London cinema to screen BBC’s Hamas propaganda documentary
EXCLUSIVE: Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone to be shown at the Garden Cinema amid unanswered questions over BBC editorial standards
A London cinema will screen the BBC’s controversial documentary about Gaza, narrated by the son of a Hamas terrorist, just weeks after the broadcaster removed it from iPlayer pending an internal review.
Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone is due to be shown at the Garden Cinema on Tuesday 25 March. The 59-minute documentary, directed by Jamie Roberts and Palestinian filmmaker Yousef Hammash, follows the lives of four young people living through the war between Israel and Hamas.
The film first aired on BBC2 in January but was later removed from iPlayer. BBC Director-General Tim Davie told MPs that he had made the “personal decision” to take it down because he had “lost trust” in the production.
In a statement to Jewish News, a BBC spokesperson said:
“The BBC does not own the copyright to this documentary, but has the rights to television broadcast in the UK.
“Enforcement of copyright is conducted by the copyright holder, in this case this is the production company.
“The BBC’s position remains that we have removed the film from iPlayer and will not show it while we investigate a number of editorial matters related to the production of the documentary.”
The BBC has made it clear that it is not involved in the Garden Cinema screening.
While the broadcaster retains UK television rights, the copyright belongs to the independent production company, Hoyo Films, which is responsible for any cinema or non-broadcast distribution.
It is not known how the Garden Cinema obtained the film or if Hoyo has approved its cinema screening. Hoyo has not commented publicly on the upcoming screening or the BBC’s decision to remove their documentary from iPlayer.
The Garden Cinema is advertising the event as a free, members-only screening. In a recent newsletter, cinema director Michael Chambers defended the film’s inclusion in their programme, saying the decision came in response to interest from members and described the documentary as “honest, revealing, important and timely”. The cinema website states the screening is sold out.
Chambers also voiced support for the filmmakers and Hoyo Films, writing: “The film has been made in accordance with BBC current affairs guidelines. When watching the film, it’s self-evident that the production company, Hoyo, has resisted all attempts from any quarter to introduce one-sided bias.”
The documentary was produced over nine months, with two London-based producers directing local cameramen inside Gaza. Israel does not permit foreign journalists to report independently from within the territory. The film centres on the stories of four children and teenagers, including an 11-year-old boy helping a paramedic and a 10-year-old girl sharing her daily life on social media.
Jewish News contacted the Garden Cinema numerous times for comment but has not received a response.
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