Documenting corruption: Top 5 documentaries

Kenyan documentary "Kikulacho. The Bite Within"

On Monday, I’ve asked our twitter followers about documentaries from the last two years that are loosely related to corruption and got some really good suggestions already. I am looking forward to watching them!

The top one’s according to you I would like to share here, in no particular order.

• Living with corruption, Sorious Samura. 2007
  The film reveals how corruption has become normal and accepted in many African countries. (Read an interview with the director we did back in 2008)
• Street Fight, Marshall Curry. 2005
  The film follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey.
• The Smartest Guys in the Room, Alex Gibney
  The film looks at Enron, its business practices and how they led to its fall.
• Cameroon, Pipeline to Prosperity? Christiane Badgley. 2010
  The film is a documentary for PBS on the controversial Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project. 
• Paradis fiscaux, la grande evasion (Tax havens, the great evasion), Frédéric Brunnquell. 2008
  The film approaches the issue of tax havens and looks at what happens with all the money.

Thx @patomahony @karlincharge @joanpla @globalintegrity for your suggestions.

And here are two documentaries produced by TI Kenya in cooperation with A24media. One has been produced by our chapter in Kenya and has just been screened in Kenya (unfortunately, I haven’t seen it yet) and is called Kikulacho. The Bite Within. It discusses how poor organisation and management of a country affects its people and how to ensure better leadership and a better tomorrow for Kenya’s children. And of course, it depicts the “dark underbelly of corruption”, and the impact it has had on Kenya. The film also

“aims to provide an impetus for debate and dialogue on governance issues, and act as a springboard for the Kenyan public to: Make a difference in their communities; have a say in issues that affect their lives, and take responsibility for the future of Kenya.”

The other is a couple of years old, but I still find it very powerful. It’s called Agents of Change and reveals the stories behind systemic corruption. Shuttling between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania, the film documents the plight of three individuals as they navigate institutions rattled by war, dictatorship, and the growing pains of political and economic transition. You can watch the 30 minute documentary here:

What other documentaries do you know?

What others are worth watching?