What Does "Simulacra" Mean?

Simulacrum: name. -cra pl. 1 - A slight, unreal or superficial likeliness or semblence
2 - An effigy, image or representation (from Webster Dictionary)
A concept discussed and explored especially by Jean Baudrillard in his books.
Simulacrum is a copy without the original, which hides the nonexistence of the real:
Watergate, Disneyland, Vietnam War,Gulf War, credit cards, TV News, reality shows are all simulacra.

"... such would be the succesive phases of the image:
it is the reflection of a profound reality;
it masks and denatures a profound reality;
it masks the absence of a profound reality;
it has no relation to any reality whatsoever: it is its own pure simulacrum."
from Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation, University of Michigan Press

if you are interested in this concept please visit:
http:// www.simulation.dk
a very good resource about Baudrillard and his books.
You can also read the Turkish translation of the book
"Simulakrlar ve Simulasyon" by Oguz Adanir which you can order from ideefixe

Important Notice: The film is not about the book.
The story is only inspired by the simulation concept.