This is our new film on Al Jazeera English for the People and Power documentary strand: a global investigation into the serious threats to civil liberties and free speech during Covid-19. Made with great UK film maker Dan Davies (of Black Leaf Films), we show how governments across the globe, focusing on Singapore, Israel, the UK and Scotland, are introducing measures that are arguably as significant as post 9/11 legislation. The fear, articulated throughout the film, is that these legal and social changes may be permanent, just like we’re now in a never-ending war on terror post 9/11. And it’s making some people a lot of $.
I first met Dan in London in 2015, we’ve tried to collaborate on a number of films over the years which for a variety of reasons didn’t quite happen, and it’s been a pleasure discussing, designing and making this film since late 2020 even during Covid and being based at opposite ends of the world.
My last Al Jazeera English film was in 2019, with film-maker Naashon Zalk, on West Africa’s Opioid Crisis: