In a town
known for famous moviemakers, Queen Noor of Jordan is something of an anomaly
in Hollywood – until you consider the movie she has helped make. Queen Noor,
the widow of King Hussein, sat down with a small group of reporters at a
private luncheon to discuss the documentary, Countdown to Zero about
nuclear bomb proliferation, which hits US theaters in July. As founding leader
of Global Zero, a movement aimed at phasing out nuclear weapons around the
world, Queen Noor served as a special consultant on the film in her first foray
into Hollywood moviemaking.
“For me, this is a whole new world,” she said over lunch at
the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills – a favorite haunt of Hollywood
celebrities.
She was joined by producers Lawrence Bender and Diane
Weyermann of Participant Media, both part of the team responsible for
Oscar-winning global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
Countdown to Zero is a 90-minute documentary written and directed by Lucy Walker that
explores the history of the atomic bomb and today’s threat of nuclear proliferation.
The documentary features interviews with the likes of
former UK prime minister Tony Blair, ex-US President Jimmy Carter, one-time
USSR General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and the late former US Secretary of
Defense Robert McNamara, among many others.
With nine nations possessing nuclear weapons the world is
in danger of an explosion, whether through an act of terrorism, a failed
diplomatic mission, a technical glitch or human error, and Queen Noor sees the
movie as an effective way to get that message across to broader audiences.
“Film is the most powerful tool in the arsenal of so many
of us – not just Global Zero – but others in the world that are collaborating
with us on this issue,” she said. “I’ve given a million speeches but it’s the
visual images, the storytelling” that can impact mass audiences.
As a consultant on the film, Queen Noor’s input was
invaluable, said Bender and Weyermann. When she felt the first version that
screened at January’s Sundance Film Festival was too “American-centric,” she
offered suggestions on images and archival footage that might make it more
accessible to global audiences.
“Queen Noor’s perspective became important in the tweaking
of this movie,” said Bender. “She brought a global perspective and gave the
film a more international feel.”
Bender said Queen Noor functioned almost as a type of
producer, but the Queen, however, demurred at that thought.
“I look at this from the perspective of trying to promote
understanding between the Middle East, the Arab and Muslim worlds and the West
over the past 35 years,” she said.
Queen Noor explained that preventing and resolving
conflicts and promoting peace in the Middle East have long been causes she
supports, as well as development that provides hope and opportunity for people.
“That is how we achieve security,” she said, “by giving
people the freedom to engage in the decision-making that affects our lives.” |
