Two documentaries highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza won awards at the 53rd International Emmy Awards, which honor television productions produced outside the U.S.
The British Channel 4 documentary "Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza" and Qatar-based Al-Jazeera’s "Gaza, Search for Life" were recognized for their powerful portrayals of life under conflict.
"Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza," produced by Basement Films, examines how Israeli attacks have affected the lives of Palestinians. The film won in the Current Affairs category. Al-Jazeera’s documentary took the award in the News category.
Both productions were praised by the jury for conveying the hardships faced by civilians in the conflict zone and for bringing on-the-ground realities to a global audience.
Vanessa Bowles, the British director of Lebanese descent behind "Dispatches: Kill Zone: Inside Gaza," spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) at the ceremony. She said her colleagues in Gaza could not attend because the borders are closed. “They are not allowed to leave, they have no freedom of movement, and, you know, they are still trying to survive,” she said.
Bowles highlighted the continuing deaths in Gaza despite a cease-fire and described the making of the film as “an incredibly heartbreaking process,” adding that it was “extremely shameful” that her colleagues could not join them at the ceremony.
Speaking about the journalists who shared Gaza’s realities with the world, Bowles mentioned photojournalist Ali Jadalla, who lost five family members in an airstrike on the third day of the war. “I hope this provides a small measure of consolation for people like Ali. Knowing that the tragedies are recognized might offer some solace,” she said.
Algerian journalist Fairouz Ziani, producer and presenter of "Gaza, Search for Life," told reporters that she was honored to receive the award. She said the primary message of the documentary is “hope.” “Even amid war and loss of life, people in Gaza still have hope. They want to live, and they are searching for life beneath the rubble of their beloved city,” Ziani said.
