Gaza filmmakers slam BBC after shelved documentary wins Bafta
Key takeaways
- The makers of the film slammed the BBC during their acceptance speeches at the awards on Sunday, renewing controversy over the broadcaster’s decision to shelve the project before it was later aired by Channel 4.
- Journalist and presenter Ramita Navai also criticised the broadcaster during her speech, citing findings from the documentary’s investigation into attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system.
- “These are the findings of our investigation that the BBC paid for but refused to show,” Navai said. “But we refuse to be silenced and censored.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The makers of the film slammed the BBC during their acceptance speeches at the awards on Sunday, renewing controversy over the broadcaster’s decision to shelve the project before it was later aired by Channel 4.
The documentary, which features firsthand accounts from Palestinian health workers in Gaza, was honoured at London’s Royal Festival Hall nearly a year after the BBC declined to broadcast it, citing concerns over partiality.
Accepting the award, executive producer Ben de Pear thanked the journalists behind the film before directly addressing the BBC, which aired the Bafta ceremony on BBC One with a delay of more than two hours: “Finally, just a question for the BBC: Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?”