Julian Sher is a veteran TV documentary writer and director as well as an accomplished newsroom trainer and the author of six widely-acclaimed books. He has been an investigative journalist for Canada’s two leading newspapers, The Toronto Star and the The Globe and Mail. He was the Senior Producer of CBC’s the fifth estate, Canada’s premier investigative TV program for five years.
His latest documentary featured at GIJN21 is "Ghosts of Afghanistan" which takes viewers on a quest to uncover what went wrong with the "forever war" and NATO’s failed attempt to bring democracy and women’s rights and freedoms to the country.
More information at www.juliansher.com/docs/afghanistan.
As a journalism trainer he has taught in TV newsrooms across the world, including CNN, BBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and throughout Europe and Africa and at many journalism events organized the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) in the U.S., the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) and the Global Investigative Journalism Conference. He has also been active in protecting and campaigning for media rights in Canada and around the world.
He has trained journalists in Bangladesh for FOJO Media Institute; in war-torn Syria for the non-profit Journalists for Human Rights; in Kosovo for the OECD; and all through Africa for the World Bank.
Julian worked for 25 years in the field as a TV director, producer and writer for documentaries that appeared on CBC, Global TV, The Discovery Channel and European networks. His latest documentary, The Ghosts of Afghanistan, airs in Australia, Germany and Canada, His work includes international films such as Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear, the Battle for Baghdad and Nuclear Jihad: Can Terrorists Get the Bomb.He has filmed, written and produced major documentaries across the globe, covering wars, scandals, corruption, human rights and corporate intrigue in the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, Europe, Asia and across North America.
His awards include the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award — the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for broadcast journalism in the United States, three Canadian Screen Awards; an International Emmy; and the Crime Writers of Canada Best Book of the Year award.
In print, he was an investigative journalist for Canada’s two leading newspapers, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. His articles have also appeared in the New York Times and the USA Today. His books have featured in-depth investigations on a wide range of topics including organized crime, wrongful convictions, human trafficking and child abuse.
More information available at www.juliansher.com