‘Why aren’t journalists more angry about this?’

[Englander]

*This is an interview with Saira Shah,ex-Channel 4 News reporter &
documentary film-maker,giving the reasons why she's leaving TV journalism,
two years after the death of her production company partner,
James Miller.*
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Published: Thursday, June 9, 2005

Following the death of her friend, the cameraman James Miller, award-winning documentary-maker Saira Shah tells Julie Tomlin why she's leaving TV journalism for good.


AFTER MAKING Beneath the Veil, an undercover documentary about the oppression suffered by women in Afghanistan, Saira Shah's future as a TV journalist seemed guaranteed.

Shah had travelled to her father's homeland near Kabul, disguising herself beneath a burqa to document the suffering of Afghan women under the Taliban, the religious movement that took power over much of the country in 1996.

Shah and her crew, including cameraman James Miller, had to work undercover because of restrictions on their visa, which only allowed them to film inanimate objects.

The documentary, which also showed secretly filmed footage they acquired of public executions held in a football stadium, proved to be extremely prescient.

The film was broadcast by Channel 4 and by CNN in the summer of 2001. When, months later, there were terrorists attacks in the US, the film provided insight into the oppressiveness of the Taliban regime when the appetite for information about Afghanistan was at its height.

More at;
Press Gazette

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'Behind the Veil';


'Wednesday, 27 June, 2001, 14:12 GMT 15:12 UK
Inside Afghanistan: Behind the veil

An undercover documentary film about the Taleban movement in Afghanistan has shown shocking footage of mass executions, and an insight into the oppression suffered by Afghan women.

Dressed in an Afghan veil, reporter Saira Shah used a hidden camera to film life for ordinary Afghans under the Taleban. '

More at;
BBC News



'Death in Gaza';

'In spring 2003, award-winning filmmaker James Miller and reporter Saira Shah, set out to take a first-hand look at the culture of hate that permeates the Middle East. They captured the lives of three Palestinian children growing up in the bullet-riddled streets of Gaza. Although James and Saira had planned to film the lives of Israeli children as well, in the midst of production, Miller was shot to death by an Israeli tank, falling victim to the very conflict he covered.'

More at;
HBO Documentaries

[NJCher]

1. heart-wrenching

...to see what she went through after the death of Miller.


Cher