1. What does the title “American Zeitgeist” mean?

“Zeitgeist” is a German word also used in English, meaning “spirit of the times.” American Zeitgeist, with its working tagline “Crisis & Conscience in an Age of Terror,” attempts to take the pulse of an American spirit of the times before and after 9/11.  But the title has another, more confrontational, meaning: exploring how what America is, what it does and what it represents have become among the most explosive questions on the world stage since September 11th.

It becomes clear to anyone taking a serious look into this conflict, that the roots of why the United States is engaged in a “war on terrorism” reach back into at least the last few generations of American foreign policy, specifically in the Middle East. The film then, while engaging an arc of cultural questions, also provides a history of the War on Terrorism, with the first half of the movie taking the viewer up to just before 9/11. The second half of the movie explores the implications of the conflict that has played out since then.
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2. Is there a political agenda behind the film?

No, and that is the point. So much political spin has been assigned to these issues, both in this country and around the world, that it is very difficult for your average person to have a clear sense of what is going on, what is at stake, and what really matters. To a large extent, the media has been an abysmal failure in serving its role of informing the people in an unbiased manner. Add to that the pap of conspiracist rhetoric that passes for breaking insights on far too many computer screens, and it begs the question of where one can turn for any kind of unslanted discussion.
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3. What timeframe does the film cover?

American Zeitgeist follows a chronology that begins with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 running through to the present.
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4. How do you cover a swath of time that vast without getting lost?

Partly by interviewing more than 40 of the most respected and articulate experts available from an array of perspectives, and through the construction of 36 individual sequences designed to highlight key events and issues in an exciting historical consideration of the War on Terror. The sequences are named as follows:

5. Where can I see/purchase a copy of the film?

American Zeitgeist will be playing at a number of film festivals and other venues throughout the United States and abroad in 2006. Check the screenings page of this Web site to stay abreast of the latest dates and information. Beginning in late May 2006, various DVD versions of the movie will be available for purchase online and through other channels.
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6. What can I expect on the DVD ?

At the moment, three different versions of the DVD are planned as well as an 8-minute download of the film that will be available for purchase online. The DVD packages will break down as follows:

UNIVERSITY EDITION, including the feature-length final cut, a 9/11 featurette of 60 minutes in length, as well as a selection of uncut interviews with leading experts conducted for the film, among other special features—a great value for researchers!

SPECIAL FEATURES EDITION, including the feature-length final cut of the film, the one-hour 9/11 featurette, and other features—for the avid follower of issues related to the film.

7. Is this another 9/11 film? And didn’t Michael Moore make the definitive movie on this topic in 2004?

To answer the first question, no, this movie is not primarily about the events of September 11th, but 9/11 does play an important role in the story. September 11, 2001 serves as a kind of fracture point, after which the narrative becomes necessarily jagged and more conflicted as it covers the fault lines of very recent history—in what one of our interview subjects Craig Unger calls the “battle for the narrative.”

As for Michael Moore, his Fahrenheit 9/11—apart from the salute it may deserve as the most financially successful documentary ever made—is the work of a bloviating idiot. It would have been worthwhile if he had attempted to apply a dose of real research before taking on a topic he knows nothing about. There, it has been said. A 3-minute cartoon-style cowboy sequence to explain the situation in Afghanistan? C'mon!
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8. What makes this documentary important to Americans?

One key motivation for making this movie is the lack of a healthy political debate in this country about the key issues running through the War on Terrorism. Right or Left? Conservative or Liberal? The information sources available to us, including many best-selling books, rarely go beyond a partisan or thinly researched view of things, shedding little light on topics we should be taking deadly seriously. With the growing (and albeit exciting) prominence of the Internet as an information source, there is a disturbing trend toward myopia: most of us go to the same places for news to substantiate a narrow interpretation of events, assuming a scoffing attitude toward data and views that contradict that perspective. It is the view of the filmmakers that what this country needs most is a much more lively, much more rambunctious, and yes, much more informed debate, making our leaders (both Republicans and Democrats) and ourselves more accountable for the policies and actions of this country. Of course, a documentary is just one way to engender such a debate. We all need to find our own points of engagement.
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9. What can I expect from the NYC and Washington D.C. premieres of this film?

Avenue E Productions will be putting on a premiere of the feature-length final cut of American Zeitgeist in New York City in late May and in Washington D.C. at the beginning of September. Both events will include a screening of the film followed by a debate between luminaries quoted in the film. We are currently arranging to stream audio/video of the debates online. Be sure to check this site later for more details!
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10. How can I arrange a screening of American Zeitgeist in my city?