Magnolia Pictures Presents

CONTROL ROOM

A Film by Jehane Noujaim
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2004
Winner, Grand Jury Prize for Best Film, 2004 Full Frame Documentary Festival

#1 Must-See Movie of the Summer
Time Out NY

"Proves that cinéma verité is alive and well, and perhaps more potent and necessary than ever... you are likely to emerge from CONTROL ROOM touched, exhilarated and a little off-balance, with your certainties scrambled and your assumptions shaken. All of which makes it an indispensable example of the inquisitive, self-questioning democratic spirit that is its deep and vexed subject." A.O. Scott, The New York Times


Premiering June 18th at the Charles Theatre!


In the early days of the war in Iraq, Americans could turn on their television sets 24 hours a day and take a front row seat with coalition troops careening across the desert. We could follow the action live as precision bombers brought Iraqi cities to their knees and American POWs returned home as heroes. But as Americans witnessed U.S. victory at home, a different story unfolded on TV sets throughout the Arab world. Qatar-based Al Jazeera broadcast graphic images of Iraqi civilian casualties and American POWs that were taboo in the American media, drawing intense fire from U.S. administration officials. Since it first burst onto the American radar screen after Sept. 11, the network has become almost as adept at making news as it is in covering it. It has been criticized as the mouthpiece of Osama Bin Laden, accused of virulent anti-Americanism, and has also managed to infuriate Arab authoritarian regimes with its hard-hitting programming.

In CONTROL ROOM, award-winning Arab-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (co-director of Startup.com) travels to the Qatar headquarters of Al Jazeera during the onset of the Iraq war to present a complex and surprising portrait. The reporters and editors at the news network speak frankly about their views of journalistic integrity, world politics and humanitarian responsibility. We meet reporter Hassan Ibrahim, who is vehemently against the war and the U.S. presence in the Middle East but also praises the U.S. and its Constitution. Senior producer Samir Khader explains the mission of his news agency is to educate the Arab masses about democracy and candidly admits his desire to send his children to American universities "to exchange the Arab nightmare for the American dream." Young female producer Deema Khatib wryly analyzes Western war coverage from her control booth vantage point. At nearby U.S. Central Command, American journalists speak of their differing perspectives on war reportage, while American press liaison Lt. Josh Rushing expresses his deep concern for the Arab perception of America and engages in intense but respectful debates with Al Jazeera reporters.

By challenging our assumptions and cataloguing countless differences in coverage, CONTROL ROOM exposes the myth of journalistic impartiality during wartime. Through the prism of satellite television's impact on how viewers receive information worldwide, it explores how Truth is gathered, presented, and ultimately created by those who deliver it.

Control Room in the Village Voice:



"Al Jazeera shows it all….It turns your stomach, and you remember there's something wrong with war." Lt. John Rushing, Central Command Press Officer, U.S. Army

For Showtimes:
www.thecharles.com/schedules/now.asp

Charles Theatre
1711 North Charles St.
(410) 727-3456

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