Control Room (2004)

Director:

Jehane Noujaim

Writers:

Jehane Noujaim
Julia Bacha

Release Date:

18 June 2004 (Denmark)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Different channels. Different truths.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Iraq | Media | Middle East | Television Reporter | Qatar

Awards:

7 wins & 7 nominations

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

Directed by
Jehane Noujaim

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Julia Bacha
Jehane Noujaim

Produced by
Nick Fraser	....	executive producer
Emily Gardiner	....	associate producer
Mette Hoffman Meyer	....	executive producer
Andrew P. Hurwitz	....	executive producer
Jehane Noujaim	....	executive producer
Alan Oxman	....	co-producer
Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt	....	co-producer
Andrew Rossi	....	associate producer
Hani Salama	....	producer
Abdallah Schleifer	....	executive producer
Rosadel Varela	....	executive producer
Rosadel Varela	....	producer

Original Music by
Thomas DeRenzo
Hani Salama

Cinematography by
Jehane Noujaim

Film Editing by
Julia Bacha
Lilah Bankier
Charles Marquardt
Alan Oxman

Sound Department
Patrick Donahue	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Pat Donahue)
Matthew Haasch	....	sound editor

Visual Effects by
Mitch Paulson	....	digital preview colorist

Camera and Electrical Department
James Longley	....	additional camera operator

Editorial Department
Will Cox	....	colorist
Will Cox	....	on-line editor
Rebecca Haimowitz	....	post-production associate
Paul Kondo	....	assistant editor
Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt	....	additional editor
Gabriel Rhodes	....	additional editor
Andrew Rossi	....	additional editor

Music Department
Thomas DeRenzo	....	orchestrator
Mona El Daief	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Winston Emano	....	publicist
David Magdael	....	publicist
Louis Spiegler	....	executive consultant
Steven Wallace	....	publicist

Thanks
Roberto Busó-García	....	thanks (as Roberto Buso)
Cathy Riva	....	special thanks
Nelson Walker III	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Noujaim Films

Distributors

• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Magnolia Pictures (USA)
• NHK BS1 (2004) (Japan) (TV)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)

Other Companies

• Postworks New York  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:84 min | Turkey:57 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M

Company:

Noujaim Films

Quotes:

George W. Bush:I was told early this morning that, perhaps, our troops were captured, and, if there is somebody captured, I expect those people to be treated humanely. Bill and then Mike.
Journalist:Iraqi TV has shown what appear to be American POWs and also what appear to be American dead.
George W. Bush:I expect them to be treated... The POWS I expect to be treated humanely and um uh just like we're treating the prisoners that we have captured humanely.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 12 June 2004" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Control Room Intro Theme

Rumsfeld's 'truth' may come more from the beleaguered Arab network than the carefully controlled coalition.

When Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declares in the early stages of the Iraq War, ''Truth ultimately finds its way to people's eyes and ears and hearts,'' I knew I would like 'Control Room.' I did feel truth peeking through the eyes of the Al Jazeera Satellite Network war coverage, perhaps the most damning moment coming when the coalition forces attack the Al-Jazeera building and kill a prominent journalist.

Egyptian-born, Harvard-educated director Jehane Noujaim, having worked with D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus on ''Only the Strong Survive'' and ''Startup.com,' is no objective documentarian: She cuts her film to the best advantage of the Arab network as the voice of the Arab oppressed and to the obvious discomfort of the ' occupying' forces, especially the US.

If you factor in her bias and listen to the occasionally reasonable Centcom Press Officer, Lt. Josh Rushing, you may yet believe that Rumsfeld's 'truth' comes more from the beleaguered Arab network than the carefully controlled coalition. But Rushing provides the most truth in the film, for instance, when he confesses, 'Our rule back here is to not spin, but sometimes we catch ourselves doing a little spin on a story. You can't help it.' Lt. Rushing is one of the more interesting characters, at first a central-casting officer spouting the Pentagon message. But when he sees film of suffering and dead American soldiers, he admits, "It makes me hate war." Regardless of which side you're on, most viewers can relate.

When an Arab producer exclaims that the drama unfolding is just like an American movie, where the god guys are easily identifiable, the bad guys will be punished, and the audience wants to know how the ending will be reached, the director mixes fiction and reality in a way that reminds all students of film there cannot be truly unbiased films once someone picks up a camera.

Let 'Control Room' stand tall next to last year's Earl Morris documentary 'Fog of War,' starring a still-sharp and still-deluded Robert McNamara, looking a bit like Donald Rumsfeld. His statement about Al Jazeera, ''We are dealing with people who are willing to lie to the world to make their case,'' is too ironic to be left out of a documentary that makes a liberal criticism of the neocons' great war seem, well, believable.

There are so many secrets and lies in the world political scene today that I am reminded of Joseph Conrad's Marlow in 'Heart of Darkness,' who said there was 'a flavor of mortality in lies, -- which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world -- what I want to forget.' The official body count in Iraq may be mute testimony to the legacy of lies. Like the 9/11 Commission report on the lack of connection between Iraq and al Quaida, 'Control Room' tries to balance the scales before Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' upsets it even more.