Introduction

Control Room is a 2004 documentary film about Al Jazeera and its relations with the US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as the other news organisations that covered the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Made by Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, the film was distributed by Magnolia Pictures (owned by 2929 Entertainment).

Outline

A documentary on perception of the United States’s war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera’s coverage.

Filmmaker Jehane Noujaim provides a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of Al-Jazeera – the most prominent television news network in the Arab world – during the war in Iraq.

Through interviews with American journalists, journalists reporting for Al-Jazeera, and high-ranking US military officials, Noujaim explores the nature of media bias, Al-Jazeera’s relationship with the Arab community and the network’s perception in the Western world.

Trivia

People featured in the film include:

• Lieutenant Josh Rushing, a press officer from US Central Command.
  • Josh Rushing started working for Al Jazeera English in 2006.
• David Shuster, an NBC correspondent.
  • Shuster started working for Al Jazeera America in 2013.
• Tom Mintier, a CNN correspondent.
• Al Jazeera was represented bySamir Khader, a senior producer, Hassan Ibrahim, a Sudanese journalist who attended US universities and headed the BBC Arab News Service before joining Al Jazeera, and Dima Khatib, a Syrian journalist and a producer at Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera was represented by:

• Samir Khader, a senior producer, Hassan Ibrahim, a Sudanese journalist who attended US universities and headed the BBC Arab News Service before joining Al Jazeera.
  • Samir Khader later became the editor of Al-Jazeera.
• Dima Khatib, a Syrian journalist and a producer at Al Jazeera.

• The film has been criticised for bias.
• Jehane Noujaim has acknowledged this lack of objectivity, stating “I am not saying it is the truth, but it is our truth.”
• The film was nominated for Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Jehane Noujaim.
• Producer(s): Hani Salama and Rosadel Varela.
• Writer(s): Julia Bacha and Jehane Noujaim.
• Music: Thomas DeRenzo and Hani Salama.
• Cinematography: Jehane Noujaim.
• Editor(s): Julia Bacha, Lilah Bankier, Charles Marquardt, and Alan Oxmand.
• Distributor(s): Magnolia Pictures.
• Release Date: January 2004 (Sundance Film Festival).
• Running Time: 84 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English and Arabic.