Hello GEORGE…
How to make a MONSTER appear HUMAN…
'Soros' director Jesse Dylan discusses the philanthropist's conspiracy-minded critics: 'People just make up stuff'
When he first embarked on making a documentary about George Soros, filmmaker Jesse Dylan was well aware that the billionaire philanthropist was a controversial figure around the world. But he admits to not knowing much about the man himself beyond what appeared in the news. “I wasn’t that familiar with him or with his organization Open Society Foundations,” Dylan tells Yahoo Entertainment. So when he sat down with Soros himself for the first time, he didn’t quite know what to expect. “It took some time and many, many interviews for me to really understand what he was trying to do. All philanthropists have specific things that they’re after, and it just takes a minute to understand what George is going for.”
That hasn’t stopped others, of course, from coming up with their own explanations of what Soros might be after. The Hungarian-born investor is a regular target within right-wing circles and among conspiracy theorists around the world, who see him as trying to put his thumb on the scales of global politics. That’s led to a caricature of Soros as a kind of evil puppet master by politicians and political commentators ranging from Sean Hannity to President Trump. Some have even claimed that Soros — who grew up in Nazi-occupied Hungary — was a Nazi collaborator despite his Jewish heritage.
nned Parenthood, Human Rights Watch — these are all organizations that George has supported, not just with money, but also with ideas. Seeing that led me to a deeper understanding of what he was doing, and appreciation of the struggles that he's been through and what he's after.”
Premiering on VOD on Nov. 20, Soros offers both a biographical portrait of the subject’s life and career, while also exploring the factors that have made him such a divisive figure. Speaking with Dylan across multiple interviews, Soros speaks frankly about his childhood, as well as his struggles to understand what his role is as certain regions of the world tilt away from democracy towards rising authoritarianism. “I was under the impression that with all my efforts, basically none of them really succeeded,” he says in the movie. “But then I discovered that they actually did succeed, several of them, but what came out didn’t really resemble what I was hoping for. It wasn’t as alluring and attractive as when I mentioned it.”
Dylan says that he hopes that Soros offers at least some corrective to the caricatures of Soros that exist, as well as a common purpose for viewers of all political persuasions to rally around. “If people just get a glimpse into what you’re thinking about, maybe the hatred would abate and we can focus on the things we're all trying to do. There are many more things that unite us than separate us. We’re living during a time where everybody's nerves are on edge, and we just need to give it a chance.”
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https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/george-soros-director-jesse-dylan-philanthropist-234554809.html