Who killed my grandfather? BBC Documentary
1974 Beirut. It’s the height of the Cold War. A prominent Yemeni politician, Mohamed Noman, is shot dead in his car. Some say, had he lived, Yemen would be a different country today. The killer was never caught, the assassination never investigated.
In this documentary his granddaughter, Mai Noman, sets off on a mission to investigate who could have been behind his murder, almost 50 years after his death.
Political assassinations in the Middle East are almost always unsolved and reliable evidence can be extremely hard to find. The lack of accountability in these cases is often seen as the reason for the pervasiveness of assassinations in the region.
In Yemen, power struggles over the last 60 years have left a long list of murdered political figures. This particular case, the unsolved murder of Yemen’s former Foreign Minister in 1974, sent shockwaves across the country and reverberated throughout the West.
In the documentary, Mai searches for clues in sealed documents from the time. Through her investigation she manages to find people who witnessed the assassination, even tracking down her grandfather’s friend who had been driving the car that night.
‘Who Killed My Grandfather?’ is directed and presented by Mai Noman, a Yemeni journalist who has been covering stories from Yemen and the Middle East for the BBC over the last decade.
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Link to the podcast
Link to the film on Iplayer (UK only)
Link to YouTube
Presented and Written by Mai Noman, Produced by Estelle Doyle.
Film Editor: James Hough, DOP: George Henton, Alvaro Alvarez, Graphics: Fadi Jibara, Research: Lina Shaikhouni, Archive Research: Lutfi Noman, Animation: Rama Duwaji.
Examples of stories I commissioned for the BBC
An emotional video about a woman who openly shared her pain of going through 4 pregnancy losses and what she went through trying to explain to those around her about the physical and emotional pain she was going through. Video produced by Sara Abu Bakr and Lina Shaikhouni.
UAE opposition voices are rarely heard from. In this feature Alaa Al Siddiqi, interviewed here a few months before her untimely death, spoke to us about her personal experience as one of the few public opposition voices. Produced by Lina Shaikhouni.
In Kuwait some women report not being able to get checked by gynaecologists without a marriage certificate. This piece explores the social causes and impact on young women. Produced by Yanita Georgieva.
This is a story of a conflict zone, from the perspective of an imaginary feline. It all starts with a letter that came from an unlikely source and made its way to a rescue cat living in London. Video produced by Sumaya Baksh and Lina Shaikhouni, animation by Alex Kesling, filmed by Will Garthwaite and Anas Al Hajj.
In this piece we uncovered the story of minors who are still facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia despite a royal decree released in April 2020 announcing ending executions of minors. Produced by Lina Shaikhouni
A piece explaining the context of the fighting in Marib, Yemen. Video produced by Fethi Benaissa.
Who does Sindbad belong to? Why Arabs quarrelled about a fictional character. Produced by Soha Ibrahim and Yanita Georgieva, Graphics by Hossam Sarhan.
A very honest account of an Arab female journalist’s journey exploring the option of freezing her eggs. A long read written by Hala Hindawi, Produced by Alma Hassoun for BBC Arabic.
Examples of stories I produced and presented for the BBC
The Doctor paying a high price for tweeting
- The forgotten war (Presented)
- Separated from my family for 60 years (Filmed and edited)
- Why the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh mattered (Presented)
- Five clues (other than war) to guess my country (Produced)
- The little boy who lost his legs while playing at home (Filmed and edited)
- Saudis on Social series (Produced)
- The Doctor paying a high price for tweeting from a war zone (Produced and edited)
- A friendship written in 50,000 letters (Filmed and edited)
- Houthi protests in Sanaa (Reporting from the field)
Articles
Yemen conflict: How my country has changed
The BBC’s Yemen-born Mai Noman, who has returned to her homeland to film short documentaries, reflects on what has become of her country.
Click here to read the article.
Yemen clashes fuel fears of all-out sectarian war
Click here to read the article
The stories of Syrian children that went viral in 2015
Blog and illustrations by Mai Noman
Click here to read the article
Saudi Women’s rights activist Lujain Al-Hathlool arrested
The name of a woman who live-tweeted her attempt to drive across the Saudi Arabian border has become an international trend, as news of her arrest circulate online
Click here to read the article.
The Silencing of a Yemeni social media star
Hisham Al-Omeisy is usually a prolific tweeter, known for his updates, in both English and Arabic, about the social and humanitarian crisis in his country. So when his account suddenly went quiet, those who have come to rely on him for valuable information, quickly knew something was wrong.
Click here to read the article
Radio and Podcasts
Mai Noman 