The revelation of a top-secret British surveillance programme brings down the dominoes in a dark and analytical film about technology, rights and structural racism – and about a man with the courage to speak out.
If British police ask for the password to your phone or computer, you must hand it over to them in accordance with an anti-terror law that came into force before 9/11. When human rights activist Muhammad Rabbani refuses and is prosecuted, a journalist is able to uncover documents proving the existence of a top-secret surveillance programme, code-named Phantom Parrot, designed to copy the personal data of individuals at airports and border crossings – and people from minority backgrounds are often the first to be pulled aside.
And from there, the dominoes start falling in all directions in a dark detective film about technology, surveillance and structural racism in a time where knowledge might still equal power but where data is even better.
A razor-sharp analysis that unravels the threads and allows us to understand both the scale and gravity of the Phantom Parrot programme.
Press:
“★ ★ ★ ★”
– The Guardian
“Sheds light on the Orwellian technologies being used across borders to
repress activists, journalists, and others”
– The Nation
Deadline – Phantom Parrot’ Premiering At CPH:DOX Exposes U.K. Surveillance Program In Dark Detective Film
Declassified UK – Phantom Parrot: The Secret State’s Tool for Mass Intelligence Gathering
The Lancet – Storytelling and Debate at the 2023 Global Health Film Festival
Business Doc Europe – CPH DOX F:ACT Award: Phantom Parrot by Kate Stonehill
Modern Times – Review: Phantom Parrot
Cineuropa – Review: Phantom Parrot