LEGION OF BROTHERS
Greg Barker hears from Green Berets about their secret missions to overthrow the Taliban after 9/11.
Festival Section:
Documentary Premieres
Sundance Program Description:
Immediately after the September 11 attacks, the United States government initiated a secret war in Afghanistan. Fewer than a hundred Special Forces soldiers, building a coalition with the rebels of the Northern Alliance, faced off against the Taliban and succeeded in driving them out of power by the end of the year – with minimal coalition casualties and without conventional, large-scale military operations. Despite this victory, the US and its allies soon became mired in a seemingly never-ending war.
Acclaimed filmmaker Greg Barker (MANHUNT: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN, 2013 Sundance Film Festival) expertly reveals this unexplored story, drawing on unprecedented access to several of the Green Berets who played pivotal roles in these covert missions. Driven by a sense of justice, these soldiers left family members in the dark as they set off to serve as Afghanistan’s liberators, only to confront the tragic realities of war. Reflecting on their experiences – and on the brothers-in-arms they lost – these elite soldiers offer at once a riveting celebration of valor and a sobering, cautionary tale.
Some Background:
Director/Producer:
Past Sundance docs:
WE ARE THE GIANT (2014)
MANHUNT
SERGIO (2009, US Documentary Editing Award)
The former war correspondent won an Emmy for MANHUNT, and most recently produced/directed the HBO doc HOMEGROWN: THE COUNTER-TERROR DILEMMA.
Producers:
Recent past Sundance docs:
WE ARE X (2016)
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD (2015)
CHUCK NORRIS VS COMMUNISM (2015)
LISTEN TO ME MARLON (2015)
CAPTIVATED: THE TRIALS OF PAMELA SMART (2014)
THE GREEN PRINCE (2014)
HAPPY VALLEY (2014)
WE ARE THE GIANT
Passion Pictures’ John Battsek has regularly debuted projects at the festival, and has produced all of Barker’s feature docs since SERGIO.
Past Sundance docs:
MANHUNT
Bergen is a noted journalist and author. His previous books have been the basis for MANHUNT and HOMEGROWN.
This marks Mabile’s first Sundance credit. She has previously directed and produced films on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for National Geographic, CNN, and Discovery, including a collaboration with Bergen.
Co-Producer:
Past Sundance docs:
WE ARE X (producer)
WE ARE THE GIANT (line producer)
MANHUNT
SERGIO (associate producer)
Becker also produced Barker’s HOMEGROWN.
Associate Producer:
This is Gurd’s first Sundance film. He previously was an assistant editor on HOMEGROWN.
Supervising Producer:
Past Sundance docs:
FRESH DRESSED (2015)
THE HUNTING GROUND (2015)
LIFE ITSELF (2014)
IVORY TOWER (2014)
WHITEY: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS JAMES J BULGER (2014)
DINOSAUR 13 (2014)
CNN Films VP Sexton also worked on several other Sundance alumni at her time at Participant Media.
Executive Producers:
Past Sundance docs:
FRESH DRESSED
THE HUNTING GROUND
LIFE ITSELF
IVORY TOWER
WHITEY: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS JAMES J BULGER
DINOSAUR 13
Entelis is CNN’s EVP for talent and content development. Malhotra was a CNN Films exec from 2012-2015 before moving over to Showtime, where he is Senior VP of documentaries, unscripted, and sports programming.
Editor:
This marks Schwartz’s first documentary credit at Sundance, but she previously cut the Sundance narrative feature RESULTS (2015).
Why You Should Watch:
As noted in my film capsule above, Barker benefits from interviews with Green Berets, who are candid about the missteps taken in America’s war on terror. At the same time, the film acknowledges the amazing accomplishments the Special Forces made in the early months of their covert campaigns, suggesting a very different course that the war could have taken.
More Info:
For Sundance screening dates and times, click the film title in the first paragraph.
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