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Witness

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Seasons & Episodes

  • 19

EP1 Spain’s Housing Battles: A pensioner-turned-activist fights evictions Jan 22, 2024

Under threat of eviction, Antonio emerges from his quiet retirement to fight for housing rights in Spain. Antonio and Maria are a Spanish couple in their 80s from Madrid. For the first time in their lives, they are finding it difficult to afford gas and electricity bills. They are struggling with the rising cost of living taking grip across Europe. To make matters worse, their rent has just been increased and there are no housing laws to protect them. Antonio and his wife have nowhere else to go. They decide to join their neighbours who are applying pressure on the Spanish authorities to bring in fair rental regulations. Faced with the possibility of losing his home, Antonio unwittingly goes from a quiet retirement to becoming the face of a grassroots movement that is giving hope to his community. Spain’s Housing Battles is a documentary film by Rodrigo Hernandez and Adriana Cardoso.

EP2 Fire Beneath Her: Battling wildfires in Indonesian Borneo Feb 05, 2024

A young Indonesian Indigenous leader makes bold plans to protect her village from Borneo’s wildfires. A new fire season crackles to life in Kalimantan as 29-year-old Emmanuela Shinta monitors the air quality and distributes face masks to thousands of villagers expecting the worst. But she knows it is not enough. Each year, the region is prone to deadly fires caused by deforestation, trapping Borneo in a permanent state of ecological crisis. The fires of 2015 were so formidable, the haze could be seen from outer space. Now, climate change events also threaten to exacerbate the tinderbox conditions under the forest floor. Shinta starts raising funds to buy a plot of forest that she hopes will save her village from going up in flames. Fire Beneath Her is a documentary film by Denise Dragiewicz and Anson Hartford.

EP3 Echoes of Bagram: Moazzam Begg returns to Afghanistan Feb 12, 2024

Human rights advocate Moazzam Begg returns to Afghanistan to battle demons and champion justice in the shadow of war. Haunted by nightmares of torture and abuse, British human rights campaigner Moazzam Begg decides to return to Afghanistan to confront the horrors of his past. Moazzam was detained at the notorious Bagram and Guantanamo Bay prisons without charge or trial, before being released in 2003. Ever since, Moazzam has fought for the rights of those imprisoned during the so-called, US-led war on terror. In Afghanistan, Moazzam advocates for the freedom of Mohammad Rahim, the last Afghan held in Guantanamo Bay. As the nation grapples with the scars of war under new Taliban leadership, can Moazzam ever make peace with his past? Echoes of Bagram is a film by Michael McEvoy and Horia El Hadad.

EP4 Ukraine: Escaping the Darkness Feb 19, 2024

In war-torn Ukraine, a family weighs the dangers of leaving their makeshift bunker for the promise of freedom outside.  In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a young family endures life in Mykolaiv’s subterranean haven, “The Garages”. As the front line shifts, volunteer soldier Yuri is determined to keep his family safe underground even when their neighbours return to life outside. But his wife, Svetlana, is craving a normal home, and their teenage daughters are growing restless in isolation. When a chance for a new life emerges in the countryside, the family must reach an agreement, balancing their dreams and fears. Ukraine: Escaping the Darkness is a film by Clement Gargoullaud.

EP5 A Vision of Justice: Chile’s first blind senator Mar 04, 2024

An Indigenous mother rises in Chilean politics when she is caught in the crossfire of a polarised nation. On her way to work, Fabiola Campillai was blinded when she was shot in the face with a tear gas canister by police during Chile’s 2019 uprising. Despite having no experience in politics, the Indigenous mother and former factory worker decides to fight for justice and run for parliament. Campillai is elected Chile’s first blind senator. The policeman who attacked her goes on trial as she meets other survivors of police brutality seeking reparations. Campillai knows her fight is far bigger than just her case. But she faces another unexpected attack – this time from within Chile’s polarised parliament. A Vision of Justice is a documentary film by Nancy Roberts.

EP6 Tunisia’s Fields of Resilience: The reality for female farmworkers Mar 07, 2024

In rural Tunisia, a mother toils in the fields to secure life-changing surgery for her daughter. From the cold of winter to the scorching heat of summer, Noura works long hours in Tunisia’s fertile fields to earn a living. Alongside other women, Noura travels every day to the farm on the back of a truck. The women are poorly equipped and paid very little for the extreme working conditions. Noura’s motivation comes from saving her daughter, Reem, from a similar fate. Reem was born with a congenital jaw abnormality and needs multiple surgeries. Noura has little support from her husband who often threatens to leave. She has no option but to fight on her own to secure a better future for her daughter. Tunisia’s Fields of Resilience is a documentary film by Maya Youssef.

EP7 London Grown: Roots of Resistance Mar 18, 2024

In London, a city farmer battles to preserve her community’s green sanctuary in the face of soaring costs of living. For at least a decade, Sandra Salazar D’Eca has taught the art of growing food in North London, with a focus on empowering the Black community. What started as a hobby has become a vital survival strategy for many. But Sandra’s food growing projects come under threat when the council announces a three-fold increase in annual rents to local farming allotments. “My life is finished,” says 88-year-old Momma Selma, who has been growing food in the allotment for 50 years. Sandra leads a grassroots resistance to save the community’s sanctuary, but will she lose herself in the process? London Grown is a documentary film by Richard Mejeh.

EP8 Praying for Armageddon: Evangelicals, the US and the Middle East (Part 1) Mar 20, 2024

Episode 1 of a doomsday political thriller about evangelical Christian influence on US foreign policy in the Middle East. The first episode of Praying for Armageddon goes inside the evangelical Christian movement to explore its influence on US democracy and foreign policy. Preparing for the “end times”, a grassroots pastor gathers an army of veterans in the heartland of the United States, and megachurch ministers provide spiritual advice to politicians in the nation’s capital. They call for the “final battle” which they believe will trigger the second coming of Christ. Central to their apocalyptic prophecy is Israel. It is with their blessing that the Trump administration controversially recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moves the US embassy there in 2018. “It feels like everyone has a say about the destiny and the future of Jerusalem except for the Palestinians living in it,” says Palestinian activist Fayrouz Sharqawi.

EP9 Praying for Armageddon: How evangelicals affect the Middle East (Part 2) Mar 21, 2024

The second episode of Praying for Armageddon examines the dangerous consequences of the fusion between evangelical Christians and US politics.

EP10 My Father, Nour and I: Confronting intergenerational trauma Apr 09, 2024

A refugee from Iraq looks into his family’s past and wonders if his childhood trauma will affect his young son.

EP11 Holding Up the Sky: Saving the Indigenous Yanomami tribe in Brazil’s Amazon Apr 18, 2024

A Brazilian tribal leader warns that illegal mining in forests will have dire consequences for the rest of the world.

EP12 Growing Together: A former MOVE family reunites after prison in the US May 06, 2024

As he turns 40, Mike Africa Jr experiences life with his parents for the first time after they’re released from prison.

EP13 West Bank: Family Under Fire May 13, 2024

A Palestinian family of activists in the occupied West Bank resist settler expansion as violence intensifies.

EP14 Small Town Safe House: Gender-based violence in a South African town May 24, 2024

In a town plagued by rape and murder, a community worker is determined to help vulnerable young women.

EP15 Remains: The collision of science and America’s Indigenous people Jun 03, 2024

A Danish scientist’s search for the earliest DNA in the United States uncovers profound ethical and personal dilemmas.

EP16 Stateless in Syria Jun 10, 2024

A controversial aid worker is stranded in war-torn Syria when he is deprived of his citizenship by the United Kingdom’s government.

EP17 Neymar: Bolivia’s Ladder Boy Jun 12, 2024

An 11-year-old cemetery worker in Bolivia dreams of a better education as he struggles to support his family.

EP18 Cine-Guerillas: How media helped win the Algerian Independence War Jul 10, 2024

How media was used as a political weapon in the anticolonial struggle during the Algerian war of independence.

EP19 Not in My Name: One of the leading Jewish voices supporting Gaza Jul 16, 2024

Antony Loewenstein is a leading Jewish voice criticising Israel’s attacks on Gaza, but some have branded him a traitor.

EP20 Paris: Game Changers – Defying the hijab ban on French athletes Jul 22, 2024

A French Muslim athlete challenges a hijab ban in basketball with an inclusive tournament ahead of the Paris Olympics.

EP21 The Volunteer: A Vietnam War veteran’s 50-year search for his friend Jul 30, 2024

A Japanese American veteran finds his friend who saved his life when he was mistaken for the enemy in the Vietnam War.

EP22 Anxious in Beirut: Capturing a city’s struggle for survival Aug 04, 2024

Living with constant anxiety in Lebanon, Zakaria Jaber documents the revolution, COVID-19 and the Beirut port explosion over three years.

EP23 What’s Troubling Her? Treating women’s mental health in Afghanistan Aug 13, 2024

A 26-year-old psychologist, Mehriya Qadiri, treats young women as a mental health crisis unfolds across Afghanistan.

EP24 Murky Waters: A humanitarian’s fight for justice Aug 15, 2024

A humanitarian volunteer with a Danish NGO is charged with human trafficking and must fight to clear his name.

EP25 The Human Cost of Coffee: Rescuing slave workers in Brazil’s farms Aug 19, 2024

From raids to rescues, a survivor of slave labour uncovers the exploitation of workers on Brazilian coffee farms.

EP26 35th JULY – Bangladesh’s Deadly Protest Sep 03, 2024

On the deadliest day of protests in Bangladesh, a photojournalist captures images from all sides of the front lines.

EP27 Pure Unknown: Fighting for the right to be identified in death Sep 05, 2024

An Italian forensic anthropologist identifies bodies of unknown people and campaigns for their right to be identified.

EP28 Of Caravan and the Dogs: The fall of independent journalism in Russia Sep 11, 2024

Russia’s independent journalists face difficult choices in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

EP29 Donga’s Diary: Libya’s Decade of War Sep 25, 2024

Through his extensive video archive, Donga looks back on how events in Libya over 10 years changed him and his nation.
5.5| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Witness is a documentary television programme that airs on Al Jazeera English. Formerly presented by Rageh Omaar and Ghida Fakhry, the programme showcases documentaries commissioned from independent filmmakers around the world. The films focus on stories that receive less international coverage and "people at the margins of society." The show occasionally features interviews with the filmmakers. Witness was one of the first programmes on Al Jazeera English, and has been airing since the channel's inception in November 2006. It was presented by Rageh Omaar from 2006 to 2010. While the scheduling has changed over the years, currently there is at least one new episode each week which premieres on Tuesdays at 22:30 GMT or Wednesdays at 20:00 GMT and is re-aired throughout the week. The show has won multiple documentary awards and has received two International Emmy Award nominations.

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Reviews

Maidgethma Wonderfully offbeat film!
IslandGuru Who payed the critics
Mjeteconer Just perfect...
Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie