Jane Gabriel is a journalist and director of award-winning television documentaries. She represents an important tradition of Anglo-Saxon investigative journalism that systematically reveals and documents the often concealed malpractices of states, large corporations and psychiatric institutions.

One of her most daring endeavors was the series “Greece: The Hidden War”, which was commissioned by Channel 4, in the early 1980s. With Yanis Yanoulopoulos, as historical advisor, and the contribution of Gella Varnava-Skouras in the research and conduct of the interviews, for the first time, the defeated of the Greek civil war had the opportunity to speak openly about their experiences. Their words are juxtaposed with the version of the British protagonists of that period, who, until then, had imposed their own version of History. According to Yanoulopoulos: “Broadcast in 1986, it gave rise to ‘the biggest uproar in the history of British television’”. Broadcasted once, the series was banned from broadcast in Britain.

Of particular interest to the Greek audience are her two documentaries about the, now defunct, Leros psychiatric asylum, “The Children of Leros” (1992) and “Leros - The Transformation” (1996). In the documentary, “Balkan Landscapes: The Gaze of Theo Angelopoulos” (1993), the great auteur talks about the issue of borders, civil and Balkan conflicts, while his complex and universal philosophy is put forth.

Indicative of her sharp approach is the fact that her documentary “One In Every Mile!” (1988) was banned by McDonald's and has never been shown before. “Whose Life Is It Anyway?” (2001) gives voice to working children in India, while “Caravan of Death” refers to the justice sought by the relatives of the victims of dictator Pinochet in Chile. Her interest in psychiatric asylums is also reflected in the documentary “Stolen Lives” (1994).

Film selection, programming: Maria Komninos, Nickos Myrtou
Introduction: Maria Komninos