ISIS
ISIS Rising – The War is Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon says ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq number between 14,000 and 18,000, up from 10,000 at the birth of the Caliphate in summer 2014. It still carries out 60 attacks a month in Iraq alone and is active in the Sahel, the Philippines and Afghanistan. And the US believes the group can access a war chest of hundreds of millions of dollars.
End of the Caliphate
Ivor Prickett’s book End of the Caliphate is the result of months spent on the ground in Iraq and Syria between 2016 and 2018 photographing the battle to defeat ISIS. Working exclusively for the New York Times, Ivor was often embedded with Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish forces as he documented both the fighting and its toll on the civilian population and urban landscape.
The Messenger: In Conversation with Shiv Malik
The Messenger, written by former investigative reporter Shiv Malik, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a repentant jihadist and an idealistic journalist.
The Yazidi Secret Children + Q&A
Pre-broadcast screening of BBC Our World : The Yazidi Secret Children + Q&A
Shamima Begum: A Crisis Of Citizenship
When Frontline member Anthony Loyd found Shamima Begum in al-Hawl refugee camp, northern Syria, he helped unearth a series of unanswered questions for Western societies – and kickstarted a national debate in the United Kingdom.
Watch the video stream of Shamima Begum: A Crisis Of Citizenship
Travels Through A Middle East in Revolt: An Evening with Emma Sky and Lyse Doucet
According to Emma Sky, the Middle East is in a ‘Time Of Monsters’. Where have these monsters come from? Join us for an evening with two regional experts with diverse experiences to dig deeper into the origins, complexities and fallout of these forces at large in the Arab World – and their relationship with Europe and beyond.
Watch the video stream of In a Time Of Monsters with Emma Sky and Lyse Doucet
Magnum Chronicles: A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS
We present and discuss the first issue, A Brief Visual History in the Time of ISIS, which includes over 40 images from the Magnum archive, exploring the history and effects of the fall-out from ISIS and their actions over the recent past.
Stacey Dooley – Face to Face with ISIS
The Frontline Club will be screening a new BBC documentary, Stacey Dooley – Face to Face with ISIS followed by a Q&A with Stacey and director Joshua Baker.
Athens Event – Screening: MOSUL + Q&A
The Frontline Club in partnership with the Foreign Press Association of Greece will be screening MOSUL, by Olivier Sarbil and James Jones followed by a Q&A with Olivier and James at the Romantso in Athens.
Screening: MOSUL + Q&A
The Frontline Club will be screening MOSUL, a new film by Olivier Sarbil and James Jones followed by a Q&A with Olivier and James. In October 2016, an elite team of Iraqi Special Forces was tasked with leading the fight to defeat ISIS in Mosul. It was the beginning of a brutal battle of attrition […]
Screening: No Friends But the Mountains + Q&A
With the independence referendum of Iraqi Kurdistan set for 25th September 2017, The Frontline Club will be hosting a film screening night along with a Q&A with the makers of the film to discuss the possible outcomes.
Double Bill Screening: The Battle for Iraq & Hunting ISIS + Q&A
We are delighted to present a double bill screening of the films The Battle for Iraq (33′) and Hunting ISIS (24′) from PBS FRONTLINE. This screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Joshua Baker, Olivier Sarbil and others.
In the Picture with Paula Bronstein: Afghanistan – Between Hope and Fear
‘Mob rule took over’ she said quietly, ‘and they killed her’. The grief and anger at Farkhunda Malikzada’s funeral is one of many harrowing events Paula Bronstein has documented. But her latest book, Afghanistan – Between Hope and Fear, captures not only the tragedy of a country ravaged by war: it also shows the joy.
The Frontline Club and Bertha DocHouse Present: Jim – The James Foley Story
Seen through the lens of filmmaker Brian Oakes, Foley’s close childhood friend, Jim: The James Foley Story takes us from small-town New England to the adrenaline-fuelled front lines of Libya and Syria, where photojournalist James (Jim) Foley pushed the limits of danger to report on the plight of civilians impacted by war. Brilliantly constructed with unparalleled access, Jim is a harrowing chronicle of bravery, compassion, and pain at the dawn of a new World War against ISIS.
Understanding Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea
Although the ideology is little understood, salafi-jihadism has played a profound role in shaping global politics in recent years. With the unprecedented territorial gains and political rise of groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, islamist extremism has become the most significant socio-religious force of our time. Join us to discuss the origins and evolution of the ideas behind salafi-jihadism, as well as its primary aims and growing prominence in recent years.
Preview Screening: Descendants of an Angel + Panel Discussion
Two years on, the plight of the Yazidis has disappeared from international attention. In making Descendants of an Angel – the first feature length documentary focusing on the 2014 Yazidi genocide – the team at Dokumanity films travelled to Shingal, Iraq. They met with Yazidi commanders that were still there and refugees, young and old, that had to leave everything behind to flee Daesh. Capturing first-hand accounts of the genocide and the struggles Yazidi refugees are continuing to face, Descendants of an Angel is an invaluable and sensitive record of the 2014 genocide that is carried by the voices of its survivors.
Screening: Daesh Deserters Speak Out + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Thomas Dandois and Francois-Xavier Tregan.
In southeast Turkey, a few dozen kilometres from war-torn Syria, at great risk to themselves, a clandestine network is exfiltrating fighters who have decided to leave Daesh. This groundbreaking documentary from Memento films and ARTE provides rare testimonies from Daesh defectors and those who have helped them escape. Gaining unprecedented access, directors Thomas Dandois and Francois-Xavier Tregan capture what daily life is like inside Daesh and expose the conditions surrounding the dangerous process of exfiltration.
Two Minutes with Molly Crabapple
Heenali Patel sat down with artist and journalist Molly Crabapple to discuss ‘Scenes from the Syrian War’, her collection of illustrations made in collaboration with Syrian writer Marwan Hisham. Using photos sent via cell phone, Molly recreated rare glimpses of daily life in ISIS-occupied areas of Syria. Filmed by Adam Barr.
Preview Screening – Mission Critical: Afghanistan + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with reporter Abi Austen, director Will West and producer Shoaib Sharifi.
Abi Austen served for over four years in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as both a British army officer and as a senior advisor to the US army. In February 2015, she returned to Kandahar with Unreported World to discover just what is going wrong with President Obama’s plan. In this remarkable and eye-opening film, Austen discovers on the frontline that the war in Afghanistan is now at a tipping-point. Her film poses a question for the world: will the West’s legacy in Afghanistan survive, and is that struggle still worth fighting for?
Dispatches from Syria: Insight with Janine di Giovanni
A full house convened at the Frontline Club on Wednesday 17 February for an audience with journalist Janine di Giovanni to mark the launch of her new book, The Morning They Came For Us: Dispatches from Syria. Di Giovanni, who first travelled to Syria in 2012, was joined by BBC HARDtalk presenter Stephen Sackur to discuss […]
Screening: Among the Believers + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Mohammed Naqvi and producer Jonathan Goodman Levitt.
Charismatic cleric Abdul Aziz Ghazi, an ISIS supporter and Taliban ally, is waging jihad against the Pakistani state. His dream is to impose a strict version of Sharia law throughout the country, as a model for the world. With unprecedented access, Among the Believers follows Aziz on his very personal quest to create an Islamic utopia, during the bloodiest period in Pakistan’s modern history.
The Fight Against Daesh: Symptoms and Causes
By Antonia Roupell A panel discussion focused on The Fight Against Daesh made for a timely first First Wednesday of the year at the Frontline Club. The packed event on 6 January was chaired by David Loyn, foreign correspondent for the BBC for over 30 years. The speakers included Richard Spencer, Middle East editor of The Daily and Sunday […]
First Wednesday: The Fight Against Daesh
Since the Paris attacks on 13 November, world leaders have seemingly put grievances aside to unite in a newly energised fight against Daesh – but what can be achieved by bombing the already bombed-out cities of Syria? For the first First Wednesday of 2016 we will be bringing together a panel to discuss the diplomatic, logistical and ideological challenges of the fight against Daesh.
Screening: My Jihad + Q&A
In the last year alone over 400 young Belgians have traveled to Syria. In My Jihad, reporter Rudi Vranckx visits the region of Vilvoorde to investigate why a number of young Belgians from the area are becoming radicalised, and how leaders of the Muslim community are working to combat this trend.
Syria: Failures of the International Community and the Search for Accountability
By Antonia Roupell Nearly three years on from President Obama’s infamous ‘red line’ statement, Syrian activist and filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia, Syrian human rights lawyer Laila Alodaat, journalist Jonathan Littell and Nerma Jelacic of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), joined an audience at the Frontline Club on Thursday 21 May. In a discussion chaired by Owen Bennett-Jones, host of Newshour […]
Insight with Samar Yazbek: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria
Weaving together stories of hardship and brutality with touches of humanity, Samar Yazbek‘s new book The Crossing documents several dangerous clandestine trips she took into the North of her country and is testimony to the appalling reality that is Syria today. She will be joining us in conversation with Syrian writer and broadcaster, Rana Kabbani, to share her observations and what she heard from the people about their hopes and fears for the future.
The New Censorship and the Global Battle for Press Freedom
By Josie Leblond What are journalists worth in an age where anyone can tell their own story online? Has their diminishing value led to the growing violence against journalists across the world? This is the argument that executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Joel Simon, put forward at the Frontline Club on Tuesday 17 March. […]
Shorts at the Frontline Club
By Olivia Acland On Friday 16 January, the Frontline Club was at full capacity for an evening that showcased the diverse faces of documentary filmmaking, both journalistic and poetic. The documentaries screened offered snapshots into five very different worlds, allowing the audience to glimpse the lives of remarkable individuals in addition to illuminating pressing issues, […]
Kidnap, Ransom and Blackouts
The scale of journalist and aid-worker kidnappings in Syria has raised questions about government policies on paying ransoms and the use of media blackouts. We will be bringing together a panel to debate the current policies towards ransom and blackouts. We will be asking if they need to be reformed, and if so, what they should look like in the future.
This event is off the record, please refrain from filming and reporting the discussion.
The Fate of Foreign Fighters Returning from Syria and Iraq
Foreign fighters are travelling to Syria and Iraq on an ‘unprecedented scale’ according to a recent United Nations report. In the UK a new Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill proposing new counter-terror powers, including temporary exclusion orders and the powers to seize passports of terror suspects, has been met by concern that it threatens civil liberties. We will be joined by a panel of experts to debate this new bill and the measures it sets out.