A British whistleblower responsible for a dramatic leak in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and now the subject of a Hollywood film hopes&nbsp;it will refocus attention on the flawed evidence that led to war.&nbsp;

Ex-spy Katharine Gun -- the lead character in the new movie "Official Secrets" -- believes the dramatisation could also damage the partially repaired reputations of the UK and US leaders behind the military action.

Former British premier Tony Blair and US President George W Bush were dogged by criticism for years after launching a conflict that ultimately killed hundreds of thousands of people.

But in recent years they appear to have been able to move beyond the issue.

"This film might go some way to redressing that -- let's see," Gun, a former intelligence translator, told AFP ahead of the screening at the London Film Festival this week.

The 45-year-old leaked a top-secret US intelligence memo in 2003 which requested Britain's help in spying on non-aligned UN Security Council members to win a key vote authorising war.

The revelations caused a political storm at the time and saw Gun, who eventually admitted leaking the document, charged with breaching Britain's Official Secrets Act and nearly end up in prison.

She and some of the film's creators hope the movie will highlight again that invading Iraq was justified on the false premise Baghdad had illegal weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

"There's no rehabilitating two leaders who have had to admit that the whole WMD thing was an absolute fabrication and a manipulation and a lie," said director Gavin Hood.

"It's terrible, this rehabilitation of George Bush only because (current US President Donald) Trump seems worse... We've got to stop this nonsense."

'Back to normal life'

"Official Secrets", which opened in the United States in August and hits cinemas in Britain in October before being released elsewhere later in the year, chronicles how and why Gun leaked the memo and the fallout from it.

The British government eventually opted in 2004 not to prosecute Gun after she pleaded not guilty. It would have been forced to disclose key documents and decision-making related to the Iraq war.

A mum-of-one now based in Turkey, she and her husband remained living in the shadow of GCHQ, the government eavesdropping centre in southern England where she had worked as a Mandarin translator, until 2011. &nbsp;

"All I wanted to do was just to go back to normal life, and that's what I did," Gun said, who went on to work as a Mandarin tutor -- even coaching former colleagues from GCHQ.

"It took me a long time to come to terms with the events... every time I tried to recount (them), my stress levels would go up again."

Another central character in "Official Secrets" is Martin Bright, the journalist at The Observer newspaper who received the leaked memo and broke the story, and is played by actor Matt Smith.

"It was immensely exciting," Bright recalled of the experience.&nbsp;

"It's the journalist's equivalent of scoring a goal at Wembley -- getting a front-page news story in a Sunday newspaper.&nbsp;

"I've subsequently felt that this is an extremely important story that risked being forgotten."&nbsp;

'Questions about loyalty'&nbsp;

Gun said she was initially hesitant about getting involved in the film, fearing another false dawn after numerous failed attempts to make a movie about the dramatic events that have shaped the last 16 years of her life.

But after spending several days forensically recounting it all to Hood, a South African-born director whose other politically-driven films include "Tsotsi" (2005) and "Eye in the Sky" (2015), both were convinced of the importance of the collaboration.

"I'm telling this story because I think it raises interesting questions about loyalty... to what and to whom do we owe our loyalty?" the director said.

People's loyalty should be to "fundamental values as espoused by the American constitution and its bill of rights and if you step outside of those, you don't have my loyalty."

For Gun, the film reminds audiences of the apparent lack of accountability for Bush and Blair over the Iraq War, which caused immense suffering and eroded regional stability.&nbsp;

She also sees a correlation between this and the prevailing political culture in Britain and the US, where Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are frequently accused of dishonesty.

"If they see that other people haven't been held to account, it sets an extremely bad example," Gun said.&nbsp;

"And human psychology says that you just emulate what you see."

A British whistleblower responsible for a dramatic leak in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and now the subject of a Hollywood film hopes it will refocus attention on the flawed evidence that led to war.

A British whistleblower responsible for a dramatic leak in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and now the subject of a Hollywood film hopes it will refocus attention on the flawed evidence that led to war. Ex-spy Katharine Gun -- the lead character in the new movie "Official Secrets" -- believes the dramatisation could also damage the partially repaired reputations of the UK and US leaders behind the military action. Former British premier Tony Blair and US President George W Bush were dogged by criticism for years after launching a conflict that ultimately killed hundreds of thousands of people. But in recent years they appear to have been able to move beyond the issue. "This film might go some way to redressing that -- let's see," Gun, a former intelligence translator, told AFP ahead of the screening at the London Film Festival this week. The 45-year-old leaked a top-secret US intelligence memo in 2003 which requested Britain's help in spying on non-aligned UN Security Council members to win a key vote authorising war. The revelations caused a political storm at the time and saw Gun, who eventually admitted leaking the document, charged with breaching Britain's Official Secrets Act and nearly end up in prison. She and some of the film's creators hope the movie will highlight again that invading Iraq was justified on the false premise Baghdad had illegal weapons of mass destruction (WMD). "There's no rehabilitating two leaders who have had to admit that the whole WMD thing was an absolute fabrication and a manipulation and a lie," said director Gavin Hood. "It's terrible, this rehabilitation of George Bush only because (current US President Donald) Trump seems worse... We've got to stop this nonsense." 'Back to normal life' "Official Secrets", which opened in the United States in August and hits cinemas in Britain in October before being released elsewhere later in the year, chronicles how and why Gun leaked the memo and the fallout from it. The British government eventually opted in 2004 not to prosecute Gun after she pleaded not guilty. It would have been forced to disclose key documents and decision-making related to the Iraq war. A mum-of-one now based in Turkey, she and her husband remained living in the shadow of GCHQ, the government eavesdropping centre in southern England where she had worked as a Mandarin translator, until 2011. "All I wanted to do was just to go back to normal life, and that's what I did," Gun said, who went on to work as a Mandarin tutor -- even coaching former colleagues from GCHQ. "It took me a long time to come to terms with the events... every time I tried to recount (them), my stress levels would go up again." Another central character in "Official Secrets" is Martin Bright, the journalist at The Observer newspaper who received the leaked memo and broke the story, and is played by actor Matt Smith. "It was immensely exciting," Bright recalled of the experience. "It's the journalist's equivalent of scoring a goal at Wembley -- getting a front-page news story in a Sunday newspaper. "I've subsequently felt that this is an extremely important story that risked being forgotten." 'Questions about loyalty' Gun said she was initially hesitant about getting involved in the film, fearing another false dawn after numerous failed attempts to make a movie about the dramatic events that have shaped the last 16 years of her life. But after spending several days forensically recounting it all to Hood, a South African-born director whose other politically-driven films include "Tsotsi" (2005) and "Eye in the Sky" (2015), both were convinced of the importance of the collaboration. "I'm telling this story because I think it raises interesting questions about loyalty... to what and to whom do we owe our loyalty?" the director said. People's loyalty should be to "fundamental values as espoused by the American constitution and its bill of rights and if you step outside of those, you don't have my loyalty." For Gun, the film reminds audiences of the apparent lack of accountability for Bush and Blair over the Iraq War, which caused immense suffering and eroded regional stability. She also sees a correlation between this and the prevailing political culture in Britain and the US, where Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are frequently accused of dishonesty. "If they see that other people haven't been held to account, it sets an extremely bad example," Gun said. "And human psychology says that you just emulate what you see."

Iraq War whistleblower film has Bush and Blair in its sights

All five of America&#39;s living former presidents took the stage Saturday at a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern United States and Caribbean.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W&nbsp;Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW&nbsp;Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared together onstage at Texas A&amp;M, praising Americans for their willingness to help fellow citizens and urging them to do more.

The effort by the three Democrats and two Republicans has raised over $31 million from 80,000 donors for the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, George H.W. Bush&#39;s office said.

&quot;All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up,&quot; Obama said.

&quot;Let&#39;s all work together and make America still a greater volunteer nation,&quot; said Carter, making an apparent play on President Donald Trump&#39;s &quot;Make America Great Again&quot; campaign slogan.

The Georgia native said that Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit he&#39;s worked with for 36 years, would build 6,000 homes in hard-hit areas. It&#39;s raised $20 million of the $100 million sought, he said.

And &quot;I too am here to urge you to give to this fine fund, and I want to thank all the volunteers,&quot; the younger Bush said.

&quot;There&#39;s still work to do,&quot; Clinton said. &quot;It can be a new beginning if we just do what we ought to do and prove that the heart of America, without race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems.&quot;

&#39;We need each other&#39;&nbsp;

Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush both attended the event, as did vice president Dick Cheney, ex-secretary of state James A.Baker, Senator Ted Cruz, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert, announcing that she would make a $1 million donation and that a &quot;mental health and emotional trauma surviving program&quot; would be set up for hurricane survivors.

&nbsp;

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Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert. (AFP)
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&quot;Pain is such an equalizer. And in a time of catastrophe, we all put our differences aside and we come together, &#39;cause we need each other, or we can&#39;t survive,&quot; she said.

Lee Greenwood opened the concert and served as master of ceremonies for the event, titled &quot;Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal,&quot; which also featured artists including The Gatlin Brothers, Yolanda Adams, Robert Earl Keen and Sam Moore.

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Singer Lee Greenwood performs during the Hurricane Relief concert in College Station, Texas. (AFP)
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Trump did not attend the concert, but praised the effort in a video message released earlier, terming it a &quot;wonderful&quot; and &quot;vital effort.&quot;

&quot;As we begin to rebuild, some of America&#39;s finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal,&quot; said Trump, whose administration&#39;s response to the heavy storm damage in Puerto Rico has drawn fire.

&quot;Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance,&quot; he said.

Ticket-sale receipts were to benefit organisations in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Former presidents Barack Obama, George W?Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW?Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared together onstage at Texas A&M , praising Americans for their willingness to help fellow citizens

All five of America's living former presidents took the stage Saturday at a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for victims of the hurricane-ravaged southern United States and Caribbean. Former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared together onstage at Texas A&M, praising Americans for their willingness to help fellow citizens and urging them to do more. The effort by the three Democrats and two Republicans has raised over $31 million from 80,000 donors for the victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, George H.W. Bush's office said. "All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors and they see their friends, they see strangers in need, Americans step up," Obama said. "Let's all work together and make America still a greater volunteer nation," said Carter, making an apparent play on President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. The Georgia native said that Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit he's worked with for 36 years, would build 6,000 homes in hard-hit areas. It's raised $20 million of the $100 million sought, he said. And "I too am here to urge you to give to this fine fund, and I want to thank all the volunteers," the younger Bush said. "There's still work to do," Clinton said. "It can be a new beginning if we just do what we ought to do and prove that the heart of America, without race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems." 'We need each other' Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush both attended the event, as did vice president Dick Cheney, ex-secretary of state James A.Baker, Senator Ted Cruz, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert, announcing that she would make a $1 million donation and that a "mental health and emotional trauma surviving program" would be set up for hurricane survivors. Lady Gaga gave a surprise performance at the concert. (AFP) × "Pain is such an equalizer. And in a time of catastrophe, we all put our differences aside and we come together, 'cause we need each other, or we can't survive," she said. Lee Greenwood opened the concert and served as master of ceremonies for the event, titled "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal," which also featured artists including The Gatlin Brothers, Yolanda Adams, Robert Earl Keen and Sam Moore. Singer Lee Greenwood performs during the Hurricane Relief concert in College Station, Texas. (AFP) × Trump did not attend the concert, but praised the effort in a video message released earlier, terming it a "wonderful" and "vital effort." "As we begin to rebuild, some of America's finest public servants are spearheading the One America Appeal," said Trump, whose administration's response to the heavy storm damage in Puerto Rico has drawn fire. "Melania and I want to express our deep gratitude for your tremendous assistance," he said. Ticket-sale receipts were to benefit organisations in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Five former US presidents share the stage at hurricane benefit concert

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Iraq War whistleblower film has Bush and Blair in its sights

Five former US presidents share the stage at hurricane benefit concert