Dartmouth Film Society 75th: Stampila
This American/Moldovan indie thriller, filmed in 2018, helped contribute to the real-life downfall of the Oligarchs controlling the small Eastern European country.
This American/Moldovan indie thriller, filmed in 2018, helped contribute to the real-life downfall of the Oligarchs controlling the small Eastern European country.
Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. It was controlled for many years by a powerful oligarch known as the "Puppet Master," who looted over a billion euros from the Moldovan treasury in 2014, the largest theft in modern European history. By 2018, the oligarch controlled Moldova's executive branch, parliament and most of the nation's media. To help him stay in power, he even hired American political advisors—including one who went on to work for President Trump as Director of National Intelligence.
In fall 2018, American filmmakers Neil Irwin and David Larson traveled to Moldova to film Stampila, the story of a fictional Moldovan oligarch being overthrown by his people, a movie that they hoped would shatter the real oligarch's untouchable image. During production they faced canceled locations, threatened actors, stolen footage and even multiple summons by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. David and Neil hid the true nature of their film until filming the final scene: a fictional uprising against the oligarch, with nearly 400 Moldovans protesting in front of Moldova's main government building.
In such a tiny country, word spreads fast, and stories about the staged revolution made it to news outlets that weren't controlled by the oligarch. Just six months later, partially inspired by what Neil and David had done, the Moldovan people really did stand up to the oligarch, who fled the country on his private jet. Joining us to share more about this incredible behind-the-scenes story is Tommy Dickie '05, who stars in and co-produced the film.
Discussion follows with Tommy Dickie '05.
