Control Room

Control Room (2004) is an American war documentary you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Jehane Noujaim inside the Al Jazeera newsroom during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Noujaim follows Samir Khader, a senior Al Jazeera producer, as his team broadcasts what the Pentagon condemns as pro-Iraqi coverage — footage of civilian casualties, images of American POWs — and absorbs daily criticism from Washington. On the other side of the conflict, Josh Rushing, a US Central Command press officer, starts asking questions his role wasn't designed to accommodate. Two professionals, two armies, two versions of what's happening.

Noujaim, Egyptian-American, had access that most Western crews were denied, and the film earns its discomfort evenly — neither side comes out looking straightforward. Watch Control Room (2004) online on iFILM.