Witness (2006 TV programme)
{{Infobox television
| image = Witness (AJE) logo.png
| caption = Title card
| runtime =
| creator =
| presenter = Former: Ghida Fakhry (2010–2011)
Former:
Rageh Omaar (2006–10)
| location =
| country =
| network = Al Jazeera English
| first_aired = {{Start date|2006|11}}
| last_aired = present
| num_episodes =
}}
Witness is the flagship documentary television program that airs on Al Jazeera English. The program showcases documentaries commissioned or acquired from independent filmmakers around the world. The films focus on stories that receive less international coverage and "people at the margins of society."{{cite news |title=Biography: Ghida Fakhry|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2010/01/201011491213274215.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=2010-08-02 |access-date=2011-11-13}}
Witness was one of the first programmes on Al Jazeera English and has been airing since the channel's inception in November 2006. The primary broadcast windows are Sundays for their half-hour programmes and Wednesdays for their hour-long programmes, with repeats appearing throughout the week.{{cite web |title=Coming soon on Witness |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2009/05/2009537181173851.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |access-date=2011-11-13}} It is also available online.
The show has won multiple documentary awards, including the Peabody and the International Emmy, and been nominated for many others, including an Academy Award, One World, Rory Peck Trust, and Gierson. The programme team has also served as the creative staff behind other Al Jazeera English series, including Viewfinder Latin America (2012-2015) and Viewfinder Asia (2012-2014), Artscape (2009–2014), Wildlife Warzone (2013), and Rebel Architecture (2014).
History
Witness premiered in November 2006 when Al Jazeera English launched globally. It was initially presented by Rageh Omaar,{{cite web |title=Al Jazeera in English a Welcome Voice for the Third World |url=http://archive.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=88932&d=17&m=11&y=2006 |work=Arab News |first=Rasheed |last=Abou-Alsamh |date=2006-11-17 |accessdate=2011-11-13}}{{cite news |title=Dominic Crossley-Holland on Broadcasting |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/dominic-crossleyholland-on-broadcasting-424056.html |work=The Independent |date=2006-11-13 |first=Dominic |last=Crossley-Holland |accessdate=2011-11-13}} Fakhry took over briefly as presenter in 2010 for one year.{{cite web |title=Biography: Ghida Fakhry |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2010/01/201011491213274215.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=2010-08-02 |accessdate=2011-11-13}}
It is one of the few programmes that makes documentaries available worldwide on all media platforms. The topics covered by the series includes stories of inspiration, empowerment, creativity and a deeper plunge into communities that are otherwise excluded from the global conversation. This includes stories on conflict, the environment, women's rights, the arts, economic equity and social justice. The core of each story is a reflection of how global events affect local communities and the people who live there.
Awards
In 2016 Witness was part of the team nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short for the film, Chau, Beyond The Lines.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} In 2015, "Witness" won an International Emmy for the film, Miners Shot Down. This story is about miners in South Africa who rise up to seek a better living and working conditions.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} In 2013 Witness was awarded the Peabody Award for the film, Sheikh Jarrah, My Neighbourhood. This documentary tells the story of Palestinians in East Jerusalem who face eviction and find unexpected allies to the cause. Witness{{'}} coverage of the Red Mosque in Islamabad shortly before a government siege garnered an International Emmy Award nomination in 2008.{{cite news |title=Al Jazeera English earns Emmy noms |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990498?refcatid=1983 |work=Variety |date=2008-08-13 |first=William |last=Triplett |accessdate=2011-11-13}} A special on two schools in the West Bank under Israeli occupation, Return to Nablus, received an International Emmy nomination in 2009.{{cite web |title=Al Jazeera English Nominated Again for International Emmy Awards |url=http://www.linktv.org/about/blog/post/243/al-jazeera-english-nominated-again-for-international-emmy-awards |publisher=Link TV |date=2009-07-27 |first=Heidi |last=Blobaum |accessdate=2011-11-13}}
16 other documentaries featured on Witness have won awards at various international film festivals.{{cite web |title=Witness Awards |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2010/10/20101019123836649313.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=2010-11-08 |accessdate=2011-11-13}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/ Official site]
{{Al Jazeera English}}
{{Al Jazeera America programming}}