Past Events and Screenings

A monthly social evening for journalists and others in the London media world. The London Press Club, which has been bringing the industry together since 1882, has resurrected the tradition of regular drinks, on the back of popular demand.

Some 200 women defiantly cling to their ancestral homeland in Chernobyl’s radioactive “Exclusion Zone.” While most of their neighbours have long since fled and their husbands have gradually died off, this stubborn sisterhood is hanging on — even, oddly, thriving — while trying to cultivate an existence on toxic earth.

The Green Caravan Film Festival (GCFF) is a travelling festival of environmental and socially conscious films. It has toured Kuwait and Dubai for four years and now makes its London debut with screenings at the Frontline Club in west London and Rich Mix in east London.  The Frontline Club will be hosting three days of screenings showcasing the best of the festival, taking place in the evenings on 29-31 October.

The Wanted 18 recreates an astonishing true story: the Israeli army’s pursuit of 18 cows, whose independent milk production on a Palestinian collective farm was declared “a threat to the national security of the state of Israel.”

We welcome our members, both recently joined and ongoing, for an evening of conversation and drinks kindly sponsored by Chivas Brothers.

I Am The People presents a charming, funny and fascinating portrait of a family, far from Tahrir Square in Egypt’s rural South, as they follow the Tahrir uprising. The film charts their progression from amused distant observers of the events in Cairo through their increasing engagement and politicisation.

A century ago, on the eve of World War I, there were two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. By the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, one and a half million of them were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country. In a new project, Armenian-American photographer Diana Markosian travelled to Armenia to meet survivors and to ask them about their last memories of their early home. She will be joining us in conversation with Fiona Rogers, global business development manager at Magnum Photos International & founder of Firecracker, to show her work and share the stories of the survivors she met who, 100 years on, still remember their home.

Four and a half years ago, Egypt dominated headlines globally with scenes of hope and change in Tahrir Square, yet now the country garners attention for a very different reason – the imprisonment of journalists. Much has changed in Egypt since Nawal El Saadawi last spoke at the Frontline Club four years ago, and we are pleased to welcome her again to reflect on the situation today in Egypt. She will be joined in conversation with journalist Wendell Steavenson, who was in Tahrir fours years ago and has covered the change that has taken place in subsequent years.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with executive producer Mark Samels.

Last Days in Vietnam chronicles the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon. Approximately 5,000 Americans remained, with roughly 24 hours to get out. Their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends faced certain imprisonment and possible death if they remained behind, yet there was no official evacuation plan in place.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach.

After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own – reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves.

When money, politics, abuse of power and corruption reach across borders, transnational networks of journalists become key to an open, accountable and democratic society. Cross-border investigations such as Swiss Leaks and Tobacco Underground have caused public outcry, and in many instances have led to legislative changes and the prosecution of those under investigation.

In an event in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Centre (RCC) and Frontline Club Bucharest, a panel of experts will be discussing what it takes to expose stories that spill across borders.

Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the most important and riveting digital crime sagas of the century – the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht. In May 2015, the 30-year-old entrepreneur was accused and convicted of being ‘Dread Pirate Roberts,’ creator and operator of online black market Silk Road.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Alex Winter via Skype.

If you want to learn how bananas helped a journalist smuggle banned magazines into eastern Europe, or how information was passed around via lipstick in Pinochet’s Chile, then join Index on Censorship for the launch of Spies, Secrets and Lies – our latest magazine featuring stories of censorship and ingenious efforts to evade it.

Theatre of War is an innovative project that presents readings of ancient Greek plays to members of the armed services, veterans, and their families to help them initiate conversations about the visible and invisible wounds of war. We are delighted to welcome the project to the Frontline Club for a special performance for journalists who cover conflict.

With a dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Ajax by actors Jason Isaacs, Lesley Sharp and Aidan Kelly. Followed by a panel discussion with journalists Matthew Green, Emma Beals and Safa Al Ahmad. Chaired by writer, director, translator and Theatre of War founder, Bryan Doerries.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Chip Duncan, protagonist Abdul Rahman Ramadhan, photojournalist/producer Patrick Muiruri and photojournalist/producer Salim Amin.

The Sound Man tells the story of Abdul Rahman Ramadhan, a 62-year-old professional soundman who has lived in Nairobi’s Kibera slum since he was born. For the past 35 years, Abdul has worked side-by-side with the best photojournalists from Kenya while recording sound for news reports featuring crisis, war, famine and genocide.

On his first trip to London since being released from prison in Egypt we are delighted to welcome former Al Jazeera bureau chief Mohamed Fahmy to the Frontline Club. He will be joining us in conversation with his lawyer Amal Clooney to reflect on his ordeal, their fight for press freedom in Egypt and his hopes for the future. Chaired by BBC presenter and chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet.

A monthly social evening for journalists and others in the London media world. The London Press Club, which has been bringing the industry together since 1882, has resurrected the tradition of regular drinks, on the back of popular demand.

In collaboration with the Syrian Association for Missing and Conscience Detainees and the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces we are hosting The Caesar Exhibition at the Frontline Club for one day only. The images will be on display on Tuesday 6 October from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM – the exhibition is open to all and there is no need to book to attend.

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
The images will be on display – there is no need to book to attend.

3:00 PM – 4.45 PM
Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, will give a speech and is available for questions.

7:00 – 8.30 PM
Panel discussion on ensuring accountability and justice

The London Georgian Film Festival is returning in its tenth year with another exciting programme of the best of Georgian cinema. On 2 October 2015, the Frontline Club is partnering with the festival to host a screening of short classic documentaries from Georgia along with a live score.

The evening will be presented by the writer Aka Morchiladze, who has written some of the bestselling prose of post-Soviet Georgian literature.

For October’s BookNight we are pleased to welcome an author and journalist, James Rodgers, who will present his book Headlines from the Holy Land over an intimate dinner with Frontline Club members. Starting from a historical perspective, Rodger’s latest book identifies the challenges the conflict presents for contemporary journalism and diplomacy, and suggests new ways of approaching them.