Jamie Doran
Encyclopedia
Jamie Doran is an Irish/Scottish independent documentary
filmmaker and former BBC producer.
Many of Doran's documentaries have raised controversy. His latest film, The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan allegedly exposes widespread and systematic child sex abuse by former Northern Alliance commanders, ISAF's closest allies in Afghanistan. His 2002 film Afghan Massacre: the Convoy of Death claimed that U.S. troops were involved in a Dasht-i-Leili massacre
of Taliban prisoners in 2001. The United States' government and its allies in Afghanistan have disputed the claim. A preliminary version of the film was shown to the German
and European Parliament
s in June 2002, causing widespread media coverage in Europe. Allegations made in this film resurfaced in July 2009 when US president Barack Obama
called for an inquiry into the massacre in response to claims that Bush administration officials had actively discouraged an investigation. Another of Doran's documentaries, screened in 2004 by the BBC
and reporting on drugs trials involving HIV
-infected children in New York, was subsequently found to have made false claims and presented a biased picture of its subject matter. Yet another of his controversial films, Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines, first broadcast in February 2010, involves a journalist being embedded with the radical Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, as they construct and plant roadside bombs and attempt to ambush coalition soldiers. This was one of the first films to show in detail how Afghan insurgents are waging war against ISAF
and Afghan National Army
forces. In May 2010, Doran was nominated for a BAFTA for Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines. One month later, he won two One World Media Awards: Best TV documentary for Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines, and the MDG award for Africa Rising
had the capability to build such a bomb. Features interviews with former Soviet spies and scientists.
to seduce foreign military personnel, businessmen and diplomats in order to elicit secrets from them. Includes first-hand testimony from former KGB agents, some of the women involved, as well as American intelligence analysts.
of Yuri Gagarin
, the first human in space. Doran also co-wrote a book on Gagarin with the popular-science writer, Piers Bizony.
s in the cinema that draws dark conclusions about the future of mankind. Featuring contributions from Arthur C. Clarke
, Steven Spielberg
and Ridley Scott
.
A short preliminary version of the documentary was shown to the European Parliament
and the German Parliament
in June 2002, under the title Massacre at Mazar, prompting calls for investigations from human rights bodies. The Pentagon
denied allegations of U.S. involvement and released a statement, saying "U.S. Central Command looked into it a few months ago, when allegations first surfaced when there were graves discovered in the area of Sherberghan prison. They looked into it and did not substantiate any knowledge, presence or participation of US service members." An August 2002 report in Newsweek, based on a UN memo, described a mass grave site in the Dasht-i-Leili desert, but said there was no evidence that U.S. personnel had been involved.
The story resurfaced in July 2009, when U.S. President Barack Obama
asked his national security team to look into allegations that the Bush administration had resisted calls to have the matter investigated.
incident in the war in Afghanistan in which four Canadian soldiers died. The pilots' defence stated that they were flying under the influence of amphetamines given to them by the U.S. Air Force. Interviewees include former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
, General Merrill McPeak. The pilots' amphetamine usage was also covered by the BBC
and the New York Times.
, a Celtic
and Scotland
football
hero of the '60s and '70s who struggled with motor neurone disease
.
, this film shows how fighters from the proscribed extremist Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, are opening a new battlefront in Northern Afghanistan. Filmed by the Rory Peck Award
winning British-Afghan journalist, Najibullah Quraishi
, who spent 2 weeks with these fighters, Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines includes footage of the fighters constructing, planting and detonating roadside bombs (or IED
s). Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor of the Guardian newspaper, described the film as "An extraordinary and intimate documentary depicting the lives of fighters within the Taliban's insurgency in Afghanistan". This film was broadcast on PBS Frontline as Behind Taliban Lines in February 2010. This film was nominated for a British Film and Television Academy Award in the Best Current Affairs programme category. In June 2010 it won the One World Media Award for best TV documentary.
film shows how former Northern Alliance
warlords
and powerful businessmen are preying on impoverished young boys in Afghanistan. The ancient tradition of Bachi Bazi
(translation: boy-play) was banned under the Taliban, but has resurfaced since they were routed by ISAF
in late 2001; boys as young as 11 are bought and sold like slaves, dressed up like women and made to dance before audiences of men. The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan exposes how these boys are systematically sexually abused, and frequently murdered by jealous rival owners. Despite these practices being illegal under Afghan law, the film shows that the men committing the abuse do so with impunity. This film premiered at the Royal Society of Arts
on 29 March 2010. It was aired on PBS Frontline in the United States, and True Stories
in the UK on 20 April 2010.
from pre-colonial times to the present day. http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2011/01/201114134128217212.html http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/video/sudan-history-of-a-broken-land
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker and former BBC producer.
Many of Doran's documentaries have raised controversy. His latest film, The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan allegedly exposes widespread and systematic child sex abuse by former Northern Alliance commanders, ISAF's closest allies in Afghanistan. His 2002 film Afghan Massacre: the Convoy of Death claimed that U.S. troops were involved in a Dasht-i-Leili massacre
Dasht-i-Leili massacre
The Dasht-i-Leili massacre occurred in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan where between 250 and 3,000 Taliban prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers, while being transferred by U.S...
of Taliban prisoners in 2001. The United States' government and its allies in Afghanistan have disputed the claim. A preliminary version of the film was shown to the German
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
and European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
s in June 2002, causing widespread media coverage in Europe. Allegations made in this film resurfaced in July 2009 when US president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
called for an inquiry into the massacre in response to claims that Bush administration officials had actively discouraged an investigation. Another of Doran's documentaries, screened in 2004 by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and reporting on drugs trials involving HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-infected children in New York, was subsequently found to have made false claims and presented a biased picture of its subject matter. Yet another of his controversial films, Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines, first broadcast in February 2010, involves a journalist being embedded with the radical Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, as they construct and plant roadside bombs and attempt to ambush coalition soldiers. This was one of the first films to show in detail how Afghan insurgents are waging war against ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
and Afghan National Army
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
forces. In May 2010, Doran was nominated for a BAFTA for Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines. One month later, he won two One World Media Awards: Best TV documentary for Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines, and the MDG award for Africa Rising
The Red Bomb (1994)
A three-part documentary on the Soviet Union's first nuclear bomb, built in 1949, years before the West thought the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
had the capability to build such a bomb. Features interviews with former Soviet spies and scientists.
Sexpionage (1997)
The story of the young women who were forced by the KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
to seduce foreign military personnel, businessmen and diplomats in order to elicit secrets from them. Includes first-hand testimony from former KGB agents, some of the women involved, as well as American intelligence analysts.
Starman (1998)
A sixty-minute biographical film for BBC TelevisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
of Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, the first human in space. Doran also co-wrote a book on Gagarin with the popular-science writer, Piers Bizony.
City of Murder and Mayhem (2001)
Life in post-Soviet era Moscow: The film documents a month in the life of one of Russia's new breed of oligarch bankers, and shadows an elite police unit tasked with tackling organised crime.The theme music for this was written and produced by Danny de Matos and Ronnie Johnston and scored and recorded at www.shushstudio.comThe Android Prophecy (2001)
Documentary history of robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s in the cinema that draws dark conclusions about the future of mankind. Featuring contributions from Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
and Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
.
Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death (2002)
Interviewees presented as eyewitnesses state that several thousand Taliban prisoners of war were transported to Sheberghan prison in sealed containers and that hundreds or thousands of prisoners died. Afghans interviewed in the film claim that U.S. personnel were present and involved in mass killings.A short preliminary version of the documentary was shown to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and the German Parliament
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
in June 2002, under the title Massacre at Mazar, prompting calls for investigations from human rights bodies. The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
denied allegations of U.S. involvement and released a statement, saying "U.S. Central Command looked into it a few months ago, when allegations first surfaced when there were graves discovered in the area of Sherberghan prison. They looked into it and did not substantiate any knowledge, presence or participation of US service members." An August 2002 report in Newsweek, based on a UN memo, described a mass grave site in the Dasht-i-Leili desert, but said there was no evidence that U.S. personnel had been involved.
The story resurfaced in July 2009, when U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
asked his national security team to look into allegations that the Bush administration had resisted calls to have the matter investigated.
The Need for Speed (2003)
Follows the investigation of two U.S. pilots in relation to a friendly-fireFriendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
incident in the war in Afghanistan in which four Canadian soldiers died. The pilots' defence stated that they were flying under the influence of amphetamines given to them by the U.S. Air Force. Interviewees include former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Air Force, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the...
, General Merrill McPeak. The pilots' amphetamine usage was also covered by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the New York Times.
Guinea Pig Kids (2004)
Shown on BBC2, this programme alleged that anti-HIV drugs were tested on "vulnerable and poor children at a New York care home ... who had no choice in whether or not to take part in trials and no proper advocates to speak on their behalf". Describing HIV medicines given to the children as "futile" and "dangerous", the programme also alleged that children had been taken from their families to enable the "experimental" drug treatment to continue. Critics' charges that the programme was "lurid, untrue" and contained "dangerous lies" led to "serious concerns" at the BBC over fears that the programme "deceived viewers by 'playing fast and loose with the facts'." A BBC investigation did not uphold all the complaints made against the programme, but concluded that the documentary did breach editorial guidelines on accuracy and impartiality in a number of ways, acknowledging that it made false claims and was biased towards the views of AIDS denialists. The film triggered a public inquiry in New York, which established that there had been some breaches of regulations and policies in the conduct of the trials, but found no evidence that children had been taken from their families, had died as a result of treatment, or had been preferentially selected for the trials because of their race, or their status as children in foster care. The HIV Treatment Bulletin called the incident "inappropriate and inflammatory".Jimmy Johnstone: Lord of the Wing (2004)
A film on Jimmy 'Jinky' JohnstoneJimmy Johnstone
James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...
, a Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
hero of the '60s and '70s who struggled with motor neurone disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
.
Whiskey in the Jar (2007)
Documenting life on the remote Irish island of Tory; the only place in Ireland with an appointed sovereign.Africa Rising (2009)
This film documents the failure of Western development policy in Africa, and shows how a community of impoverished Ethiopian farmers are working themselves out of poverty through collectivization and micro-finance initiatives. It won the 2010 One World Media MDGs Award, being described by judges as "superbly shot and uplifting ... a compelling piece of work that drew the viewer into the heart of a community as it struggled to shake off a dependency culture".Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines (2010)
Broadcast in February, 2010, as an episode of Dispatches on the British television network, Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, this film shows how fighters from the proscribed extremist Islamic group, Hezb-e-Islami, are opening a new battlefront in Northern Afghanistan. Filmed by the Rory Peck Award
Rory Peck Award
The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events. It was set up in 1995 and is named after the Northern Irish freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was killed while reporting on the siege of the Moscow White House in 1993....
winning British-Afghan journalist, Najibullah Quraishi
Najibullah Quraishi
Najibullah Quraishi is an award winning Afghan journalist and filmmaker.Najibullah worked as a journalist and presenter on radio and television in Afghanistan for 10 years and has a degree in journalism. Najibullah is Clover Films chief investigator for projects in Asia and the Arab states...
, who spent 2 weeks with these fighters, Afghanistan: Behind Enemy Lines includes footage of the fighters constructing, planting and detonating roadside bombs (or IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s). Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor of the Guardian newspaper, described the film as "An extraordinary and intimate documentary depicting the lives of fighters within the Taliban's insurgency in Afghanistan". This film was broadcast on PBS Frontline as Behind Taliban Lines in February 2010. This film was nominated for a British Film and Television Academy Award in the Best Current Affairs programme category. In June 2010 it won the One World Media Award for best TV documentary.
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan (2010)
This highly controversial and widely acclaimedfilm shows how former Northern Alliance
Northern Alliance
The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group...
warlords
Warlords
Warlords may refer to:* The plural of warlord, a name for a figure who has military authority but not legal authority over a subnational region.* "WARLORDS", the call sign of a United States Navy Helicopter squadron based in Ayase city, Japan....
and powerful businessmen are preying on impoverished young boys in Afghanistan. The ancient tradition of Bachi Bazi
Bacchá
Bacha Bazi , also known as bacchá or bacha bereesh is sexual slavery and child prostitution in which prepubescent and adolescent boys are sold to wealthy or powerful men for entertainment...
(translation: boy-play) was banned under the Taliban, but has resurfaced since they were routed by ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
in late 2001; boys as young as 11 are bought and sold like slaves, dressed up like women and made to dance before audiences of men. The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan exposes how these boys are systematically sexually abused, and frequently murdered by jealous rival owners. Despite these practices being illegal under Afghan law, the film shows that the men committing the abuse do so with impunity. This film premiered at the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
on 29 March 2010. It was aired on PBS Frontline in the United States, and True Stories
True Stories
True Stories may refer to:* True Stories , a 1986 film by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne* True Stories , a 1986 Talking Heads album featuring songs from the film...
in the UK on 20 April 2010.
Sudan: History of a Broken Land (2011)
Made for Al-Jazeera, this 45 minute film charts the troubled history of SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
from pre-colonial times to the present day. http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2011/01/201114134128217212.html http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/video/sudan-history-of-a-broken-land
Articles and interviews
- Doran, Jamie (2002-09-02). AFGHANISTAN’S SECRET GRAVES: A drive to death in the desert, Le Monde DiplomatiqueLe Monde diplomatiqueLe Monde diplomatique is a monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first created mainly for a diplomatic audience as its name implies...
- "Did U.S. Forces Allow a Massacre of 3,000 Taliban Prisoners to Occur?" BuzzFlash asks Jamie Doran, Producer-Director of "Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death", BuzzFlash Interview, 2003-09-23
- Steinberg, Stefan (2002-06-17). Interview with Jamie Doran, director of Massacre at Mazar, World Socialist Web SiteWorld Socialist Web SiteThe World Socialist Web Site is the online news and information center of the International Committee of the Fourth International . The site publishes articles and analysis covering a wide range of topics and events all around the world. The daily 'Perspective' article presents the position of the...
External links
- Jamie Doran's company profile at clover-films.com
- Jamie Doran's biography on usindependents.com