Influence

11 yrs 86 minutes • 2020 • 7.0

PR expert Tim Bell had a hand in many of the world’s political events during the last thirty years of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. His close work with Margret Thatcher and the founding of international PR agency Bell Pottinger placed him in an influential position in direct contact with several of the world's most powerful leaders. He has been both praised and criticized for his work, but in later years the criticism has outweigh the praise after Bell Pottinger was accused of working against the human rights movement in South Africa. In the documentary Influence by filmmakers Diana Neille and Richard Poplak, Bell told his version shortly before his death in 2019. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and won the award for Best Domestic Documentary at Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.