Islamic State runs a media operation, Al-Hayat, that its own commanders treat as equal in importance to combat itself. This VPRO Backlight film, directed by Hans Busstra, tracks how jihadist propaganda evolved from the grainy, amateurish videos Al-Qaida posted after 9/11 into IS productions shot with multiple cameras and slow motion, including beheadings staged and rehearsed like film sets. Reporters and counter-terrorism experts walk through the different genres of the output: combat footage cut to resemble a first-person shooter game for younger viewers, recruitment videos selling purpose and belonging to the disenfranchised, and fake news bulletins mimicking professional broadcasts in the aftermath of attacks like Paris and Brussels. Dedicated social media operatives push all of it out through Twitter and Facebook to audiences across Europe. The film's question is a practical one: why does this content work on young people in the West, and can any counter-strategy keep pace with a media department that treats propaganda as a weapon on par with guns and bombs.