Critically acclaimed New Zealand documentary examining the “anti-terror” raids of October 2007.
On October 15, 2007, activists around New Zealand woke to guns in their faces: black-clad police forced their way into homes and dragged families out onto roads, and in the rural village of Rūātoki, helicopters hovered while locals were stopped at roadblocks.
This was the NZ Police’s ‘Operation 8’ and involved 18 months of surveillance of activists accused of attending terrorist training camps in the Urewera ranges - homeland of the Tūhoe people. Operation 8 asks "How and why did the raids take place? How did the War on Terror become a global witch-hunt of political dissenters reaching even to the South Pacific?"
Raw and real
It's plain and simple, evry New Zealanders ought to see this film. It uses the "anti terror" raids of 2007 to demonstrate how the so-called "war on terror" has open the door to all sorts of abuse of power the world around. Members of Geenpeace and Animal rights activists are being labelled "terrorists" ... how did we get there? When did activism and protestation become terrorism? Some will call it propaganda, most likely people that have not seen and will not see this film, and those same people probably believe whatever propaganda is thrown at them via their tv screens or their government ... sadly it is this people that really should see this film and see the victims side of the story.
Yep - watched the world premiere of Operation 8. http://www.cutcutcut.com/Operation8.html This trial has the potential to divide this country in the same way that the 81 tour did dovetailing so nicely into the lead up to the RWC. When you can get John Minto and Ross Muerant to agree on the complete abuse of State Power you know you're on to something really big. The theatre was full of the usual suspects, the left wing mal-contents, the leading Wellington politeratti, a fair chunk of white middle class suburbanites and one police plant. He was the only one that didn't clap at the end and asked the only contrary question in the Q&A at the conclusion of the screening. Remember when we all became familiar with the term `to cherry pick intelligence' remember when Rumsfeld wanted us all to know more about the known unknowns? Or was it the unknown unknowns' I can't remember but anyway he got his special operations group to cherry pick enough lies to make up a nice we power point presentation for Colon at the UN. Well Detective Sergeant Alan Pascoe is guilty of exactly the same offence and Broad was our Rumsfeld in the whole affair. So why do I believe that this could be as big as the 81 tour? Because this is not a Taika Waititi movie about some hard case kids on the coast that we can all laugh at, this is going to divide Maori in this country like nothing else since 81. On one side you will have Tama, Hone, Moana Jackson and everyone else who thinks those white mofos have been ripping them off for years and on the other side you will have Parata, Solomon and all the other toadies who want to protect their suction rights within the state trough. Very well made doco that will have the same cinematic significance as PATU. review by Pete K
Interviewing ex-Red Squad member and National Party MP Ross Meurant was a coup for Wellington's Wright and King-Jones. That he provides the most damning commentary of all on the actions of our police and government should be enough to convince most viewers that this film needed and deserved to be made. Operation 8 is a terrific piece of New Zealand film-making. Go see for yourself.
Best NZ "terrorist" film since Sleeping Dogs. And it's real...
There are shocks galore in this outstanding political documentary. For me the most startling was hearing Ross Meurant, former detective, sometime National Party MP and the face of the much-hated Red Squad during the 1981 Springbok Tour, give frank insider insight into the mind of the New Zealand Police establishment...
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 5th May 2011.
Release date: May 5th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
