Getting Important Stories out of Impossible Places

For documentarians operating in global conflict zones, the past year has been the deadliest yet. As of January 2025, at least 167 journalists and media workers were killed in Gaza alone, with many others lost around the world. Going beyond headlines and getting the human story out of high risk and hard-to-access regions is proving more and more challenging for foreign documentary makers.

But a new generation of storytellers are overcoming barriers of access by innovating. Films like From Ground Zero, produced by a team in the West Bank and France, with executive producer Michael Moore in the USA, are paving the way forward when safe access on ground is a roadblock. These makers are finding new ways to tell untold human stories from some of the most difficult places on earth.

Led by Walkley-winning documentarian Patrick Abboud, this session connects you to groundbreaking creators including Avani Dias (ABC), Alaa Damo (24 Hours, part of the From Ground Zero initiative), and Ahmed Hassouna (Sorry Cinema, part of the From Ground Zero initiative), who all have experience in producing critical stories from within hard-to-access countries, ensuring they make it onto our screens.

Image credit: Charm (Bashar Al-Balbeisi, part of the From Ground Zero initiative, Masharawi Film Fund, 2024)