Mel Gibson Slams Iraq War in Surprise Promo for His Latest Movie

Just a few weeks after his widely-publicized drunk driving arrest and anti-Jewish tirade, Mel Gibson made a surprise appearance at Fantastic Fest, a festival devoted to new science fiction, horror, and fantasy films. At the event, held in President Bush’s home state of Texas, Gibson presented a preview screening of his latest work, still in progress. "Apocalypto" is a Mayan adventure story set during the collapse of the Mayan civilization.

"The precursors to a civilization that’s going under are the same, time and time again," Gibson said following the screening. Drawing parallels between the final days of the Mayan civilization and America’s present circumstances, Gibson told the assembled crowd, ‘What’s human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?" About a third of the full house gathered to attend the screening gave him a standing ovation.

Earlier last week, "Apocalypto" was screened for an audience in Oklahoma, but Gibson said he wore a mask so he could remain undetected in the audience. Gibson answered questions for the audience after the Fantastic Fest screening, saying that he plans to make further edits to the two-hours-plus film. The version shown at the festival did not have sound effects or music, and was missing some visual effects. The final version is due to be released by Disney in December.

The annual Fantastic Fest was co-founded by Harry Knowles, who is also a founder of the Butt-Numb-a-Thon. It was at that festival that Gibson showed one of the first public previews of "The Passion of the Christ."

In August Gibson was arrested and charged with drunken driving in Malibu. The video of his arrest supported the arresting officer’s description of Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade, for which Gibson later apologized to the Jewish community.