantis, presenting technical challenges in bringing the underwater civilization to life.
Despite the obstacles, Wan and his team were able to succeed with Aquaman, which would explain why he's upset with the Academy for skipping in on Aquaman for the VFX shortlist. Among those who made the list include Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Welcome to Marwen, Ready Player One, Christopher Robin, First Man, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Mary Poppins Returns. And, while he doesn't seem to have any issues with other flicks that nabbed a spot in the shortlist, Wan feels very strongly that his film deserves its place in the selection as well.
On his official Facebook account, Wan posted a short message in light of the release of Aquaman. Since then, people have been flocking to his page to send congratulatory messages, and one of the latest came from visual effects supervisor for the film Kelvin McIlwain, who congratulated the director for a job well done (the pair previously worked on 2015's Furious 7). Wan then responded to the message by calling McIlwain and his team the "unsung heroes" of the project and saying that it's a "disgrace" that their peers in the Academy aren't recognizing that.
Wan and his team have every right to feel frustrated by not being recognized by the Academy for VFX shortlist considering what they were able to achieve in Aquaman. The details in every frame - especially in scenes set underwater - are impressive. Atlantis is majestic, but also slightly eerie, considering it's a surface civilization that's meant to have sunk countless years ago. The fact that they were able to come up with a crafty way to translate the Atlanteans way of living - not to mention the way they speak underwater - are already huge achievements themselves. Admittedly, not everyone was a fan of the CGI work in the trailers, but the imagery and visuals of the film overall translated well to the screen.
At this point, everyone outside of the committee who had a hand in the shortlist can only speculate what went down behind closed doors that resulted in the top 10 movies that made the selection, leaving out Aquaman. That said, while recognition from the Academy and industry people would mean a lot for those who tirelessly worked on the project, Wan, McIlwain, and everyone involved in the movie can celebrate its success all over the world. The film is currently tracking to be one of the most successful films in the DCEU thus far with a haul of over $822 million - and it's still growing.
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