Bearing Witness

Saw this at Tribeca Film Fest last night. I was impressed with the filmmaker's efforts in telling the stories of these women journalists. She doesn't limit it to the current war they cover but includes flashbacks to horrific conflicts they covered. They all seem to be surviving, each admitting to the need to regroup every now and then. It reminded me of Shutterbabe, the memoir about a female war photographer with each section named after a man with whom she was involved with at that time. I wonder if such a book or film about male journalists would focus so much on the personal. A bit like Searching for Debra Winger as well.

Barbara Kopple has done a wonderful job of portraying the challenges correspondents and reporters face during war. We do not get to see something like this from the viewpoint of women very often -- this is a real treat. These five women offer an excellent opportunity for young women who are interested in these challenging careers. And she offered us insight into women in different aspects of journalism -- from photographer to writer, from video-graphic photographer to an American woman working for Al Jazeera. This documentary ranks with some of the best -- and documentaries just keep getting better and better. If you like this film, check out Point of View or Independent Lens on pubic television and look for the many documentary film festivals now offered.