The Media School

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BU to Host Wartime Documentary
Film and Discussion to focus on Al-Jazeera and the Iraq War

The Purbeck Film Festival makes a welcome return to BU on Monday, 16th October, with a programme of screenings featuring global cinema.

The first film to be hosted at BU as part of this year's festival is an impactive and provocative documentary entitled Control Room (Certificate 12) which focuses on the Arab satellite television news network Al-Jazeera and its coverage of the 2003 Iraqi war.

The documentary will be introduced by Stephen Jukes, Head of Bournemouth Media School. Following the screening, Jukes - the former Head of News at Reuters who oversaw the agency's coverage of the Iraq war - will lead a discussion concerning the issues raised by the film.

Directed by Jehane Noujaim, Control Room features candid interviews with Al-Jazeera personnel and offers an Arab perspective of the conflict. The brutality of war is depicted in shocking news footage unavailable to Western audiences and includes the horrifying killing of an Al-Jazeera reporter in an apparently deliberate US targeted air strike. US news reports are analysed for omission and bias, challenging viewers to question how truthful and comprehensive the news coverage they receive is in a highly information controlled culture.

Tickets for Control Room are £2.50 and can be purchased on the door of the Marconi Lecture Theatre on the Talbot Campus. The film starts at 7.45pm.