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Factory of Lies

Russia has launched an information war - introducing a new weapon. Hundreds of young
Russians are producing fake news from socialled "Troll Factories". From fake profiles lies are
spread by social media in US and Europe, trying to impact the public opinion. But some brave
Russian journalists are fighting back. Meet them in the documentary: "Factory of Lies".

  • Jakob Gottschau
    Director
  • Jakob Gottschau
    Writer
  • Jakob Gottschau
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    58 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 7, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    250,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Russian Federation, Sweden, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Movies on War
    Norway
    Norway
    November 16, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
    Sebastopol, CA
    United States
    March 29, 2019
    North America
  • World Film Festival
    Tartu
    Estonia
    March 20, 2019
    Estonian
  • American Documentary Film Festival
    Palm Springs
    United States
    April 1, 2019
    California
  • 6th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra
    Crete
    Greece
    July 1, 2019
    Greece
  • San Francisco Documentary Film Festival
    San Fransisco
    United States
    May 30, 2019
  • C H A G R I N D O C U M E N T A R Y F I L M F E S T I V A L
    Chagrin Falls, Ohio
    United States
    October 4, 2019
    Ohio
  • Sands Film Festival
    JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL
    United States
    April 13, 2019
    Florida
Distribution Information
  • Danish Broadcasting Corporation
    Country: Denmark
    Rights: All Rights, Free TV
    Country: Sweden
    Rights: Free TV
    Country: Israel
    Rights: Free TV
Director Biography - Jakob Gottschau

Jakob Gottschau is a Danish documentary filmmaker. He has in recent years produced several films in which he has examined whether social media are a tool for democracy and liberation or for control and powerabuse. He has been in Egypt in 2012 - the year after the January Revolution, and in 2013 he visited China to explore the democratic debate on Weibo (the chinese Facebook). By 2015 he investigated Facebook's censorship policy and handling personal data. And in his latest movie from 2018 - 'The factory of
Lies', he portrays the infamous trolley factory in Saint Petersburg, Russia where 3-500 employees spread lies and false news in other countries.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I have previously produced and directed films about the internet and its impact on freedom of speech and democracy - most recently the movie “Facebookistan” and the documentary series, “Cyberwar”, which dealt with social media in repressive countries. The series was completed in the beginning of 2013, when the perception of ​​the Internet's liberating role was (almost) intact. Today, we see the internet taking on a new role, where false stories are spread across country borders. This movie deals with the same basic and important question: Is the internet a tool for control or for liberation, is it strengthening democracy or the abuse of power. I think the issue on how Social Media is impacting our democracy and society as a whole is one of the absolutely most interesting questions to investigate.