Phantom Parrot

A top-secret surveillance programme is revealed in this razor-sharp analysis of technology, human rights and structural racism.

When human rights activist, Muhammad Rabbani, refuses to grant UK border police access to his electronic devices, he finds himself arrested and prosecuted under British counterterrorism laws enacted two decades earlier. Tracing Rabbani’s journey from his fateful airport interrogation to the legal battle that ensues, the film exposes a clandestine British government surveillance program.

As the story unfolds, the film reveals a dark and complex narrative of technology, surveillance, and structural racism, where the balance of power hinges on control over data. Director Kate Stonehill delivers a razor-sharp analysis, raising unsettling questions about the rule of law, modern espionage, and digital privacy in a world where the lines between security and oppression blur.