The fall Willson Center-Peabody Conversation will preview HBO Documentary Films’ The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl, which will debut on HBO next month.
The documentary will be shown on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. in the theater of the Tate Student Center. Because of limited seating, the screening is open only to current UGA faculty, staff, students (with valid ID) and invited guests.
Admission is free.
Narrated by journalist Christiane Amanpour, the film is directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma. Anant Singh (Sarafina!, Cry, The Beloved Country, HBO Films’ Oscar-nominated, Peabody Award-winning Yesterday) also produced. Filmmakers Singh and Sharma will attend the premiere at UGA and will take part in a post-screening conversation with Horace Newcomb, director of the George Foster Peabody Awards Program.
The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl tracks the parallel lives of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (left) and jihadi Omar Sheikh. Both highly educated individuals from privileged backgrounds, the two men saw the world differently, but with seemingly similar passion and commitment. One was a humanist, who spent most of his career reporting from the Islamic world on a quest to promote cross-cultural understanding; the other was a militant who ultimately chose a deeply violent path to express his views. After 9/11, their paths crossed in Pakistan, with tragic consequences.
The HBO debut of The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. will coincide with Pearl’s birthday and worldwide events designed to foster cross-cultural understanding through music and journalism coordinated by the Daniel Pearl Foundation.
