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Narrated by acclaimed journalist Christiane Amanpour, THE JOURNALIST AND
THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL was directed and produced by Ahmed A.
Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, who gained unprecedented access to many of the key
figures in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in
early 2002. Anant Singh ("Sarafina!," "Cry, The Beloved Country," HBO's Oscar®-
nominated "Yesterday") also produced.
The debut of THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL
PEARL coincides with events taking place around the globe between Oct. 6 and 15, and
organized by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which battles cultural and
religious intolerance through journalism, music and dialogue.
Through the words of Pearl's family, friends and colleagues, as well as FBI agents
and State Department employees involved in negotiations for Pearl's release, and those
who knew Sheikh best, including former schoolmates and associates, the documentary
explores the forces that led to the tragedy.
Interviewees also include noted philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Levy;
Pakistani police officials; Khalid Khawaja, a retired squadron leader of the Pakistani air
force and a former Pakistan Intelligence Officer, known for his links with extreme religious
organizations; and Maulana Shamszai, a noted Islamic scholar and the leading source of
inspiration for the Taliban, and head of a madrassa (Islamic religious school) in Pakistan.
Ahmed A. Jamal has received numerous awards for his films, including "Who Will
Cast the First Stone?" and "The Beach Boys of Sri Lanka." Through the independent
production company First Take Ltd., he has made several groundbreaking
documentaries, including "Dead Man Talking," "The Bounty Hunter," "The Dancing Girls
of Lahore," "Camel Kids," "Iran - The Other Story" and "The Fundamental Question."
Ramesh Sharma is an award-winning feature film and TV producer-director. His
Moving Picture Company India Ltd. is among the leading production houses in India.
Sharma's list of credits includes the feature film "New Delhi Times," an award winner at
the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, as well as numerous acclaimed
documentaries, including "Rumtek," "Drikung - A Faith in Exile," "Afghanistan - The
Taliban Years and Beyond" and "Jihad - The Sword of Islam."
THE JOURNALIST AND THE JIHADI: THE MURDER OF DANIEL PEARL is an
HBO Documentary Films presentation, co-produced by Moving Picture, First Take Ltd.
and Distant Horizon. Directed and produced by Ahmed A. Jamal and Ramesh Sharma;
producer, Anant Singh; narrated by Christiane Amanpour; written by Amit Roy; edited by
Tony Appleton; music by David Heath. For HBO: executive producers, Sheila Nevins
and Lisa Heller.
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