1. Neil Blomkamp Incites Anti-Nigeria Feeling Then Records It District 9
If youve seen District 9, you know how good it is its an original concept, shot innovatively and on a relatively shoe-string budget, yet it blows most sci-fi flicks out of the water. However, there was an odd undercurrent of xenophobia in the film, which made it clear from the outset that it really didnt like Nigerians. It seemed, well, maybe not superfluous, but perhaps a little gratuitous. Having Nigerians play dishonest merchants, exploiters and savage witchcraft practitioners was perhaps a little too on the nose, and is probably some of the most controversially racist stuff Ive seen committed to mainstream films, certainly in this century. Yet you have to admire the lengths Neil Blomkamp went to in establishing the hatred of Nigerians in this film yes, the actors sold it, it's their job after all, but the real genius came when certain real individuals were just asked how they felt about Nigerians. Im serious at one point Blomkamps team just went out onto the streets of South Africa with a camera, stopped people and asked them how they felt about people from that country. More often than not they mined racist gold, as passers-by just exploded into invective about their far-away neighbours. Blomkamp merely edited out the more mild-mannered stuff and added his results to the film, making for the most glorious instances of real, flippant racism covertly captured since Borat asked people to throw a Jew down the well. So thats my choices for the most spectacular directing cons. Can you think of any more? Feel free to comment!