DEALING AND WHEELING IN SMALL ARMS is a political documentary on the uncontrolled widespread of small arms, which rule and ruin the lives of a growing number of people in developing countries. Through the eyes of different experts whose lives depend on small arms, the film shows the causes and impact of the trade—both legal, 'grey' and illegal—in small arms and its ammunitions, in particular in regions where the European Union and the United Nations are active, such as former Yugoslavia and Congo. Especially interesting for the western audience, the film shows how brokers—often under some 'organized' legal cover—buy weapons collected by the EU and NATO during their mission in Bosnia. These brokers transfer the weapons directly to African battlefields where they continue their killing lifespan unhindered.
Direction
Francken weaponizes bureaucratic footage into thriller tension.
Production
Access to actual arms dealers feels illegally obtained.
Director
Sander Francken
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Redgrave narrated for scale pay; she spent her fee donating to African arms-reduction NGOs.
The 'grey market' loophole shown here was partially closed by 2013 EU directive—this film helped shame them into it.
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