Susan Sarandon adds name to open letter demanding BBC release Gaza documentary
As part of calls for transparency from the corporation over the project, Susan Sarandon has added her name to an open letter signed by more than 600 prominent figures demanding the BBC release its postponed documentary ‘Gaza: Medics Under Fire’.
Susan Sarandon has added her name to an open letter signed by more than 600 prominent figures demanding the BBC release its postponed documentary ‘Gaza: Medics Under Fire’.
The actor, 77, said she was supporting calls for transparency after the programme, which follows the work of medical personnel in Gaza, was shelved without a broadcast date.
“This is not editorial caution. It’s political suppression,” the letter reads.
It adds: “The BBC has provided no timeline, no transparency. Such decisions reinforce the systemic devaluation of Palestinian lives in our media.”
The letter was addressed to BBC director-general Tim Davie and as well as being signed by Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon, it also carried signatures from 81-year-old filmmaker Mike Leigh and 65-year-old Channel 4 international editor Lindsey Hilsum.
Other big-name signatories were actors Miriam Margolyes, 82, Maxine Peake, 49, and Juliet Stevenson, 67, as well as comedians Frankie Boyle, 52, and 71-year-old Alexei Sayle.
More than 130 of those who added their names to the letter requested anonymity, and at least a dozen BBC employees were among those who endorsed the message.
Produced by Basement Films, the Gaza documentary was expected to air in January but has been indefinitely delayed.
Its production team includes Emmy and Peabody award winners Ben de Pear, Karim Shah and Ramita Navai.
The film, which reportedly underwent multiple rounds of fact-checking and editorial review, focuses on the experiences of healthcare workers in Gaza during the ongoing conflict.
The letter urging it is released includes a statement from Basement Films, which reads: “We are desperate for a confirmed release date in order to be able to tell the surviving doctors and medics when their stories will be told.”
‘Gaza: Medics Under Fire’ is the second Gaza-related film by the BBC to face controversy in recent months.
In February, the broadcaster pulled ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ from its digital platform after it emerged the teenage narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
The BBC subsequently launched a formal review, citing “serious flaws” in the production process.
A BBC spokesperson told Variety about the latest controversy: “We are committed to journalism which tells our audiences the stories of this war, including what is happening in Gaza. This documentary is a powerful piece of reporting and we will broadcast it as soon as possible.”
The spokesperson added: “We have taken an editorial decision not to do so while we have an ongoing review into a previous documentary ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’.”
