Pourquoi la guerre aujourd’hui?

On 19 February 2003, four days after an international day of protest against the imminent invasion of Iraq, René Major and the Institut des hautes études en psychanalyse organized a public debate in Paris between Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard: ‘Pourquoi la guerre aujourd’hui?’ In the twelve years between the debate and its publication in book form, the ‘war on terror’ has escalated in an often unpredictable manner. However, the discussion between Derrida and Baudrillard has proven to be prescient, and their analyses remain useful for thinking the contemporary geopolitical moment.

Directed by Jean Labib, Pourquoi la guerre aujourd’hui? leans on a strong ensemble — Jacques Derrida, Jean Baudrillard — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2015.