SAJAforum closely tracked the Mumbai attacks of November 2008. We posted more than 30 stories (see full and press coverage of our coverage) and hosted 50+ speakers/experts/witnesses in 15+ hours of BlogTalkRadio webcasts.
As we approach the first anniversary on Nov. 26, 2009, we will use this post (and the comments section) to track events and other items that are marking the anniversary.
Our first post, in August, was about a new nonprofit, Mumbai: We Got Your Back and its new book, "To India With Love: New York to Mumbai" by Waris Ahluwalia, Tina Bhojwani, & Mortimer Singer (Assouline Publishing, Nov. 2009).
Here are some new items:
- A press release about "Mumbai Massacre," a PBS documentary produced by WNET and narrated by actor Liev Schreiber ("Taking Woodstock" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). Airs Wed, Nov. 25, 2009. SAJA-NY will be hosting a screening and panel discussion with the filmmaker and others on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6-8:30 pm at Columbia Journalism School - open to the public. Details: THIRTEEN, in partnership with the New York chapter of the South Asian Journalists Association, presents a special press screening of MUMBAI MASSACRE on Tuesday, Nov. 17th from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Columbia Journalism School (third floor lecture hall) on 116th St. and Broadway (#1 train to 116th St.). The event will begin with a one-hour screening of the film, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A from the audience. Panelists are: Victoria Pitt, Writer/Director of the film; Jared Lipworth, Executive Producer, Secrets of the Dead; Todd Baer, Freelance Journalist - Al Jazeera English; covered Mumbai Massacre from Mumbai, Kashmir & Gujarat; Mira Kamdar, Author “Planet India” and Foreign Policy Analyst. MODERATOR: SAJA Co-founder Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Contributing Editor, DNAinfo.com. Chai and samosas will be served before the screening. RSVP: HingoraniJ[at]wnet.org
- A press release about "Terror In Mumbai," an HBO documentary,
co-produced by Channel 4 and narrated by Mumbaiker Fareed Zakaria (you
might remember that the
episode of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" on CNN four days after the attacks
started featured appearances by Ratan Tata and Henry Kissinger).
Airs Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.
- On Nov. 17, we'll publish here info about a new nonprofit started by an American whose husband and daughter were killed in the attacks. Publicist: Gary Smith, gary[at]evolotuspr.com
* PRESS RELEASE: HBO's "Terror in Mumbai" - airing Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.
PRESS CONTACT, for screener copies, interviews, etc: Sujata_Mitra[at]dkcnews.com
TERROR IN MUMBAI, CO-PRODUCED BY HBO WITH CHANNEL 4, USES EXCLUSIVE ACCOUNTS AND TELEPHONE INTERCEPTS OF TERRORISTS TO CHRONICLE THE 2008 ATTACKS ON INDIA’S LARGEST CITY WHEN IT DEBUTS NOV. 19, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO; FAREED ZAKARIA NARRATES
NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2009 – The harrowing documentary TERROR IN MUMBAI, co-produced with the UK’s Channel 4, will provide the first-ever 360-degree view of a terrorist act when it debuts this November, it was announced today by HBO.
Expanding on the newsmaking, acclaimed British version of the documentary, HBO’s TERROR IN MUMBAI is narrated by Mumbai-born Fareed Zakaria, CNN host and Newsweek International editor, who appears on camera in the opening and closing of the film. Directed by award winner Dan Reed (HBO’s “Terror in Moscow”), the documentary recounts in harrowing detail the bloody events of a 60-hour period in 2008 when ten young Pakistani men unleashed coordinated attacks across the city of Mumbai, leaving more than 170 people dead. Featuring exclusive intercepted audio tapes of the cell phone calls between the young gunmen and their controllers in Pakistan, and interrogation footage of the sole surviving gunman, the documentary debuts THURSDAY, NOV. 19 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, one week before the first anniversary of the attacks.
TERROR IN MUMBAI is produced and directed by Dan Reed; narrated and introduced by Fareed Zakaria; executive producer, Eamonn Matthews; associate producer, Hussain Zaidi; editors, Stefan Ronowicz, Tom Appleby and Sunshine Jackson. For Channel 4: executive producer, Kevin Sutcliffe. For HBO: senior producer, Nancy Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.
* PRESS RELEASE: "Secrets of the Dead" on PBS, airing Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009.
Press Contact:
Jitin Hingorani, 212.560.6609, hingoraniJ[at]wnet.org
Commemorating the first anniversary of the Mumbai terrorists attacks, THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead retraces the harrowing hours of the tragic event in
Mumbai Massacre, November 25, 2009 on PBS
Survivors share tales of horror, courage and bravery, provide new insights into the actions of the terrorists, and reveal how the Media and consumer communication technologies transformed the crisis.Watch Secrets of the Dead episodes online at pbs.org/secrets
Mumbai, November 26, 2008. What began as a typical day in a bustling, cosmopolitan city turned into a horror-filled 60 hours of orchestrated chaos when terrorists infiltrated the city and rampaged through the train station, cafes, a Jewish center and two of India’s most famous five- star hotels. As police struggled to coordinate a response and journalists clamored to cover the story from the streets, victims trapped inside the hotels began making contact with the outside world using cell phones, text messages and Twitter. Their urgent and heart-wrenching messages begged for information and painted a gruesome picture of indiscriminate killing, unfettered brutality and mass confusion. But the victims weren’t the only ones communicating with the outside world. The terrorist leaders in Pakistan were watching the coverage of the attacks on the news and relaying crucial information about the whereabouts of the victims back to their operatives on the ground.
“This film offers an unprecedented, inside view into the attacks,” says Jared Lipworth, executive producer of Secrets of the Dead. “It not only reveals how the victims and terrorists acted during the massacre, it highlights how consumer technologies and social media gave the victims a chance to survive, while also putting them directly into the line-of-fire of the terrorists who were hunting them down.”
Timed for broadcast on the first anniversary of the attacks, THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre brings viewers first-hand survivor accounts, closed-circuit footage of the chaos from within the hotels, and the actual words spoken by both victims and terrorists. The film premieres nationally Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). Actor Liev Schreiber (Taking Woodstock and X-Men Origins: Wolverine) narrates. Secrets of the Dead is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.
Told completely from the perspective of the victims, Mumbai Massacre places viewers inside the maelstrom, where they become witnesses to the critical events and decisions that meant the difference between life and death. Incredible stories include: a Muslim architect and his wife who were forced to watch as two different groups of hostages were executed at their feet; a tourist whose husband died in her arms as they were shot trying to escape; an American cameraman whose mother in Texas texted him a map of the hotel; and a married couple who split up during the chaos to increase the likelihood that at least one of them would survive to take care of their children. The film also reveals the remarkable heroism and dedication of the hotel’s staff, documenting a restaurant manager who returned to the hotel to take care of his guests and cooks who gave up their own lives to keep the terrorists away from their hidden visitors.
THIRTEEN’s Secrets of the Dead: Mumbai Massacre was produced by Electric Pictures and Furnace for THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG, Screen Australia, ScreenWest Inc., Channel 4 (UK), Discovery (Canada), The History Channel UK and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Victoria Pitt is writer/director, Andrew Ogilvie is executive producer for Electric Pictures and Phil Craig is executive producer for Furnace. At THIRTEEN, Jared Lipworth is executive producer. William R. Grant is executive-in-charge.
Uncover more secrets and stream current episodes at Secrets of the Dead online at pbs.org/secrets. During its nine years on PBS, the award-winning strand has examined dozens of the world's iconic historical mysteries, including the Salem witch trials, the black plague, D-Day, the tomb of Christ, the ill-fated South Pole expedition of Robert F. Scott and the East German Olympic doping scandal. Most recently, the series received an Emmy nomination for Doping for Gold.
About WNET.ORG
New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of Thirteen, WLIW21 and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack, Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal – to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.
Please post your comments below and share any other US/Canada events/items marking the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks.
