A powerful short documentary from a Khoja executive producer has been nominated for an Emmy Award, the most prestigious accolade in television.
Zahra Rasool’s immersive film Yemen’s Skies of Terror has been nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy in the category Outstanding New Approaches: Current News. She is the head of Contrast, Al Jazeera’s in-house immersive storytelling studio.
The five-minute-45-second documentary provides a rare glimpse of life inside Yemen: Akram is only 15 years old but has already lost a friend. His neighbours were killed when an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition hit their house in the old city of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
Life under airstrikes
Thousands of airstrikes have fallen on the country, and Akram’s story is only one of many. The film follows Akram, 7-year-old Wedad, and 17-year-old Abu Bakr through three different years of airstrikes and shows the impact on their lives.
Filmed by local journalists equipped with 360-degree cameras, it fills the gap in today’s media narrative – the toll that the war in Yemen is taking on those who must live in constant fear of the skies.
See the film here
A mission for truth
Emmys are awarded by the American National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). Its president Adam Sharp praised the commitment of all nominees, saying: “The clear, transparent, and factual reporting provided by these journalists and documentarians is paramount to keeping our nation and its citizens informed. Even while under attack, truth and the hard-fought pursuit of it must remain cherished, honoured, and defended. These talented nominees represent true excellence in this mission and in our industry.”
The winners will be announced at the Emmy Award Presentation on 24 September in New York. The event will be attended by more than 1,000 television and news media industry executives, news and documentary producers and journalists.
Excellence in television
NATAS is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognises excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Awards.