"Shadow Company," by Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque, is a documentary film that explores the history of mercenaries, the PMC industry and regulation of it - with exclusive interviews with security contractors, journalists, historians and owners of contracting companies. With tens of thousands of armed contractors in Iraq alone, it is clear that the rules of war have changed - and it is up to everyone to learn how these rules have changed and why.

In the late 20th Century the distinction between soldier and mercenary became blurred. The recent use of private military companies (PMCs) in Iraq has been more extensive than at any time in modern history. The brutal killing of four PMC employees in Fallujah in April 2004 made it clear that these "contractors" are not merely workers in a foreign land. But are the lives of such men the only thing at risk when we privatize warfare?

Shadow Company explores the moral and ethical issues private military solutions create for PMC employees, for the Western governments who foot the bill for their salaries, and for everyday citizens like you. The filmmakers traveled the globe to expose all sides of the issue, interviewing PMC staff, owners and lobbyists, former mercenaries, academics, journalists and top authors. So what is really at risk?

"Takes a thorough and balanced look at the use of private security forces in Iraq and raises serious policy questions,"
U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

"Great job. Covers a controversial issue in an evenhanded fashion."
Colonel Thomas X. Hammes, USMC (retired)

"Shadow Company is a must-see film for anyone who is concerned about our military and our security being privatized."
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

"In addition to being extremely well-executed, I thought its even-handed tone was particularly sophisticated - encouraging an audience to consider the complexity of the issue, rather than the more exploitative depictions with which the subject is usually treated"
Director Ed Zwick - Director of The Last Samurai and the soon to be release Blood Diamond

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Visit the Shadow Company website to download the trailer or view some web-only clips from the film, then contact us at corpaction@aiusa.org to request a copy of the DVD - limited copies are available for loan on a first come, first served basis.