Media coverage of the trial of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the “Unabomber,” was sensationalist and distorted. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski carried out a series of bombings in the United States targeting executives of major airlines and scientists from various elite universities. He was arrested by the FBI in 1996, but a public trial never took place. Instead, Kaczynski accepted a plea bargain in 1998, thus avoiding both the death penalty and committal to a psychiatric institution. Since then, he has been imprisoned at ADX Florence, a high-security prison in Colorado. In THE NET_GO TO TRIAL, Lutz Dammbeck presents a complex documentary that deals intensively with the media echo and public perception of the case. The director was surprised to receive 120 hours of TV material from various US television stations, which was originally collected by the public prosecutor in Sacramento. This valuable archive material enables a critical analysis of the media coverage and raises the question of the extent to which the reporting influenced public opinion. The film has been presented at renowned festivals such as the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the Munich Documentary Film Festival. It has received particular praise for its unique approach and unsparing examination of the media landscape. THE NET_GO TO TRIAL is a powerful work that not only tells the story of Ted Kaczynski, but also questions the influence of the media on our collective consciousness.
Icons & Media Art
1h 30min
12
EN
A montage of TV images of the trial of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the "Unabomber."
Media coverage of the trial of Ted Kaczynski, better known as the “Unabomber,” was sensationalist and distorted. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski carried out a series of bombings in the United States targeting executives of major airlines and scientists from various elite universities. He was arrested by the FBI in 1996, but a public trial never took place. Instead, Kaczynski accepted a plea bargain in 1998, thus avoiding both the death penalty and committal to a psychiatric institution. Since then, he has been imprisoned at ADX Florence, a high-security prison in Colorado.
In THE NET_GO TO TRIAL, Lutz Dammbeck presents a complex documentary that deals intensively with the media echo and public perception of the case. The director was surprised to receive 120 hours of TV material from various US television stations, which was originally collected by the public prosecutor in Sacramento. This valuable archive material enables a critical analysis of the media coverage and raises the question of the extent to which the reporting influenced public opinion.
The film has been presented at renowned festivals such as the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the Munich Documentary Film Festival. It has received particular praise for its unique approach and unsparing examination of the media landscape. THE NET_GO TO TRIAL is a powerful work that not only tells the story of Ted Kaczynski, but also questions the influence of the media on our collective consciousness.