Women Bear Witness in Strong line up of Documentaries for Al Jazeera English’s Witness strand

By Joy Sapieka
Published October 13, 2022

Women Bear Witness in Strong line up of Documentaries for Al Jazeera English’s Witness strand This October four strong, resilient, unshakeable women from Armenia, Ukraine, South Sudan and Iraq feature in a batch of fascinating and contrasting films on Al Jazeera English Documentaries’ long-standing and multi-award winning flagship strand, Witness.

Witness showcases independent documentaries that place people at the heart of the story. With inspirational and provocative stories, and intimate character-led accounts, the films provide insights into the world’s key global events as they impact people’s daily lives. Witness films look at the big issues from the inside out and celebrate the human spirit, with a sense of humour and poignancy even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Baghdad on Fire directed by Karrar Azzawi focusses on 20-year-old Tiba who joins the October 2019 protests in Iraq, known as the Tishreen movement. At the heart of these stories lies a deep sense of doing what is right for their families, communities and fellow citizens. Taking risks, being inclusive by bringing people along with them, and setting their sights on their goals and what they believe in, make for some powerful viewing.

The multiple award-winning No Simple Way Home by Nairobi (Kenya-based director Akuol de Mabior is an intimate story of her returning home to South Sudan to follow her mother’s journey into politics. Akuol was 16 when her father was killed in a helicopter crash – shortly after his inauguration as Sudan’s first vice president in 2005. John Garang de Mabior is revered as the founding father of South Sudan. Now, Akuol’s mother, Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, prepares to become one of the first female vice presidents in the world’s youngest nation. Her mission is to safeguard her husband’s vision. Meanwhile, Akuol and her sister Nyankuir struggle with what it means to call South Sudan home.

Armenian radio-engineer Arevik Sargsyan calmly pushes forward as she attempts to revive a groundbreaking Soviet-era telescope, amidst personal and political turmoil, in a male-dominated world of science and engineering. In sometimes terrifyingly close encounters with armed police and soldiers, Baghdad on Fire directed by Karrar Azzawi focusses on 20-year-old Tiba who joins the October 2019 protests in Iraq, known as the Tishreen movement. Determined and steadfast, she is amazed to see so many young men and women gathering from across the nation – regardless of class and religion to fight to reclaim their country. Tiba forms new friendships, ideas and dreams. When the peaceful protests are met with gas and bullets, Tiba becomes a medic tending to the wounded. But she could never have imagined her heartache one fatality bring. On the frontline of Iraq’s biggest youth protest since the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is apt that this film starts in the month of the three year anniversary of the protests.

In ROT54: Armenia’s Forgotten Space Giant directed by Marta Miskaryan, Armenian radio-engineer Arevik Sargsyan calmly pushes forward as she attempts to revive a groundbreaking Soviet-era telescope, amidst personal and political turmoil, in a male-dominated world of science and engineering. Throughout her life she has struggled to preserve ROT54, a giant telescope built by her uncle in the 1980s. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, ROT54 was left abandoned for three decades. Now Arevik attempts to take control of the telescope and prove it still works.

With the war in Ukraine, a hot topic for news desks globally, War Bound: Onboard Ukraine’s Evacuation Train directed by Adriana Cardoso and Guillem Valleprovides a moving and heartfelt insight into the world of Ira a train steward tasked to travel towards the frontline of the war, risking her life, to help fellow citizens escape Russian bombardment. She is a head train steward in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, when Ukraine’s railway system becomes a lifeline for more than six million refugees fleeing Russian attacks since the war began in February 2022. She is called upon to lead an evacuation of civilians from the embattled southeast of Ukraine when an escape corridor opens in the besieged city of Mariupol. A curfew is set, and time is limited as Ira embarks upon a frightening journey into the heart of the war.“We are incredibly proud to showcase these independently produced documentaries from Armenia, Ukraine, South Sudan and Iraq with global audiences. In Witness, we highlight immersive storytelling that lend depth and complexity to news headlines. It’s an honour to work with these filmmakers and we are grateful to the courageous women featured in these films who share their lives on the front lines of politics, conflict and war.” Fiona Lawson-Baker, Executive Producer of Witness, Al Jazeera English.
For more information go to aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/.