ITV

Tag: Saira Shah

  • Four Emmys on CNN’s platter

    Four Emmys on CNN’s platter

    MUMBAI:CNN bagged four awards at The 23rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, hosted by the the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences earlier this week.

    The channel won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft Direction for Exodus and Best Story in a Regular Scheduled Newscast in 2001 for Struggle for Islam. Saira Shah won two awards, the first for Outstanding Investigative Journalism Long Form for Beneath the Veil and the other for ‘Outstanding Coverage of a Continuing Story Long Form for Unholy War.

    The award winning Exodus by Sorious Samura investigates the attempts made by thousands of Africans to enter Europe illegally each year in search of a better life. In the documentary Samura travels to Mali, the Sahara Desert, Morocco and Spain as he follows West African exiles attempting to make their way to the “promised land” of Europe. He talks to refugees along the length of the route and reports on the hardships that compel them to embark on this perilous journey, fleeing from their native lands.

    Struggle for Islam by Christiane Amanpour examines the many faces of Islam, through interviews with eminent scholars and practicing Muslims across the globe. It endeavours to find out how a religion that was at the heart of a flowering civilization, passing new ideas about medicine and architecture to the West during the Dark Ages, evolved in the modern era.

    Beneath the Veil which won Saira Shah the award for ‘Outstanding Investigative Journalism Long Form’, traces her journey to her ancestral home in Afghanistan, and takes a look at life under the iron rule of the Taliban. Using secret footage, hidden cameras and with unprecedented access, Shah shows viewers the ruins of Kabul, public executions and the forbidden underground network of women struggling to survive. From the frontlines to the forbidden classrooms, the execution grounds to the ruined gardens of Shahs fathers homeland, this film takes a searing and disturbing look into the Afghanistan of Taliban rule.

    Unholy War, which bagged the second award for Saira Shah is based on her return to the village of Mawmaii in Afghanistan to follow up on the story of three girls whose mother was shot dead by the Taliban in front of them. On her journey to find the girls, who were first seen in Beneath the Veil, she unravels the story of a long-suffering nation that has all but forgotten what peace is and meets the child soldiers, victims, smugglers, tribal leaders, fighters and ordinary Afghans caught up in the war against terrorism.

  • CNN documenary ‘Beneath the Veil’ honoured by US National Press Club

    CNN documenary ‘Beneath the Veil’ honoured by US National Press Club

    CNN Productions Beneath the Veil has been awarded a Freedom of the Press Award by America’s National Press Club. 

    The documentary, created by Saira Shah, profiling life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule won one of the two Freedom of the Press awards given by the National Press Club. This marks the documentarys 13th honour since the programme aired last August in the US and elsewhere. The award will be given away on 22 July in Washington.

    In Beneath the Veil, investigative journalist Saira Shah journeyed to her ancestral home of Afghanistan to look at life under the iron rule of the Taliban. With footage garnered from hidden cameras and unprecedented access, Shah provided a shocking view of the ruins of Kabul, the public executions and the forbidden underground network of women struggling to survive. From the frontlines to the secret classrooms, the execution grounds to the ruined gardens of Shahs fathers homeland, the film provides a searing and disturbing look into the Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The documentary was produced jointly by CNN Productions, Hardcash Productions and Channel 4. 

    The Freedom of the Press Award recognises members of the US and international news media who have promoted or helped protect the freedom of the press during the previous calendar year by publishing or broadcasting news. Judges weighed the risks involved to nominees, including loss of reputation, job and life as well as bodily harm, imprisonment and harm to family. Judges also looked at whether the nominees exercised commitment to the principles of free press, professionalism, ethical newsgathering practices, perseverance, ingenuity and personal integrity, says an official release. 

  • CNN wins two RTNDA 2002 Edward R Murrow awards

    CNN wins two RTNDA 2002 Edward R Murrow awards

    CNN has bagged top honours for continuing coverage and news documentary in the Network Television Division at the US’ 2002 Edward R Murrow awards. 

    The Murrow awards, sponsored by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), recognise outstanding achievements in electronic journalism since 1971. This years competition judged 2,303 entries from 511 organisations. The awards ceremony will be held on 7 October in New York City when CNN will be honoured with awards in the following categories in the Network Television Division: 

    1. Continuing Coverage: 
    ’11 September, 2001: Terrorist Attacks’ – CNN is being recognised for its coverage of 11 September events. Coverage included constant news updates from each scene, eye witness accounts, international reports and in-depth perspectives from CNNs top anchors and correspondents around the world. Five hours of non-stop breaking news were anchored by CNNs Aaron Brown and Judy Woodruff.

    2. News Documentary:
    ‘Beneath the Veil’ – Investigative journalist Saira Shah journeyed to her ancestral home in Afghanistan to look at life under the iron rule of the Taliban. Using secret footage, hidden cameras and with unprecedented access, Shah showed viewers the ruins of Kabul, public executions and the forbidden underground network of women struggling to survive. From the frontlines to the forbidden classrooms, the execution grounds to the ruined gardens of Shahs fathers homeland, this film takes a searing look into the Afghanistan under Taliban rule. 

  • Nickelodeon and HBO triumph at Peabody Awards for broadcast excellence

    Nickelodeon and HBO triumph at Peabody Awards for broadcast excellence

    The 61st annual Peabody Awards announced recently saw HBO and Nickelodeon reap a rich harvest of awards.

    The awards will be given away on 20 May by the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

    HBO has received multiple awards for original programmes like Band of Brothers, the 10-part World War II miniseries created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, and Wit, with Emma Thompson as an English teacher dying of cancer. HBO films Conspiracy and Boycott have also bagged awards.

    Nickelodeon has scored with its shows Little Bill and Blue’s Clues, the latter an animated series for pre-schoolers. CNN and Channel 4 International received an award for two documentaries, Beneath the Veil and Unholy War, produced by Saira Shah. These works chronicle the terror and violence in the lives of Afghan women. America: A Tribute to Heroes, which aired on Star World shortly after 11 September has also bagged a Peabody. The show was produced by Joel Gallen and simulcast by more than thirty broadcast and cable networks.

    A Peabody has also gone to the ABC movie Anne Frank. The films stars Ben Kinglsey and goes beyond previous accounts of the familiar tragic story. The Showtime network was cited for Things Behind the Sun, a harrowing depiction of rape and its lingering personal effects.

    Peabody winners include several international productions. WTO Challenge, produced by Television Broadcast Limited in Hong Kong examines the personal, social and economic implications of China’s growing involvement in world affairs.

    Awards were also presented to National Public Radio for its more than 180 hours of programming related to September 11.