While the world looked away as many as 70 thousand civilians lost their lives, most at the hands of government shelling. This is the story of the final bloody weeks of the Sri Lankan civil war.
Documentary filmmaker Callum Macrae visits Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday, February 10, to show his film No Fire Zone, and talk about his investigation into human rights abuses during the final days of the Sri Lankan civil war. Pulitzer Center Executive Director Jon Sawyer joins Macrae during this visit to one of the Pulitzer Center's original Campus Consortium partners.
Macrae shares details of his reporting on the government's brutal military offensive that saw between 40,000 and 70,000 civilians die, and how he was able to secure direct evidence of violence against civilians via footage recorded from within the government-promised 'no fire zone.' Macrae also shares his efforts to turn the film into the basis of an international awareness campaign – addressing the role of traditional journalism vs. advocacy vs. “campaigning journalism."
Besides the film screening, Macrae's visit includes open discussions and class visits focused on human rights and foreign reporting. During the day, Macrae and Sawyer also join SIUC student fellows Jessica Edmond, Jennifer Gonzalez and Luke Nozicka as they present their reporting from around the world.
No Fire Zone is one of five films to win the 2014 BRITDOC Impact Award, which celebrates standout documentary films that are changing the world. The documentary also was nominated for an International Emmy Award.
Macrae is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who has been making films for 20 years in the UK and around the world, including Iraq, Japan (in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake), Haiti and several in Africa – covering wars and conflicts in Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda and Mali.
Documentary Screening and Discussion with Callum Macrae
Tuesday, February 10
9:30am-11:30am
Studio A
Southern Illinois University
1263 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901
Recently
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Award-winning documentary filmmaker Callum Macrae tours U.S. college campuses from New York to San Diego to screen his film, No Fire Zone, and discuss human rights issues.
Gateways
Project
Grantee
Director Callum Macrae has been making films for 20 years in the UK and around the world, including Iraq, Japan (in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake), Haiti and several in Africa – covering...
Pulitzer Center staff
Contact Jon: jsawyer[AT]pulitzercenter.org
Jon Sawyer is director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-profit organization that funds independent reporting with the intent of raising...
Student Fellow
Jessica is currently pursuing a masters of fine arts at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Her research interests are related to the impact skin bleaching and the media representations that...
Student Fellow
Luke Nozicka is a sophomore studying journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is a reporter for SIU's student-run newspaper, The Daily Egyptian, covering administration,...
Student Fellow
Jennifer Gonzalez is a multimedia photojournalist currently based in southern Illinois. This is Jennifer's second fellowship with the Pulitzer Center; she previously was a part of the project "Nepal...