Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies

Larry Weinstein Canada 2019 92 min.

Propaganda has been around for a long time. From murals to Nazi propaganda, from Alexander the Great to fake news. In a whirlwind journey through time, the strategies behind present and past propagandistic campaigns are unmasked. Not only the propaganda during crucial historical events, but also the smaller stories that creep into our daily lives.

Trump as a muse, go figure. Yet Larry Weinstein was inspired by the American president. His disbelief at hearing Trump's statements or reading his tweets inspired the director. The result is Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies, a visual sample of propaganda through the ages. Weinstein sketches the history extensively and links it to the present in a smooth montage and at a tight pace. He also interviews artists such as Ai Weiwei, who criticises the Chinese regime, and Jim Fitzpatrick, designer of the famous Che Guevara flag. Propaganda shows that lies have never been disguised better and demonstrates how those lies almost imperceptibly become the new truth.