The Ambassador

3 Reviews

Danish provocateur Mads Brugger’s powerful follow-up to his North Korean expose, RED CHAPEL, finds the director going undercover as a diplomat in Liberia to expose the shady backroom deals that spur the smuggling of blood diamonds via elite channels. Unsurprisingly, the film’s release created mountains of controversy on both sides - from the Liberian government, who attempted to extradite Brugger for the bribery he performs on camera, to critics who felt Brugger crossed an ethical line and became the racist criminal he was supposed to be satirizing. Watch for yourself, then make up your own mind.

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Release Date:
Running Time:	93 minutes
Country:	Denmark
Language:	Danish

synopsis

Nominated for the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Mads Brugger’s controversial study of shady diplomatic practices in Central Africa continues the filmmaker’s unique practice of going undercover to expose life in corrupt regimes first seen in RED CHAPEL. Here, Brugger disguises himself as a rich diplomat eager to set up business in Liberia so he can smuggle blood diamonds out of the country. As Brugger makes connections and greases palms with cash in order to set up his cover business - a match factory - the film sheds light on the disturbing underworld where black-market diamonds are used as currency amongst the criminal elite in post-colonial Africa, as well as Europe, Asia and the US. Fascinating and disturbing, Brugger’s film is a must-see for anyone interested in the global economy, the remnants of French and British colonialism, and gripping documentaries.