The Oath

Synopsis

Abu Jandal is a taxi driver in Sana’a, Yemen. His brother-in-law, Salim Hamdan is a Guantanamo prisoner and the first man to face the controversial military tribunals. Jandal and Hamdan’s intertwined personal trajectories—how they became bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver respectively—act as prisms that serve to explore and contextualize a world which has confounded Western media. As Hamdan’s trial progresses, his military lawyers challenge fundamental flaws in the court system. The charismatic Jandal dialogues with his young son, Muslim students and journalists, chillingly unveils the complex evolution of his belief system post-9/11.

Director Biography

Nominated for an Oscar, Independent Spirit Award, and an Emmy Award for “My Country” (2006), a documentary about the U.S. occupation of Iraq. She is currently working on The Guantanamo Project, a multi-media project to collect documents and artifacts from Guantanamo Bay Prison. Before making documentaries, she worked as a professional chef. She lives in New York City.