Screening + Q&A: Hostage

Set against the backdrop of the rise of the Islamic State Group, Hostage is a gripping three-part documentary series that follows the fate of British photojournalist John Cantlie, who was kidnapped in Syria alongside his American colleague and friend James Foley.

In 2012, Cantlie and Foley were working together on assignment covering the Syrian civil war when they were captured and fell into the hands of a notorious group of British extremists who would later become known as “The Beatles” - the most feared hostage-taking cell in Syria. What followed would test the limits of human endurance, journalistic ethics, and government hostage policy.

Building on the acclaimed podcast Last Man Standing, by Times journalists Anthony Loyd and Manveen Rana, this documentary for BBC Two and iPlayer draws on unprecedented access to some of those close to John and James, fellow hostages, investigators, politicians, as well as questioning British jihadis now imprisoned in Syria and Iraq. Through their testimony, the series pieces together what really happened in captivity, and why.

As Britain and the United States held firm to their policy of refusing to negotiate with hostage-takers, ransoms were paid for other Europeans who were then freed. Then the unimaginable happened - Islamic State Group released a video showing the murder of James Foley, a moment that shocked the world and marked a turning point in the conflict.

Soon after, another video appeared. John Cantlie was alive but instead of kneeling before an executioner he was delivering reports to camera - scripted propaganda for the extremists, presented as proper journalism. In a disturbing echo of Homeland, a question began to haunt audiences and governments alike: was Cantlie being forced to perform, for his own survival or had his allegiances shifted?

Hostage is an intimate portrait of survival, as well as a forensic examination of Britain’s hostage policy, and a powerful insight into the risks and necessity of journalism in wartime.

Joint Story Films and Basement Films co-production with Pete Beard and Ben de Pear respectively executive producing.