Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark
Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark is a television documentary film produced by Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera English about the Bahraini uprising (2011–present). The film was first screened on 4 August 2011, featuring footage recorded during protests and police crackdowns, interviews with activists and physicians, as well as footage broadcast by Bahraini state television.
| Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Participatory documentary film |
| Written by | May Ying Welsh |
| Directed by | May Ying Welsh |
| Country of origin | Bahrain |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jon Blair |
| Editor | Tuki Laumea |
| Running time | 51 minutes (1 hour slot, including 2 quick bulletin rundowns and fillers before, during and after) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Al Jazeera English |
| Original release |
|
| Related | |
| Bahrain: Fighting for change[1] Bahrain: Audacity of hope[1] | |
Production
Shouting in the Dark was written, directed and shot undercover in Bahrain by Al Jazeera journalist and filmmaker May Ying Welsh. It was edited by Al Jazeera's Tuki Laumea. The Executive Producer is veteran filmmaker Jon Blair.[2]
Shouting in the Dark has been translated into 8 languages, including Arabic, French,[3] Persian,[4] Czech,[5] Swedish,[6] Finnish,[7] Estonian,[8] and Portuguese,[9] by various national broadcasters and by fans.
Reception
In the first four days, the documentary received almost 200,000 views on YouTube.[10] Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifah criticised Qatar on his official Twitter account after the airing of the film:
من الواضح ان في قطر هناك من لا يريد خير للبحرين .. و ما الفيلم المكيف في الجزيرة انجليزي الا خير مثال على العداء الغير مفهوم It's clear that in Qatar there are those who don't want anything good for Bahrain. And this film on Al Jazeera English is the best example of this inexplicable hostility.[10][11]
Rumours also developed on the internet of the Bahraini intention to cut off relations with Qatar;[12] however this was denied by Bahrain's foreign ministry.[13][14] The film was finally re-broadcast on 11 August and was followed by a discussion[15] with the first deputy chairman of the Consultative Council of Bahrain Jamal Fakhro as the pro-government guest.[16]
Awards
Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark has won seven major journalism, film and television awards:
- The U.K. Foreign Press Association's Documentary of the Year award in November 2011.[17]
- The 2011 63rd annual George Polk Award in Journalism for Television Documentary.[18][19] Reporter May Ying Welsh and field producer Hassan Mahfood were also recognised for their courageous work.
- The Scripps Howard Jack R. Howard Award for Television Reporting.[20] The judging committee called the film "a testament to the power of journalism."
- The Grand Prize at the 2012 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, as well as their award for international television. It was described by Ethel Kennedy as "a heartbreaking and jaw dropping work demanding attention."[21]
- The Amnesty International Media Award for International Television and Radio.[22]
- The Golden Nymph for the Best News Documentary at the 52nd Annual Monte Carlo TV Festival[23]
- The Cine Golden Eagle Award for investigative news documentary.[24]
Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark was also nominated for a BAFTA,[25] and for a Royal Television Society Award.[26]
Other Al Jazeera films
Al Jazeera English has produced two additional films on Bahrain under the People & Power documentary strand: Bahrain: Fighting for Change,[27] and its follow-up Bahrain: Audacity of Hope.[28]
References
- ^ a b A half-hour documentary made for People & Power strand.
- ^ "Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival". Retrieved 26 January 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Radio Television Suisse(RTS). "Bahrein: Un Cri Dans la Nuit". Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "فرياد در تاريكي". Retrieved 29 September 2011.
- ^ Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze. "Bahrajnský výkřik do tmy". Retrieved 22 March 2012.
- ^ Sveriges Television (SVT). . Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Yleisradio(YLE). "Bahrainin mykka huuto". Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ Eesti Televisioon (ETV). "Unustatud revolutsioon". Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Radio e Televisao de Portugal(RTP). "Presos no Barem". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
- ^ a b "The Stream - Bahrain Foreign Minister Criticizes Al Jazeera Documentary on Twitter". AJStream. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Khalid Al Khalifah (4 August 2011). "Twitter / Khalid Alkhalifa: من الواضح ان في قطر هناك م ..." (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Middle East Online (5 August 2011). قال وقيل في الخليج: أنباء عن قطع البحرين علاقتها بقطر على خلفية برنامج الجزيرة (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ "Bahrain denies it has plans to snap Qatar ties". 7 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ The Guardian (August 7, 2011). "Bahrain protests to Qatar over al-Jazeera film". London. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ The New York Times (August 9, 2011). "Al Jazeera Changes Plan to Rerun Documentary". Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Al Jazeera English (August 12, 2011). "Bahrain: Divided nation, disputed narratives". Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ Foreign Press Association. . Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^ Brian Harmon. "LIU ANNOUNCES 2011 GEORGE POLK AWARDS IN JOURNALISM". Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Al Jazeera. "Al Jazeera's Bahrain documentary wins award". Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Scripps Howard Foundation. . Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. . Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Amnesty International UK. . Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ "Further accolade for Al Jazeera's Bahrain documentary". Rapid TV News. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ CINE. "Spring 2012 CINE Golden Eagle Award Recipients". Retrieved 19 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ BBC News (27 May 2012). "Bafta TV Awards 2012: The winners". Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Royal Television Society. . Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Al Jazeera. "Bahrain: Fighting for Change". Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ Al Jazeera. "Bahrain: Audacity of Hope'". Retrieved 22 February 2012.