Introduction

Director Skye Fitzgerald’s Oscar-nominated documentary “Hunger Ward” chronicles Yemeni health care workers as they wrestle with famine and violence.

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Outline

The United Nations has referred to the war in Yemen, which turned six years old in March 2021, as “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world”.

In March 2018, the UN reported that 10 million Yemenis were one step away from famine and that hunger is threatening an entire generation. Borne out of a sense of urgency at the sustained civilian suffering caused by the human-caused famine in Yemen, we embedded with a team of doctors and nurses working at Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFCs) treating those most at risk of starvation.

​Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centres in Yemen, Hunger Ward documents two women health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. The film provides an unflinching portrait of Dr. Aida Alsadeeq and Nurse Mekkia Mahdi as they try to save the lives of hunger-stricken children within a population on the brink of famine.

The film bears witness to the unfolding tragedy with a cinematic eye – thus rendering horror watchable, and deepening empathy for our subjects and awareness of the significant civilian suffering resulting from the current conflict.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
• Skye Fitzgerald.
• Producer(s):
  • Jody Allen (Executive Producer for Vulcan).
  • Ruth Johnston (Executive Producer for Vulcan).
  • Matt Milios (Executive Producer for Vulcan).
  • Jannat Gargi (Executive Producer for Vulcan).
  • Hayley Pappas.
  • Matt Ippolito.
  • Michael Scheuerman.
  • Skye Fitzgerald.
• Music:
  • William Campbell.
• Cinematography:
  • Jeffrey Bell.
• Editor(s):
  • Dan Sadowsky.
• Production:
  • Vulcan Productions.
• Release Date: 2020.
• Running Time: 23 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

YouTube Link