English summary

Shadow World unravels and exposes the global arms trade, which counts profit in dollars and loss in human lives. In this crystal-clear documentary, which is both artistic and a work of journalism, we see how closely interwoven this trade is with politics. A revealing quote from an arms dealer: ‘Politicians are very much like prostitutes, only much more expensive.’

In the aftermath of every war rumours about bribery and corruption, conflicts of interests and unethical profit-seeking do the rounds. A shadowy world of arms dealers, corruption, bribery and backrooms. But, above all, the world of well-known world leaders and politicians whose moral compasses seem entirely awry… The political world has got the backs of the arms dealers safely covered. And if any government with other ideas tries to build a new order, the arms dealers call on friendly western powers to sabotage it with brutal efficiency, as happened in El Salvador and Chile. Anyone who stands in the way of the immense, lucrative arms trade must pay heavily.

Filmmaker Johan Grimonprez adeptly interweaves interviews, archive material and philosophical reflections in a powerful argument against this world and argues for more cooperation, openness and dialogue.