Filmmaker Callum Macrae Visits CUNY Graduate School of Journalism for Focus on Sri Lanka

Award-winning filmmaker Callum Macrae visits CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism on Monday, February 2, for the screening of his documentary No Fire Zone.

Jyoti Thottam, former South Asia bureau chief for Time magazine and now a reporter at Al Jazeera, moderates a conversation with Macrae as part of the session.

Macrae's investigation into the final days of the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war sheds light on the government's brutal military offensive, incorporating footage recorded by both victims and perpetrators on mobile phones and small cameras in a way almost never done before–powerful actuality from the battlefield, from inside the crudely dug civilian bunkers and over-crowded makeshift hospitals. The footage provides direct evidence of summary executions, torture and sexual violence.

Even UK Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted about the documentary before the Nov. 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka. Tweeting at Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, he wrote: Been watching @NoFireZoneMovie. Chilling documentary on Sri Lanka. Serious questions to put to @PresRajapaksa next week.

Besides the documentary's subject matter, Macrae also will consider his post-production efforts to raise awareness of these human rights issues—considering the lines between journalism and advocacy.

No Fire Zone is one of five films to win a 2014 BRITDOC Impact Award, which celebrates standout documentary films that are changing the world. The documentary also was nominated for an International Emmy Award.

Macrae is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker who has been making films for 20 years in the UK and around the world, including Iraq, Japan (in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake), Haiti and several in Africa – covering wars and conflicts in Cote D'Ivoire, Uganda and Mali.

"No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka"
Monday, February 2
5:30 pm Reception
6:30 pm Film Screening
7:30 pm Discussion with Callum Macrae
CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
219 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Free and open to the public, but RSVP requested for this event. Reserve your seat today.