Directed by Shelley Saywell
Narrated by Kate Nelligan
NO MAN'S LAND profiles members of a truly rare breed - women war correspondents.
The film focuses on Janine di Giovanni, an American reporter who covers Sarajevo for London's Sunday Times, and Lyse Doucet who covers the "forgotten war" in Afghanistan for the BBC. As they and a number of other correspondents, including Clare Hollingworth who became a legend covering World War II for the Daily Telegraph, Martha Teichner, and Ann Medina speak of their experiences and personal sacrifices, many common traits are revealed. All are extremely independent, and not one has had a child - Hollingworth's husband even went so far as to divorce her on grounds of desertion.
As the camera accompanies di Giovanni to visit with 13 year old Zlata Filipovic, whose war diaries have since taken her to the brink of international celebrity, and Doucet in Kabul, where she seems to hear nothing but bad news of friends and acquaintances who have died since her last visit, NO MAN'S LAND is a gripping portrait of women who have staked places in a traditionally male profession.
Reviews
~ "Fascinatingˇ Femininity gives them a unique perspective into the most senseless macho acts. They can empathize with the victims and are not given to false sentimentality." - Starweek
~ "Eye-openingˇ [an] illuminating look at a dedicated group of professionals who personalize the demands of their career as well as the horrors of war." - Booklist
~ "[An] absorbing documentary about women war correspondents since the 1940s, the nature of their work, the sacrifices they must make, the dangers they face, and the qualities they bring to a profession till recently dominated by men and considered too tough for women." - Toronto Star
~ "Superbˇ accomplished and affecting." - Toronto Globe & Mail
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