Control Room (2004)

A documentary on perception of the United States's war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera's coverage.

Director:

Jehane Noujaim

Writers:

Julia Bacha, Jehane Noujaim

Stars:

Samir Khader, Josh Rushing, George W. Bush

7 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Samir Khader	...	Himself
Josh Rushing	...	Himself (as Lt. Josh Rushing)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hassan Ibrahim	...	Himself
Deema Khatib	...	Herself
Tom Mintier	...	Himself
Donald Rumsfeld	...	Himself (archive footage)
David Shuster	...	Himself

Storyline

A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.

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Plot Keywords:

iraq | media | middle east | television reporter | qatar | 

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Taglines:

Different channels. Different truths.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Magnolia Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

Arabic English

Release Date:

18 June 2004 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Central Al Jazeera

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$27,125 (USA) (21 May 2004)

Gross:

$2,586,511 (USA) (29 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Noujaim Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 57 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Hassan Ibrahim: These insensitive Americans roll over everyone to get their way, and what happens to soft-spoken people like me? We get pushed aside.

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Connections

References The Price Is Right (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Tokyo Drum"
Composed by John Swamy
Performed by Happy Ashtray

User Reviews

Made me want to be a journalist/documentary filmmaker

I don't, on average, give anything a 10 out of 10. Control Room, however, I simply cannot praise enough. If there were ever a quintessential journalistic document to point to 100 years down the road and say: "THAT was what it was like in the world, sonny boy," this documentary would be it. It will make you feel differently about journalistic objectivity, terrorism, mortality, and (most importantly) the world outside the United States. I wish every U.S. citizen (the ones who vote anyway) could see this documentary. If it grossed half as much money as Farenheight 9/11 -- the world would be a better, more critically minded place.

We could all be journalists, and we could all keep our world in check. You can, too. SEE THIS MOVIE. ACT ON WHAT YOU BELIEVE.