March 2003: The United States and Iraq are on the brink of War. Samir Khader senior producer for Aljazeera drags deeply on a cigarette in the Control Room. Broadcasting to over 40 million people in the Arab world, we now are privy to the behind the scenes workings of this revolutionary television station.
Aljazeera's charter in covering the war is primarily to show the human cost by telecasting images of dead and injured, Arabs and Americans. They constantly suffer the indignation of the US military and its media machine. What Rumsfeld calls incitement Aljazeera calls true journalism – the only true journalism in the world?. How will we ever know if we don't view films like the Control Room.
Shot on the run guerilla-style, raw and ruff, it's an alternative view of a pioneering news service. In the height of the conflict journalist Hassan Ibrahim in exasperation says "eventually they have to find a solution that doesn't include bombing people into submission. Democratise or I'll shoot you?"
