Guth Gafa Documentary Festival 2008

Shadow of the Holy Book
Finland, 2007, 90 min
Director: Arto Halonen

Fri 16th • Cinemobile • 7:30pm

Shadow of the Holy Book investigates the morality of international companies and the dictatorship of oil-and-gas-rich Turkmenistan. These companies help give the dictatorship the propaganda support that it needs to survive. Turkmenistan's dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov, has written a ridiculous book: the Ruhnama, the Book of Soul, a key tool in the government's subjugation of human rights and free speech. Yet many international companies give their clandestine support to the Ruhnama and help suppress the country's voices of opposition and dissidence - in return for multi-million dollar business deals.
The film follows lawyer/author Kevin Frazier and film director Arto Halonen as they travel from Europe to Turkmenistan, and all the way to the United States. The film-makers are in search of companies operating in Turkmenistan, particularly the companies that have translated the Ruhnama books into their own languages, and thus supported Turkmenistan's dictatorship in the most absurd way possible. The film also reflects the current situation in Turkmenistan, the impact of the Ruhnama book, and the ethics of the companies operating there. This is done through the voices of dissidents and refugees, many of whom have been the targets of persecution, torture, and assassination attempts organised by the Turkmenistan government.