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- Actors Susan Sarandon, Indira Varma, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson among those calling for immediate broadcast of 鈥楪aza: Medics Under Fire鈥�
- The film was delayed pending an investigation into another documentary, 鈥淕aza: How to Survive a Warzone,鈥� after it emerged the narrator of that film is the son of a Hamas official
DUBAI: More than 600 prominent figures from the film and media industries have signed an open letter urging the BBC to broadcast the delayed documentary 鈥淕aza: Medics Under Fire.鈥�
The signatories include actors such as Susan Sarandon, Indira Varma, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson, along with journalists, filmmakers and other industry professionals. One-hundred-and-thirty of them chose to remain anonymous; at least 12 were said to be BBC staff members.
The letter, addressed to BBC Director General Tim Davie, states: 鈥淓very day this film is delayed, the BBC fails in its commitment to inform the public, fails in its journalistic responsibility to report the truth, and fails in its duty of care to these brave contributors.
鈥淣o news organization should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling.鈥�
The film was originally scheduled to air in January. BBC bosses said they decided to delay it while an investigation is carried out into another documentary, 鈥淕aza: How to Survive a Warzone,鈥� which was pulled from the schedules when it emerged that the narrator of that film is the son of a Hamas official.
Samir Shah, chairperson of the BBC, said this revelation was 鈥渁 dagger to the heart of the BBC鈥檚 claim to be impartial and to be trustworthy鈥� and that was why he and fellow board members were 鈥渄etermined to ask the questions.鈥�
The writers of the letter said: 鈥淭his is not editorial caution. It鈥檚 political suppression. The BBC has provided no timeline, no transparency. Such decisions reinforce the systemic devaluation of Palestinian lives in our media.鈥�
鈥淕aza: Medics Under Fire鈥� production company Basement Films said in the letter that it was 鈥渄esperate for a confirmed release date in order to be able to tell the surviving doctors and medics when their stories will be told.鈥�
The document concluded with a demand for the film to be released 鈥淣OW.鈥�
A spokesperson for the BBC told Variety magazine the documentary will be broadcast 鈥渁s soon as possible,鈥� but the organization had taken 鈥渁n editorial decision not to do so鈥� while there was an 鈥渙ngoing review鈥� of the other Gaza-related film.