Conflict
UK Premiere: At Home in the World + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Andreas Koefoed.
This remarkably intimate and touching documentary focuses on one Danish Red Cross school for refugees, where classrooms are filled with children from more than twelve countries. The students have had to learn Danish while adjusting to new surroundings and, in some cases, dealing with the traumas of conflict.
Frame by Frame: Photojournalism in Afghanistan
By Anna Speyart On Tuesday 20 November 2015, the Frontline Club hosted a packed screening of the documentary Frame by Frame, followed by a discussion with filmmakers Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli. The film follows four Afghan photojournalists who have the challenging task of helping to establish a free and diverse media landscape after years of repressive Taliban […]
The Look of Silence – Truth and Reconciliation in Indonesia
By Francis Churchill It is estimated that over 500,000 people were slaughtered in Indonesia between October 1965 and the early months of 1966. Paramilitary militias and vigilante groups, coordinated by the Indonesian army and aided by British and American intelligence agencies, were responsible for mass killings in the country’s anti-communist purge. Nearly 50 years […]
BookNight with James Rodgers
For October’s BookNight we are pleased to welcome an author and journalist, James Rodgers, who will present his book Headlines from the Holy Land over an intimate dinner with Frontline Club members. Starting from a historical perspective, Rodger’s latest book identifies the challenges the conflict presents for contemporary journalism and diplomacy, and suggests new ways of approaching them.
PBS Preview Screening: Last Days in Vietnam + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with executive producer Mark Samels.
Last Days in Vietnam chronicles the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon. Approximately 5,000 Americans remained, with roughly 24 hours to get out. Their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends faced certain imprisonment and possible death if they remained behind, yet there was no official evacuation plan in place.
The 51 Day War: Gaza One Year On
In the summer of 2014, the scenes from Gaza and the media portrayal of events again ignited a global debate about the enduring Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One year later, the media spotlight has moved on and the people have been left to rebuild their lives, with over 100,000 still displaced. We will be joined by a panel of journalists who were there to cover the conflict, as well as those who have been involved in the efforts to rebuild, to reflect on what happened a year ago and what life has been like since.
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year: The Transition of Afghanistan to the Afghan National Army
By Graham Lanktree In 2014, western troops drew down combat operations after 13 years of fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This left the Afghan Army to cope with an enemy that some of the most powerful militaries on earth have failed to defeat. In their new documentary Tell Spring Not to Come This Year, […]
Insight with Samar Yazbek: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria
Weaving together stories of hardship and brutality with touches of humanity, Samar Yazbek‘s new book The Crossing documents several dangerous clandestine trips she took into the North of her country and is testimony to the appalling reality that is Syria today. She will be joining us in conversation with Syrian writer and broadcaster, Rana Kabbani, to share her observations and what she heard from the people about their hopes and fears for the future.
In Conversation with Emma Sky: Iraq – The Unravelling
In what was only meant to be a three month trip, Emma Sky travelled to Iraq in 2003 having volunteered to help rebuild the country immediately after the invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein. She soon found herself as a political advisor to the US military and three months turned into a decade. She will be joining us in conversation with The Guardian‘s Middle East editor, Ian Black to share her unique insight into the US military, and the complexities, diversity and evolution of Iraqi society as documented in her new book The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq.
Preview Screening: Tell Spring Not to Come This Year + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy.
When NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan the Afghan National Army (ANA) took control of Helmand Province, an extremely dangerous region where attacks by Taliban fighters are the order of the day. The directors of Tell Spring Not to Come This Year accompanied an ANA company during a year of frontline duty in Helmand.
UK Premiere: This is My Land + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Tamara Erde.
This is My Land takes us inside school classrooms in Israel and the occupied West Bank, to look at how educators teach history in a contested region. Filmed in an observational style, the film presents a nuanced analysis of the core educational institutions in Israel and Palestine. Candid interviews with students reveal shocking discrepancies in perspectives of history, concepts of freedom, and definitions of nationality. The film prompts the question: how long will the past dictate the present?
Syria: Beyond the Red Line
Red lines have been set and crossed, inquiries have been conducted and talks have been attempted, and yet the conflict in Syria continues to devastate the lives of its population. Over four years since the conflict in Syria began, we will be asking if there is any sign of light at the end of the tunnel.
Insight with Christina Lamb: Farewell Kabul
For over two decades, Christina Lamb has reported from Afghanistan, with unparalleled access to all key decision makers. She has developed an extensive understanding of the country, the people and the conflict. She will be joining us in conversation with BBC Radio 4 Today programme presenter, Sarah Montague, to give her personal account of the longest war fought by the United States in its history, and by Britain since the Hundred Years War.
Gun Baby Gun: A Bloody Journey into the World of the Gun
There are 12 billion bullets produced every year – almost two bullets for every person on the planet. Guns kill as many as 500,000 people every year. Tearing lives apart, they impact not only the dead, the wounded, the suicidal and the mourning, but have far-reaching effects on society and communities. In a hard-hitting exploration, award-winning investigative journalist Iain Overton journeyed to over 25 countries, from South Africa to Iceland, Honduras to Cambodia, to try and understand the true impact of gun crime. He will be joining us in conversation with writer and author of The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, Andrew Feinstein, to discuss what he has learnt about the impact of gun crime, the relationships we have with guns and the place they occupy in every day life.
Lynsey Addario: Stories of a War Photographer
By Francis Churchill On Tuesday 3 March, veteran photojournalist Lynsey Addario shared stories from her years covering conflict and human rights crises with a packed audience at the Frontline Club. In a discussion chaired by Alexia Singh, editor-in-charge of Reuters Wider Image, Addario shared insights from her time embedding with the US military in Afghanistan, her capture […]
UK Premiere of Born in Gaza
By Francis Churchill Although the latest wave of violence has ended, the suffering in Gaza has not. This was the story that director Hernan Zin wanted to tell with his new film Born in Gaza, which held its UK premiere at the Frontline Club on 20 February. Born in Gaza weaves together the testimonies of […]
UK Premiere: Born in Gaza + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Hernan Zin.
Filmed during the 2014 siege of Gaza, which left 507 children dead and 3,598 wounded, Born in Gaza follows a group of young children growing up in a war zone. The film examines the widespread psychological trauma experienced by adolescents coping with injury, fear, and the loss of loved ones. It is estimated that 400,000 children in Gaza are in desperate need of psychological support.
UK’s Laws for Foreign Fighters Returning from Syria Need Nuance
By Graham Lanktree At the Frontline Club on 14 January, Shiraz Maher, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ISCR) at King’s College; Moazzam Begg, a former Guantánamo Bay prisoner turned activist with the UK group Cage; and former MI6 director of global counter-terrorism Richard Barrett, now […]
Embedding with Aid Agencies: Editorial Integrity and Security Risks
Shrinking editorial budgets have resulted in journalists increasingly turning to aid agencies to cover stories. In conflict and disaster zones, aid agencies often have the local knowledge and access to affected communities. Journalists need these stories, while aid agencies are equally in need of the media coverage. Although it appears to be an ideal partnership, this kind of embedded journalism raises significant editorial and security questions.
Libya’s Slide Into Civil War
Four years ago, Libya dominated the headlines as the country struggled to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. Now, despite the fact that a country of vital importance in the region is sliding into civil war, it has all but disappeared from the news.
In a new book, The Libyan Revolution and its Aftermath, leading journalists, academics and specialists trace the journey from the outbreak of protests in Benghazi in February 2011 to the subsequent conflict. Some of its contributors and other experts will be joining us to offer an insight into what led to the current crisis and how Libya might be able to rebuild itself.
Ukraine: One Year On
It is a year since protests erupted in Ukraine. The events that followed saw the fall of Viktor Yanukovych, the annexation of Crimea and violent clashes breaking out across the east of the country. As the stand off with Russia continues, we will be taking a view of the situation in Ukraine one year on. Will 2015 see an end to the most dangerous conflict to grip Europe since the wars in the former Yugoslavia?
Afghanistan: The Lessons of War
In late October, Camp Bastion – Britain’s biggest overseas base since World War Two – was handed over to Afghan control, marking the end of 13 years of British combat operations in Afghanistan. We will be joined by those who served in Afghanistan and the journalists who covered the country, to take a comprehensive view of the conflict from its inception after 9/11 to the withdrawal. Looking at the decisions that were made and the consequences of those actions, we will be examining the lessons that should be learned by British and Coalition forces.
First Aid for Conflicts and Challenging Environments
If you have done a first aid course before or a hostile environment course, then this is the one day programme to refresh those skills. This practical workshop will allow you to update your core skills to save someone’s life in the field. Basic Life support – breathing and bleeding and other useful tips as well as how to do this in a hostile environment. Our practical simulations will provide you with a good reminder of what to do, refresh those forgotten skills.
Can news still change the course of history?
By Antonia Roupell “Does the Pubic Still Care?” was the poignant title of the discussion on conflict and disaster reporting which was chaired by Ben Parker at the Frontline Club on Thursday 23 October. The event was organised by the Oversees Development Institute and Humanitarian Policy Group. Channel 4 News anchor, Jon Snow, and senior reporter for […]
The Remarque Prize: A Two Minute Salute
This event is organised by The Artistic Horde.
The format of the evening will be varied; as well as performances from the poetry finalists themselves, there will also be a brief talk about War Child’s work, a performance by Anthony Anaxagorou and a musical interlude by a fantastic young talent. In the audience there will also be a range of well known poets, such as Owen Shears and Philip Wells.
Conflict and Disaster Reporting: Does the Public Still Care?
This event is organised by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
On 23 October 1984, the BBC aired a landmark report on the famine in Ethiopia. Describing the crisis as a ‘biblical famine’, the report galvanised the public, spurred the UK government into action and prompted the creation of the infamous Live Aid concert. Join the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as they examine the current state of conflict and disaster reporting and how humanitarian agencies can work with the media to raise awareness and much-needed funds.
Libya: A Failed State?
Is Libya on the brink of becoming a failed state? Three years after Nato-backed rebels overthrew Muammar Gaddafi and the country was held up as the success story of the Arab Spring, Libya is deeply divided. As Libya’s parliament calls for foreign intervention to protect civilians from deadly clashes between rival militia groups, we will be asking what has gone wrong in the country.
From Al Qaeda to ISIS: Terrorists Tactics
Thirteen years on from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US by Al Qaeda, how has the organisation evolved around the world and what are its links with developing groups such a ISIS and al-Shabaab? A panel of experts will be joining us to examine the tactics and strategies these affiliated groups have developed and what is being done to combat them.
Ground Zero at the Frontline Club
By Richard Nield A compelling Frontline Club event on Wednesday 25 June showcased film and photographic work from across the globe that revealed both the depth of suffering and the strength of human spirit in some of the world’s most devastating internal conflicts. Featured at the event was a series of photographs from Tim Freccia in […]
Iraq on the Brink
With a panel of experts we will take a view of events on the ground and the measures being taken by Iraq, its neighbours and the international community. Asking how ISIS has been able advance so quickly and what can be done to prevent further escalation of sectarian polarisation. We will also be looking at the new alliances that might be formed in this new front on the fight against extremism.