While quite well-known in Denmark as a journalist and TV personality, Mads Brügger is not a worldwide celebrity, and that’s for the best so long as he wants to continue making hard-hitting gonzo documentaries around the globe. He broke out a bit here three years ago with the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The Red Chapel, which covertly mocked the North Korean government and culture from inside and out. Produced by Lars von Trier’s Zentropa company, it’s understandably the sort of documentary one can have a love-hate relationship with.
Now Brügger is back with something even more provocative and controversial, a film titled The Ambassador, in which he penetrates the corrupt diplomatic system and blood diamond trade of post-colonial Africa. Having premiered in his own country last year, the film has just recently caught the ire of the embarrassed Liberian government, yet it’s also popular with its people. Again, he’s made a documentary that you love or hate or maybe even love and hate.
Today I talked with Brügger over the phone about the film, how it compares to his previous documentary, the challenge and necessity for role-player journalism, and what’s next for the director. Here is our conversation in full, minus some very minor cuts due to clarity issues.
