Secrecy
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Robb Moss
Melissa Boyle Mahle
Judy Palya Loether
John Kusiak
Bill Reynolds
Richard Sebring
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In a single recent year the U.S. classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress. We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel. But is so much secrecy a bad thing? Counter-terrorist intelligence officers recall with fury how a newspaper article describing National Security Agency abilities directly led to the loss of information that could have avoided the terrorist killing of 241 soldiers in Beirut late in October 1983. Secrecy guards against wanton nuclear proliferation, against the spread of biological and chemical weapons. Secrecy is central to our ability to wage an effective war against terrorism. Secrecy corrupts. From extraordinary rendition to warrant-less wiretaps and Abu Ghraib, we have learned that, under the veil of classification, even our leaders can give in to dangerous impulses. Secrecy increasingly hides national policy, impedes coordination among agencies, bloats budgets and obscures foreign accords; secrecy throws into the dark our system of justice and derails the balance of power between the executive branch and the rest of government. It causes tensions between our safety as a nation, and our ability to function as a democracy.
Cast
Melissa Boyle Mahle
Judy Palya Loether
John Kusiak
Bill Reynolds
Richard Sebring
Ronan Lefkowitz
Patricia J Herring
Siegfried S Hecker
Mike Levin
Ben Wizner
Barton Gellman
Billy Novick
Neal Katyal
Steven Aftergood
Wilson Brown
Charlie Swift
Peter Andrew Willis
James B Bruce
Steve Garfinkel
Sato Knudsen
Thomas S Blanton
Crew
Steven Aftergood
Coll Anderson
Coll Anderson
Stephen Barden
Diana Barrett
Thomas S Blanton
Caitlin Boyle
Melissa Boyle Mahle
Josh Braun
Peter Broderick
Wilson Brown
Jim Browne
James B Bruce
Lincoln Caplan
Mario Cardenas
Joe Christofori
Phil Darrell
Austin De Besche
Austin De Besche
Thomas Doran
Brant Fagan
Jim Ferguson
Mark Filip
Derek Frank
Peter Galison
Steve Garfinkel
Barton Gellman
Jack Goldsmith
Lisa Haber-thomson
Mark C Hansen
Siegfried S Hecker
Patricia J Herring
Pamela Hogan
Jenny Holzer
Emily Jansen
Emily Jansen
Julie Kahn
Neal Katyal
Ann Kim
Chyld King
Chyld King
John Kusiak
Jeremy Leach
Mike Levin
Ruth Lingford
Elaine Mccarthy
Stephen Mccarthy
Stephen Mccarthy
Martha Minow
Robb Moss
Trevor Paglen
Judy Palya Loether
David Pottruck
Emily Pottruck
Rich Remsberg
Louise Rosen
Ben Rubin
Brian Samuels
Jim Sanborn
Matt Snedecor
Beth Sternheimer
Dave Stuart
Jim Swartz
Susan Swartz
Charlie Swift
Tim Szetela
Samantha Van Gerbig
Randy Ward
Alex Wellerstein
Tricia Wilk
Peter Andrew Willis
Ben Wizner
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 2008
Released in United States Fall September 12, 2008
Released in United States January 2008
Released in United States March 2008
Released in United States October 17, 2008
Released in United States on Video September 29, 2009
Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Documentaries) April 24-May 8, 2008.
Shown at South by Southwest Film Festival March 7-15, 2008.
Shown at Sundance Film Festival (Documentary Competition) January 17-27, 2008.
Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (Showcase) April 23-May 4, 2008.
Shown at Vancouver International Film Festival (Nonfiction Features of 2008) September 25-October 10, 2008.
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Documentaries) April 24-May 8, 2008.)
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (Showcase) April 23-May 4, 2008.)
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at Vancouver International Film Festival (Nonfiction Features of 2008) September 25-October 10, 2008.)
Released in United States January 2008 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (Documentary Competition) January 17-27, 2008.)
Released in United States on Video September 29, 2009
Released in United States Fall September 12, 2008 (Chicago)
Released in United States March 2008 (Shown at South by Southwest Film Festival March 7-15, 2008.)
Released in United States October 17, 2008 (Los Angeles)
