Past Events and Screenings

In association with BBC College of Journalism

Newly-appointed to Channel 4 News as Washington correspondent, Matt Frei, will be in conversation with former BBC executive Vin Ray to look back over nearly two decades at the BBC before his move was announced in May last year.

A film about the sacrifices made by three Moldovan women who leave their homes and families to find work that they hope will pave the way for a better future.

What are the options for the Syrian people and for President Bashar al-Assad and his regime now that China and Russia have vetoed the U.N. Security Council’s resolution calling for foreign intervention? We will be discussing the deadly crackdown and asking what can be done – and by whom?

"Politics Versus the Personal: Totalitarianism Stamps out Love"

Presented by Borealis Theatre and the Estonian Embassy.

In conjunction with the UK theatre premiere of Purge by Sofi Oksanen at the Arcola Theatre, 22nd February – 24th March, Viv Groskop will lead a dynamic discussion about politics, love and oppression with three influential writers.

Join us for the launch of a series of events, screenings and workshops at which we will be examining the challenges to safety faced by journalists around the world.
The event will also mark the launch of the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Attacks on the Press report which will be presented by CPJ executive director Joel Simon.

Director Simon Bright takes us on a journey through the life of Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe to find out why a leader who seemed so full of promise has become so ruthless in his defence of his position and power.

Fawzia Koofi has lived a life defined by struggle, the 19th of 23 children born, as a baby she was left in the sun to die because she was a girl. Now a Member of Parliament, she continues her struggle to improve women’s and children’s rights and plans to run for President of Afghanistan in 2014, despite death threats and assassination attempts.

Join us at the Frontline Club with Fawzia Koofi and the co-author of the book that tells her story The Favored Daughter: One Woman’s Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future, Nadene Ghouri, award-winning journalist and BBC correspondent.

On 25 February, ENO stages the London premiere of The Death of Klinghoffer by John Adams. A powerful and arresting opera from one of the world’s greatest living composers, directed by Warhorse’s Tom Morris. Based on the hijacking of the cruise liner Achille Lauro, and resulting in the death of Leon Klinghoffer, a Jewish-American passenger. The Death of Klinghoffer is a theatrical presentation of an event that dominated the world headlines and became a defining moment in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

This debate explores the complex role of the arts in illuminating contemporary events touching on the relevance of opera today and ENO’s role in bringing fresh, modern work to the London stage, and extending the boundaries of theatre.

On 15 February 2011, inspired by their Tunisian and Egyptian neighbours, the people of Libya took to the streets in Benghazi calling for the end of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s brutal regime.

Join us at the Frontline Club to discuss the task of rebuilding Libya a year after the uprising began. We will be looking at the work of the National Transitional Council (NTC) and the tensions that remain. What are the prospects of a peaceful future?

BBC Persian’s ground-breaking documentary, The Ayatollah’s Seal, charts the Ayatollah’s reign and, through a number of interviews with relatives, biographers and politicians, builds a profile of Iran’s most powerful man.

A year ago Cairo’s “Twitterati” tweeted their revolution for 18 days in and around Tahrir Square. Tweets from Tahrir is a chance to hear in more than 140 characters what they thought then, and what they feel now about developments in their country.

Screenings from the Frontline with Al Jazeera is a new initiative to contextualize the news and working experiences of journalists and filmmakers reporting out of the political hotspots of our time.

Position Among the Stars completes director Leonard Retel Helmrich‘s multi award-winning trilogy following an Indonesian family from the slums of Jakarta.
The film follows Tari, the only educated child of the family, as she struggles with the impulses of becoming a teenager with their expectations of her as their hope for a better future.

Join us this February at the club with Quiz Master David Dickinson for our monthly quiz that has been given the impressive title of being one of ‘the hardest quizes in London.’ You can enter as an individual or as a team of up to six. All money raised will go to the Fixers Fund which raised money […]

A unique exploration of the psychological and emotional toll of covering wars and the risks journalists take in order to cover them. Dr. Anthony Feinstein, who works as a psychiatrist for CNN, CBS, BBC, Reuters was involved in the making of the film, which was Shortlisted for the Academy Award nomination for best documentary.

LET’S CELEBRATE 365 allows us to glimpse the diverse, colourful and sometimes obscure festivals, ceremonies and rituals celebrated around the world.

Artful and anthropological in equal measure, Jeremy Hunter‘s photographs are a snapshot of a world of truly disparate cultures and their celebrations, many of which have remained unchanged for centuries.

This event will be moderated by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House and the Frontline Club’s First Wednesday strand.

This is the story of a unique football team playing in Tanzania’s third division and how it takes on the myths about albinism that have lead to thousands of people being dismembered and brutally killed.

Al Jazeera’s May Ying Welsh tells the story of the ongoing revolution taking place in Bahrain. Shot undercover the documentary tells the story of the revolution that has been going on since February last year out of sight of the foreign press.

Named one of Time magazine’s top 100 most influential people, Wael Ghonim, is credited with having sparked Egypt’s revolution with a Facebook page he dedicated to a victim of the regime’s violence.

The former Google executive will be talking to Ben Hammersley, Wired UK’s, editor at large about the revolution and the role of technology in mobilising people to take to the streets. He will also be bringing us up to date with what’s been happening since the jubilant celebrations a year ago and his work since he left Google in April this year.

On 12 November the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi resigned after losing his majority and public support.

While no longer Prime Minister, he continues to control one half of the countries terrestrial TV market and his company Media Set is a big player in the print and advertising sectors. Will Berlusconi continue to wield influence and manipulate the government through his party and media ownership?

The past year has seen people take to the streets across the Middle East and North Africa to demand an end to tyranny and oppression, with their actions leading to unprecedented regime change across the region.
Less known is that the tactics used by many of these protestors come from the writings of an 83-year-old political scientist, Dr Gene Sharp. The 198 “non-violent weapons” listed in his book From Dictatorship to Democracy have now been circulated amongst dissidents around the world.
We are thrilled to announce that Dr Gene Sharp will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with Ruaridh Arrow, journalist, filmmaker and director of the award winning documentary How to Start a Revolution to discuss his work and the uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.