Palestinian Voices

This is Not a Movie: Robert Fisk and the Politics of Truth

Expired January 18, 2021 7:45 AM
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A special tribute screening to the late Robert Fisk, hosted by the Middle East Children's Alliance and the Arab Film and Media Institute. Fisk passed away on October 30,2020 in Ireland at the age of 74.


“In response to the idea that journalism is or should be ‘objective,’ Fisk said, "I always say that reporters should be neutral and unbiased on the side of those who suffer. If you were covering the 18th-century slave trade, you would not give equal space to the slave-ship captain. … At the Sabra and Shatilla massacre in Beirut in 1982, I did not give equal time to the Israeli army who watched the killings and whose Lebanese allies committed the atrocity.”


Screening is Pay-What-You-Can with a $10 minimum, and our apologies, but this screening is only available in the United States Discounts available for low-income, seniors and students. E-mail info (at) arabfilm.us with "fisk" in the subject to receive your discount code.

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Since 1988, the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) has delivered over $25 million in food and medical aid to Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. MECA supports dozens of community projects for Palestinian children and refugees from Syria; currently MECA is counteracting the cruel Israeli siege and helping people survive the terrifying spread of the coronavirus in Gaza.

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The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) is the first organization of its kind outside the Arab world, a unique ecosystem to find, nurture and develop Arab film and media projects. It was rebranded from the Arab Film Festival in 2017 to fulfill its broader mandate to empower local Arab talent to tell their communities’ stories in their own voices. Through film, education, mentorship, and new media, AFMI’s mission is to enhance public understanding of Arab culture and provide insight into the beauty, complexity and diversity intrinsic to the Arab world.

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About the Film


For more than 40 years, journalist Robert Fisk has reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world.


Yung Chang’s This Is Not a Movie captures Fisk in action—feet on the ground, notebook in hand, as he travels into landscapes devastated by war, ferreting out the facts and firing reports back home to reach an audience of millions.


The process of translating raw experience into incisive and passionate dispatches requires the determination to see things first-hand and the tenacity to say what others won’t. In his relentless pursuit of the facts, Fisk has attracted his share of controversy. But in spite of the danger, he has continued to cover stories as they unfold, talking directly to the people involved.


In an era of fake news, when journalists are dubbed “the enemies of the people,” Fisk’s resolve to document reality has become an obsessive war to speak the truth.


"Fisk's story is a compelling reminder of just how real the news can be."

—POV Magazine


"[The film] provides a comprehensive portrait of a man who has become essential reading."

—Hollywood Reporter


"In This Is Not a Movie, Fisk's life history is paired with a director up to the task

of presenting the facts in a compelling, cogent manner."

—Hammer to Nail


"It is as fascinating to watch Fisk talk about the media landscape as it is

to read his inimitable writings on the Middle East."

—Cineuropa

  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    106 minutes
  • Language
    English, Arabic
  • Country
    Canada, Germany
  • Director
    Yung Chang
  • Executive Producer
    Christopher Clements, Julie Goldman
  • Cast
    Robert Fisk
  • Cinematographer
    Duraid Munajim