The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Skye Fitzgerald on "Hunger Ward"

Episode Date: April 19, 2021

Director Skye Fitzgerald discusses his Oscar-nominated documentary short film "Hunger Ward," which highlights how children in war-torn Yemen are facing the world's worst famine in decades. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. Really? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look,

starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Sky Fitzgerald, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm so happy to be here, Trevor, and I have to tell you a South African friend of mine said I should say dislaca to start off with. That should mean like it's cool right? No you have just cursed my entire family and generations to follow. That's what you have done. Yes, no you did you did say it pretty well actually, dislecker which means things are good. The reason you're on the show is because you have been nominated once again for an amazing documentary show that you have put together and

Once again, it is a story about something that is taking place in one of the most harrowing situations in the world right now and that is in Yemen. Some people might hear about Yemen, they might hear about Saudi Arabia, the US, etc. But what exactly is happening on the ground right now? Well there was a civil war that started in, you know, 2014, and Saudi Arabia intervened very quickly in that war, mostly with a bombing campaign over the north of the country, and since then, there's been an air and sea blockade over most of the country preventing foodstuffs, medicine, and diesel from flowing freely in the country. And this has resulted in what's known as a human-caused famine.

So the fighting's going on on the front lines, but really the largest effect of the conflict is starvation, frankly. It's the largest humanitarian disaster in the world at the conflict is starvation, frankly. It's the largest humanitarian disaster in the world at the moment. And 100,000 people have already died of starvation, and it's estimated that another 400,000 could die by the end of the year if the status quo doesn't change. And you know, that's 75's 75 every 75 seconds a child would die It's a really grim milestone that that Yemen is racing towards and I think a lot of people would ask the same question Which would be how is this happening? What you know where is the United Nations or where are other countries and how a half a million people are going to starve to death without?

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what's happening in Yemen right now. Saudi Arabia is throttling the country, preventing foodstuffs from flowing in in a reasonable manner, and it's killing children. And the kicker is that our tax dollars are going to fund that. We're providing geopolitical cover for Saudi Arabia, and we're tacitly endorsing the blockade by not calling them out and forcing them to end it. So it's a quite horrible geopolitical dynamic that the U.S. is in right now, and we're calling for the Biden administration to unilaterally withdraw all support for the Saudi

coalition. Your film has showcased a really interesting aspect of what is happening in Yemen, and the film is entitled Hunger Ward. And you take us through the journey, primarily through the lens the that that that th th th th th th th th th th th the th th the th the the the thu the the the the the the the the U the U the U, the U.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. the U U. the U.S.S.S.S.S. the U. the U. the U. the U. the U U. the U U U. the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U the U U U U U U U U.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. the the and the film is entitled Hunger Ward. And you take us through the journey, primarily through the lens of two health caregivers, two nurses and doctors who are looking after people in Yemen who have nothing and they're trying to keep them alive. And I mean it's truly the most against all odd story that you could come across, but you're there and you're filming these stories and you're talking to these people. The first part of my question is, how are you getting this access?

Because I mean, nobody can really be in Yemen. And secondly, why did you choose to tell this story? Yeah, well, you know, to answer that first one, I thank you for doing a segment on Yemen here because part of the problem is not enough there's not enough focus on it, frankly, because access is so difficult. You know, it took us over eight months to get permission to enter the country because there's basically a journalistic embargo over the country enforced primarily by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. So, you know, first it took us that long to get permission. And then once we were there, of course, it was, you know, it was, it was, it was, it was, it was a it was a th, it was a th, it was a th, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, it was a conflict, tha, tha, thi-a, thia, thia, thia, thia, thi. It is so thi, is so thi, is so thi, is so thi, is so thi, is so thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thia, thia, thia, thia. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. toee. toe. ta. to. to. to. to. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. took us that long to get permission, and then once we were there,

of course, it was, you know, it was a conflict zone, so we had to operate very, very carefully in order to, you know, make sure we came back with the story, but didn't endanger any of the people were collaborating with either. You know, I'm, one of the things that I'm really believe in deeply is that I think in the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, the media, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thi, too, too, too, to to to too, too, too, too, too, too, too, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, tod tod tod tod today, today, today, today, today, tha.a. thau. thau. too, too, thau. too, too, too, too, is too, toe.a, toe, today, the things that I'm really believe in deeply is that I think in the media sort of ecosystem, typically we're far too timid and concerned with offending or shocking audiences. And my view is that if you have the full consent and collaboration of those you're working with and it's truly a collaborative effort, then you really do them a disservice as well as your audience if you turn away, if you flinch, if you cut away. And I think that discomfort that comes with looking at something really difficult is really important. Because if we keep looking, then we can see it clearly, and frankly I think it should be

uncomfortable to see children that are facing starvation. But we need to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to see to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience their audience the audience the audience to to to to to the audience to to to to to to to to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to look to to their audience, their audience, their audience, their audience, their audience, their audience, their audience their audience to their audience to it should be uncomfortable to see children that are facing starvation. But we need to see and we need to look at that child in order to engage, right? And to engage civil society to change that current dynamic. One of the difficult lines you have to walk as a filmmaker though is figuring out how to tell a story that everyone around the world should at least pay attention to or understand and also not be in the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position the position to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to see, to see, to see, to see, to see, to see, to see, the, the, the, the, their, theiiiiiiiia.e.e.e.ea.e.e.e.e.e.e.e, toe, toe, toe, to, to, toe, to tell a story that everyone around the world should at least pay attention to or understand, and also not be in the position where you're essentially creating poverty porn.

Now, you've been applauded for the way you've covered, you know, the war in Yemen. You've been applauded for the way you've covered the refugee crisis, you know, along that region of the world. And I wonder how you've managed to walk the way, you, the way, the way, the way, the, the, the, to, to, to, and, and, and, and, and, and, the, to, and, to, the, to, the, the, to, th, th, th, to, th.., to, to, tho, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, th........................................................ to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the, to, too, too, too, too, too, too, too.a, too, too, too, too, too,that line, you know, whether it's your subjects, whether it's some of the people you've worked with, whether it's the viewers. Many have said, oh, this doesn't feel like I'm made to feel sorry for the people, but rather to understand the plight that they're going through.

Yeah, that's exactly right. You know, I think, you know, cinema should be a force for good. and I and I and I and I thak, th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thin, thi, that, th, th, that, tho, tho, tho, tho, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. And, th. And, the, the, thin, tho. And, tho. And, than, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, tho. tho. And, than can be an empathy machine to use Robert Ebert's words, you know. And I think in order to do that when the context is so difficult, when the stakes, you know, the stakes or life or death, you know, you have to work from a foundation of trust, and you have to in every act provide dignity for those you're working with. That's the only way to do it. You know, I never could have done this project if I didn't have the deep trust and collaboration of everyone in each one of these clinics and hospitals. And you know what, Trevor, that took time.

And it was dynamic. And we had to listen, and we had to pivot, and we had to alter course and evolve our approach constantly based on what was happening, and whether families wanted us to show something or not. And the thing that surprised me personally was in this particular project where the scenes are so intimate sometimes. Almost to a T, every single family we worked with wanted us to show, trust and trust trust and trust, trust and trust and trust trust and trust and trust trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and trust and try try sometimes. Almost to a T, every single family we worked with wanted us to show every stage of treatment that their child received, regardless of outcome.

Even when a child passed away, the family sort of almost pled with us sometimes to do our best, to include it, so that the rest of the world would know that their child had just died because there's an embargo over the country. And they feel like that's the only way that the status quo can change. So we were moved by that and with that sort of intimacy came, sort of I felt like a burden of responsibility, right, to really execute the project with as much dignity as I could. This film is essentially part of a trilogy that tells the story of what is happening

in that region in the world. The first was about Syrian doctors treating civilians in the war. The second lifeboat was about those who have tried to flee, you know, to the Mediterranean and to surrounding areas. And this third one hunger ward is about what's happening when people are trapped literally within their own demise and they can't seek a better life. What do you hope the U.S. or even people on the ground in the U.S. could do something? And why should they do something? Yeah, well, the good is we can do something and we are doing something.

And if I'm thrilled by anything with sort of the movement the film is a part of, it's that because this is a human cause tragedy that's unfolding right now, we can intervene on it. And especially as Americans, we can stop the blockade by forcing Saudi Arabia to open up the airport in SANA in the north of the country to allow the free flow of goods and services through the port of Hededa, where diesel isn't flowing freely. And as an American who's seen this with my own eyes, I feel a deep obligation to make sure that my taxpayer dollars aren't funding the starvation

of children. So really, you know, the good news is there is this movement. It's a coalition of more than 70 lawmakers that signed a letter last week urging the Biden administration to unilaterally withdraw all support for the Saudi blockade. Hollywood's involved. Ruffalo has spoken out on this consistently. Nick Christoff, you know, the intrepid journalist journalist journalist journalist journalist journalist journalist journalist journalist the the the the the the the the the thevedicedicedicedicedicedicedue the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th involved, you know, Ruffalo has spoken out on this consistently. Nick Christoff, you know, the intrepid journalist speaks out, Apatow, people are really starting to create a momentum for this because we have to stand up and we have to change it.

Well, hopefully the film is the first step. Congratulations on documenting the journey and hopefully, to your point, something will get done. Thank you so much for the the the the the the the the the the the the the journey and hopefully to your point something will get done. Thank you so much for taking the time to join us and take care. Thank you. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11th, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app.

Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.