Bearing Witness

Bearing Witness is a 2005 documentary by Barbara Kopple and Marijana Wotton.[1]

This article is about the film. For the concept of "bearing witness" in mathematics, see witness (mathematics).
Bearing Witness
Written byMaryam d'Abo
Directed byBob Eisenhardt
Barbara Kopple
Marijana Wotton
StarringMolly Bingham
Marie Colvin
Janine di Giovanni
Mary Rogers
May Ying Welsh
Theme music composerJoel Goodman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerMarijana Wotton
CinematographyJoan Churchill
Richard Connors
Luke Geissbuhler
EditorBob Eisenhardt
Running time90 minutes
Production companyCabin Creek Films
Release
Original networkA&E Network
Original release
  • 2005 (2005)

Synopsis

It follows five women reporters and the challenges they face as they work in Iraq during the Second Gulf War. Molly Bingham is an experienced photographer who was held for several days at Abu Ghraib prison at the start of the war. Marie Colvin was a reporter who lost her eye to a grenade while working in Sri Lanka. Janine di Giovanni has to deal with the difficulties of becoming a mother and still working to fulfill her duties as a journalist. Mary Rogers is a camerawoman who continues to put herself in harm's way in an effort to get the proper footage to cover her stories.[1]

Production

Bearing Witness was made for and premiered on the A&E television network on May 26, 2005.[1] The film was invited to open the 2005 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina, with the subject that year being on "Why War?".[2][3]

Reception

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times was critical of the documentary, calling it a "beautifully shot feminist film with an oddly old-fashioned, Ladies Home Journal approach".[4] Stanley was critical of the film boxing women into a sub-category of "women war correspondents" and the film's lack of focus on male and non-Western voices while also acknowledging the role that gender plays in their work.[4]

References
  1. Scheib, Ronnie (11 May 2005). "Bearing Witness". Variety. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. "Asking the Question, "Why War," Full Frame Doc Fest to Open with "Bearing Witness"". IndieWire. 2 March 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  3. "Bearing Witness". Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  4. Stanley, Alessandra (26 May 2005). "Rising Above the Masculine Cachet of Covering a War". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2019.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.