Children of Beslan

On September 1, 2004, heavily armed extremists, mostly from the republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia, overran School No. 1 in Beslan, Russia. More than 1,200 children and adults were held hostage in the school gymnasium. When the Russian military’s siege ended on September 3 in a firefight with the hostage-takers, more than 350 people were killed, half of them children. Children of Beslan tells the story of this tragedy through interviews with the youngest survivors of the ordeal. The children, ranging in age from 6 to 12, tell of the events that robbed them of their families, friends, and their innocence. Delicately crafted by producer/director Leslie Woodhead and producer/director Ewa Ewart in collaboration with executive producers Sheila Nevins, Alan Hayling, and Fiona Stourton and supervising producer Lisa Heller, this evocative and poignant documentary exposes the devastating impact violent conflict has on children. Featuring interviews with more than a dozen young survivors, as well as chilling footage shot by the hostage-takers themselves, Children of Beslan reminds us all of the irreparable consequences of terrorism and for its sensitivity in doing this receives a Peabody Award.