FREEDOM2SPEAK V2.0 - SYNOPSIS

February 2003: the crisis between Washington and Baghdad deepens. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Berlin International Film Festival is opened. One hundred filmmakers decide to gather together under the banner, "freedom2speak", in order to make a stand against the general mood of helplessness. A series of short films and interviews provides provocative evidence of public opinion in the face of imminent war.

March 2003: As the bombs fall on Baghdad, the film festival in Istanbul begins. Deeply affected by the emotionally charged images of war, filmmakers and festival-goers argue about the point and the long-term effects of American occupation.

May 2003: The Americans declare the war over. Meanwhile, on the Croisette in Cannes, those for and against the war come face to face in heated discussions that revolve around politics, questions of aesthetics and the role of the media. How has the war changed our perceptions? Do we still recognise manipulation in the media and, if so, how much manipulation is already deemed acceptable?

This documentary collage - itself also subject to the criticism of being manipulative - features comments on the subject from filmmakers all over the world, including Volker Schlöndorff, Abderrahmane Sissako, Minnie Driver, Romain Goupil, George Clooney, Udi Aloni, John Hurt, Kutlug Ataman, Andres Veiel, Martina Gedeck, Jack Valenti, Fred Kelemen, Luc Picard and Dustin Hoffmann.