In the Line of Fire 2001
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Sandworks, Inc. in cooperation with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Directed by Patricia Naylor
VHS, color, 47 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Human Rights, Journalism, Media Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Margaret M. Reed, Riley-Hickingbotham Library, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARUntil now, they were the hidden victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But they banded together and exposed their plight, using a powerful defense – their cameras. They are the journalists who cover the Middle East crisis for international news organizations, and they are often the targets of the Israeli military. In the Line of Fire tells their story from a perspective rarely covered in the American media. It relies heavily on footage from the journalists’ private stockpile to illustrate the deliberate nature of the soldiers’ attacks.
Central to the documentary are two Palestinian journalists working for Reuters in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron. On a daily basis, Mazen Dana and Nael Shyoukhi, leave the solace of their young families and venture into a war zone that is especially hostile toward their ethnic group. They and their colleagues from other news agencies have endured numerous attacks by Israeli soldiers who seem all too eager to misuse their crowd-control rubber bullets, fire live rounds, and use brute force to block filming.
Naylor balances these disturbing and sometimes graphic accounts of Palestinian discrimination with testimonials of several Israelis – a journalist, a soldier, and a government official. To varying degrees, all acknowledge the wrongdoing and a lack of due process. She also profiles foreign journalists who, like Dana and Shyoukhi, have been harassed by Israeli soldiers while covering their beat.
Amid the harshness and hatred so vividly captured in this film, there are glimpses of hope and promise. Journalists who sustained the most life-threatening wounds reveal a desire for forgiveness and mutual respect for the jobs both sides do. A genuine regard for human life is also evident in the out-takes of the journalists’ home lives and in the emotional reactions of the Israelis who recognize the dangers the journalists face.
In the Line of Fire received a Donald Britton Award for a Social and Political Documentary Program at the Fall 2002 Gemini Awards, Canada’s top honors for television programming. Highly recommended for academic libraries as well as journalism and contemporary issues courses.