Al Jazeera English's Gaza investigative film by Fault Lines receives prestigious RTS Award
Fault Lines’ harrowing documentary The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza has won the coveted International Current Affairs category at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards in the United Kingdom.
Al Jazeera English’s American-based programme known for its hard-hitting investigative storytelling received the award at the gala event in London on 5 March. Another Al Jazeera entry Al Jazeera Investigations and an ITV expose, Children of the Cult, were the other nominations.
The RTS Awards are acknowledged as the gold standard of achievement in the television community, recognising excellence across the entire range of programme making and broadcasting skills.
“We are so proud of our team. The Night Won’t End exemplifies who we are at Al Jazeera English – a respected international media network that puts real people at the heart of its story-telling. In this case, it is the horrific experiences endured by three families in the war on Gaza, and the United States’ role in this war,” said Al Jazeera English’s Manager of Investigative Programmes Rafi Mustafa.
The film includes the heart-breaking story of five-year-old Hind Rajab who was waiting to be rescued from a car in which her family members had already been gunned down and killed.
In addition, the 80-minute documentary focuses on America’s unrelenting support for the Israeli offensive that killed more than 47 000 Palestinians, 70 percent of who were women and children, during the 15-month war.
It is through the eyes of the three familiies that the realities of the unrelenting bombing campaign, the unsafe “safe zones” and the arbitrary executions throughout Gaza are revealed.
“No piece can really quite capture the magnitude of the atrocities in Gaza so our team tried to provide this tiny glimpse through a combination of investigative journalism and up-close-and-personal storytelling. I want to thank the film’s director Kavitha Chekuru and correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous for their outstanding work and editor Adrienne Haspel as well as the talented cinematographers we worked with around the world,” said Fault Lines’ Washington DC-based executive producer Laila Al-Arian.
“This film would not have been possible without our partners at the Palestinian production company, Media Town, and its incredibly talented founder, filmmaker Ashraf Al Mashharawi. His brilliant and courageous team in Gaza as well as several other journalists we worked with filmed and reported under unimaginably difficult circumstances.”
In addition, Fault Lines recognised the critical role of Al Jazeera colleagues at Sanad verification agency as well as Airwars, a watchdog that investigates civilian harm in conflict. The research organisations Forensic Architecture and Earshot worked diligently to investigate the attack on Hind Rajab and her relatives as well as the two medics who were sent to rescue her.
Al Jazeera English was also nominated as New Channel of the Year for the fourth time, having won the award in 2012, and also in the Emerging Talent Award with Hind Khoudary as the nominee.
