war
Western Ukraine’s city of Lviv was struck by four Russian missiles 18th April 2022
Western Ukraine’s city of Lviv was struck by four Russian missiles in the early hours this morning. The death toll rose to seven early afternoon. Nina Kropotkine-Watson and Paul Conroy reporting from the the scene of a rocket attack in a city that has – until now – been thought of as relatively safe. The […]
In The Shadow of Biafra
Dr Louisa Egbunike’s documentary weaves together an engaging narrative of reflections from authors touched by one of the most devastating conflicts of the 1960s, one that still casts its shadow on Nigerians around the world
Akhmed Zakaev – In Conversation with Luke Harding
Join Akhmed Zakaev, dissident and Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic’s government in exile, in conversation with Luke Harding, Foreign Correspondent at The Guardian, on the subject of Zakaev’s recent book, Subjugate or Exterminate!: A Memoir of Russia’s Wars in Chechnya.
VANNI: Getting Graphic
War, political unrest and human suffering are unlikely subjects of comic books. Despite this, graphic novels depicting these realities have become increasingly popular, telling difficult stories to new audiences. Inspired by Benjamin Dix’s personal experience of working in Sri Lanka for the UN during the war, VANNI, draws upon over four years of meticulous research – including first-hand interviews, references from official reports and cross-referencing with experts in the field.
Freedom Fields + Q&A
With the first kick of the FIFA Women’s World Cup a few days away, we are screening a film about a team that won’t be appearing in France. Filmed over five years, Freedom Fields follows three women and their football team in post-revolution Libya, as the country descends into civil war and the utopian hopes of the Arab Spring begin to fade.
When Words Fail. A Life With Music, War and Peace
A discussion with author and journalist Ed Vulliamy exploring the power of music, and the men and women who have dedicated their lives to understanding how and why music matters just so very much.
The War is in the Mountains: Judith Matloff in Conversation
In her groundbreaking new book No Friends But the Mountains, veteran war correspondent Judith Matloff describes her journeys to remote mountain communities across the globe — from Albania and Chechnya to Nepal and Colombia — to investigate why so many conflicts occur at great heights. Matloff will join us in conversation with journalist Nawal al-Maghafi to discuss the links between geography and conflict, and reflect on her discoveries from the world’s most remote regions.
Irregular War: The Future of Global Conflicts
‘If we’re trying to actually resolve conflict… then we have to think, how do we get into the mind of the other?’ Gabrielle Rifkind.
Irregular War: The Future of Global Conflicts
How can discourse surrounding international relations and conflict resolution respond to global terrorist movements and the permuting role of technology in warfare? How are ongoing civil conflicts calling for new approaches to global security? By exploring the timely question of intervention versus non-intervention, and examining the changing nature of warfare and technology, this discussion presents a comprehensive overview of new thinking on international diplomacy and the complexities of peace-making in the age of ‘irregular war’.
Displacement and demography: Colombia
“Not quite the evening we thought we were going to have”, began Ed Vulliamy, journalist for The Guardian and The Observer. A talk that was expected to celebrate the formal end to 52 years of civil war, ended up examinging why a much celebrated peace deal between the Farc and the Colombian government was rejected in a public referendum.
Screening: Ukrainian Sheriffs
Ukrainian Sheriffs follows Viktor and Volodya, two men who have been appointed local sheriffs by the mayor in the town of Stara Zburyevka, Ukraine. While dealing with crimes such as stolen ducks and drunken neighbours, the news about the war is slowly creeping in on them through their televisions and the invitations to join the army. Ukrainian Sheriffs gives us look beyond the war and inside everyday life in a remote Ukrainian village, with a great eye for the shady side of life.
First Wednesday: Chilcot and the Legacy of Iraq
Seven years after the announcement of the Iraq Inquiry by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the long-awaited Chilcot Inquiry report into the UK’s involvement in Iraq from 2001 until 2009 is finally due to be published on Wednesday 6 July. We will be joined by a panel of experts to hear their initial reactions to the report – and without the power to assign criminal culpability, we will consider its potential impact in bringing those accountable to justice and in assuring that a foreign policy disaster of this scale is not repeated.
Understanding Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea
Although the ideology is little understood, salafi-jihadism has played a profound role in shaping global politics in recent years. With the unprecedented territorial gains and political rise of groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh, islamist extremism has become the most significant socio-religious force of our time. Join us to discuss the origins and evolution of the ideas behind salafi-jihadism, as well as its primary aims and growing prominence in recent years.
Screening: The Siege + Q&A
The Siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. In this award-winning new documentary acclaimed journalists Remy Ourdan and Patrick Chauvel masterfully capture the experiences of the city’s residents who experienced the siege firsthand. As these men and women recall memories of everyday life under the blockade, history interweaves with personal testimony to create a humanising portrait of battle and resistance.
No Man’s Land: The Legacy of Communism
By Isabel Gonzalez-Prendergast On Wednesday 24 February, a panel of experts met to discuss the legacy of war and communism in eastern Europe. A full house convened for the event to mark the release of the latest edition of Granta, No Man’s Land, which focuses on the ground between opposing forces, twenty five years since the fall of […]
Dispatches from Syria: Insight with Janine di Giovanni
A full house convened at the Frontline Club on Wednesday 17 February for an audience with journalist Janine di Giovanni to mark the launch of her new book, The Morning They Came For Us: Dispatches from Syria. Di Giovanni, who first travelled to Syria in 2012, was joined by BBC HARDtalk presenter Stephen Sackur to discuss […]
Screening – This is Exile: Diaries of Child Refugees + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Mani Benchelah.
Over the course of a year, Emmy Award-winning director Mani Benchelah made this intimate portrait of Syrian refugee children forced to flee from the violence of civil war to neighbouring Lebanon. It tells the stories of the children’s lives in their own words and captures the moving truth of how they deal with loss, hardship and dashed hopes.
Power, Politics and Performance in Russia: “The War Hasn’t Yet Started” + Q&A
The War Hasn’t Yet Started is a poignant play that depicts the dehumanising effects of living in a society on the brink of all-out war. The staged reading will be followed by a Q&A with artistic director of Sputnik theatre, Noah Birksted-Breen, and the artistic director of Theatre Royal Plymouth, Simon Stokes in conversation with Lucy Ash, an award winning presenter of foreign affairs documentaries at the BBC.
Caesar Photos: Inside the Syrian Authorities’ Prisons + Panel Debate
In collaboration with the Syrian Association for Missing and Conscience Detainees and the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces we are hosting The Caesar Exhibition at the Frontline Club for one day only. The images will be on display on Tuesday 6 October from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM – the exhibition is open to all and there is no need to book to attend.
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
The images will be on display – there is no need to book to attend.
3:00 PM – 4.45 PM
Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, will give a speech and is available for questions.
7:00 – 8.30 PM
Panel discussion on ensuring accountability and justice
PBS Preview Screening: Last Days in Vietnam + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with executive producer Mark Samels.
Last Days in Vietnam chronicles the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon. Approximately 5,000 Americans remained, with roughly 24 hours to get out. Their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends faced certain imprisonment and possible death if they remained behind, yet there was no official evacuation plan in place.
Screening: A Syrian Love Story + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sean McAllister.
Amer, 45, met Raghda, 40, in a Syrian prison cell 15 years ago. Over months they communicated through a tiny hole they’d secretly made in the wall. They fell in love and when released, married and started a family together. This film tells the poignant story of their family torn apart by the tyrannical Assad dictatorship.
Chechnya: A ‘Schizophrenic Land’
By Sara Monetta Twenty years have passed since the beginning of the first Chechen war. How has the country changed in this period and what happened to the many men and women who fought for independence? With this starting point, journalist and filmmaker Manon Loizeau revisited Chechnya, a country where she had previously lived and reported from during the […]
William Dalrymple: The Battle for Afghanistan
By Olivia Acland On Tuesday 2 June, acclaimed writer and historian William Dalrymple joined an audience at the Frontline Club for a fascinating talk on his latest book, Return of a King – The Battle for Afghanistan, in partnership with the London Press Club. The work is the third volume in a series examining the history of […]
Documenting Ukraine: The Curious Tale of a Handmade Country + Maidan Shorts
By Francis Churchill As part of the Documenting Ukraine festival held on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May in partnership with Open City Docs and GRAD, the Frontline Club screened the UK premiere of Anthony Butts’ work in progress: The Curious Tale of a Handmade Country. With astonishing access, Butts followed and filmed Ukrainian rebels in the east of the country […]
Emma Sky: The Unravelling of Iraq
By Alexandra Sarabia On Wednesday 20 May, a conversation between Emma Sky and The Guardian’s Middle East editor, Ian Black, drew a packed house to the Frontline Club. Interested audience members and former colleagues of Sky were present to listen to the highly-regarded Iraq expert, and to celebrate and discuss her latest book, The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities […]
Al Jazeera Preview Screening: Chechnya, War Without Trace + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Manon Loizeau.
Award-winning journalist Manon Loizeau has spent the past 20 years covering the Chechen conflict. In Chechnya, War Without Trace she returns to the places she knew well, filming undercover, to examine the lasting effects of conflict with Russia.
Preview Screening: Tell Spring Not to Come This Year + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy.
When NATO troops withdrew from Afghanistan the Afghan National Army (ANA) took control of Helmand Province, an extremely dangerous region where attacks by Taliban fighters are the order of the day. The directors of Tell Spring Not to Come This Year accompanied an ANA company during a year of frontline duty in Helmand.
UK Premiere: This is My Land + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Tamara Erde.
This is My Land takes us inside school classrooms in Israel and the occupied West Bank, to look at how educators teach history in a contested region. Filmed in an observational style, the film presents a nuanced analysis of the core educational institutions in Israel and Palestine. Candid interviews with students reveal shocking discrepancies in perspectives of history, concepts of freedom, and definitions of nationality. The film prompts the question: how long will the past dictate the present?
America’s Secret Drone Wars: What is the Cost?
Days after the September 11 attacks, a CIA Predator in Afghanistan executed the world’s first lethal drone strike. The CIA claims that its armed drones are ‘the most precise weapon ever invented’, but what is the true cost? In a new book, Sudden Justice, investigative journalist Chris Woods explores the secretive history of the United States’ use of armed drones. He will be joining us with a panel of experts to explore that history and the key role they play on today’s battlefields and in covert targeted killings.
Screening: Drone + Q&A
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Tonje Hessen Schei.
Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and produced by Flimmer Film, Drone takes an in depth look at the United States’ use of drone technology, questioning how drones are altering the psychology of war. In the midst of fast advancement of technology and international legislation struggling to keep up with it, Schei‘s film displays how drones are rapidly defining a new perception of war.