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>>> HELLO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "AMANPOUR & COMPANY."
HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.
A POTENTIAL HOSTAGE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS.
WHILE THE DEATH TOLL IN GAZA MOUNTS, U.N.
RELIEF CHIEF MARTIN GRIFFITHS TELLS ME IT IS THE WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS HE'S EVER WORKED ON.
>>> THEN SLOW BUT CRUCIAL PROGRESS IN THE UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE.
ANNA COREN REPORTS.
>>> PLUS, NINA AND IRINA, THE STORY OF A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AND HER LOST SISTER.
HARRY SRINIVAS SPEAKING TO FILMMAKER.
ALSO, EXPLORING TRAGEDY AND LOVE THROUGH MUSIC.
MY CONVERSATION WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNING MUSICIAN JON BATISTE AND DIRECTOR MATT HEINEMAN ABOUT THEIR NEW DOCUMENTARY "AMERICAN SYMPHONY."
>>> "AMANPOUR & CO." IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ANDERSON FAMILY ENDOWMENT.
CANDICE KING WEIR.
THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF LAILA AND MICKEY STRAUSS.
JIM ATWOOD AND LESLIE WILLIAMS.
MARK JAY ESTABLISHER IN.
SETON JAY MELVIN.
CHARLES ROSENBLOOM.
KO AND PATRICIA YOU YUEN.
BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THESE FUNDERS, AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU.
>>> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, EVERYONE.
I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR IN LONDON.
THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER SAYS THE RETURN OF THE HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS IS A SACRED AND SUPREME MISSION, BUT THE ANGER OF HOSTAGE FAMILY MEMBERS IS PALPABLE.
THEY ARE DEMANDING ANSWER, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE RETURN OF THEIR LOVED ONES SINCE THE RAMPAGE, SLAUGHTER AND KIDNAPPINGS ON OCTOBER 7th.
NOW AFTER MORE THAN SIX WEEKS AND RELENTLESS BOMBARDMENTS ON GAZA, MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR A HOSTAGE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS NEGOTIATED BY A SLEW OF INTERMEDIARIES.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYS THEY'RE, QUOTE, MAKING PROGRESS ON A POTENTIAL RELEASE, AND THE LEADER OF HAMAS CLAIMS THEY'RE CLOSE TO REACHING A TRUCE AGREEMENT.
THIS AFTER THE HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE MET WITH ISMAIL HANIYEH IN QATAR.
HERE IS U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.
>> WE'RE NOW VERY CLOSE, VERY CLOSE.
WE COULD BRING SOME OF THESE HOSTAGES HOME VERY SOON, BUT I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO DETAILS OF THINGS BECAUSE NOTHING IS DONE UNTIL IT'S DONE.
AND WE HAVE MORE TO SAY, WE WILL.
BUT THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD.
>> MEANTIME, THE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS KILLED OR PEOPLE KILLED IN GAZA IS CONTINUING TO RISE ON A, QUOTE, UNPARALLELED AND UNPRECEDENTED SCALE.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO THE U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL.
WHILE ISRAEL'S SIEGE ON GAZA MEANS BASIC NECESSITIES LIKE FOOD, WATER, MEDICINE AND FUEL ARE CLOSE TO RUNNING OUT COMPLETELY.
EARLIER, U.N.
RELIEF CHIEF MARTIN GRIFFITHS JOINED ME TO DESCRIBE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE FROM GENEVA.
MARTIN GRIFFITHS, WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME ON, CHRISTIANE.
>> CAN I JUST START BY ASKING YOU SOMETHING THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND IN GAZA, TALKS ABOUT A HOSTAGE DEAL.
MAYBE BY THE TIME WE'RE ON THE AIR, A HOSTAGE DEAL WILL HAVE HAPPENED.
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS ABOUT A HOSTAGE DEAL AND A TRUCE.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, I'VE HEARD -- I'VE HEARD ALL THOSE STORIES TOO, AND IT DOES SEEM THIS TIME THAT IT'S MUCH MORE LIKELY THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST WEEKS.
IT DOES SEEM TO BE MORE CONFIRMATION FROM ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE THIS RELEASE, AND AN ASSOCIATED STOPPAGE OF THE FIGHTING FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DAYS.
CHRISTIANE, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE CALLED FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE, WHICH IS A LONG-TERM STOPPING OF THE FIGHTING.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SAY WE WOULDN'T GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY OF ANY TIME WHEN THE FIGHTING STOPS TO GET MUCH MORE AID IN.
SO I HOPE THIS WORKS FOR THE SAKE OF THE HOSTAGES FIRST AND THEIR FAMILIES, BUT ALSO BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL GIVE US A CHANCE TO DO OUR JOB IN GAZA.
>> SO YOU HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ON THE FRONT LINE OF THIS SINCE THE BEGINNING, BUT YOU'VE ALSO BEEN, YOU KNOW, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY AND ADVISER TO MANY, MANY ISSUES, YEMEN, SYRIA.
YOU'VE BEEN IN UNICEF.
YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME, HEAD OF A RELIEF OPERATIONS, NGOs, THE WHOLE LOT.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?
HOW DO YOU ASSESS WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN GAZA?
>> THE WORST EVER, CHRISTIANE.
AND I DON'T SAY THAT LIGHTLY.
I MEAN, I STARTED OFF IN MY 20s DEALING WITH THE KHMER ROUGE.
AND YOU REMEMBER HOW BAD THAT WAS, THE KILLING FIELDS AND SO FORTH.
BUT 68% OF THE PEOPLE KILLED IN GAZA ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
THEY STOPPED COUNTING THE NUMBERS OF CHILDREN KILLED AFTER 4,500 HAD BEEN COUNTED.
NOBODY GOES TO SCHOOL IN GAZA.
NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEIR FUTURE.
HOSPITALS HAVE BECOME A PLACE OF WAR, NOT OF CURING.
NOW, I DON'T THINK I'VE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
IT'S COMPLETE AND UTTER CARNAGE.
>> MARTIN GRIFFITHS, AS YOU KNOW, THE ISRAELIS SAY 1200 OF THEIR PEOPLE WERE SLAUGHTERED ON OCTOBER 7th.
AND AS WE KNOW, AROUND 240 HOSTAGES WERE TAKEN, INCLUDING BABIES, OLD PEOPLE, INFIRM, ET CETERA.
THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITIES SAY THAT 12,000 POLICE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN GAZA.
WE BELIEVE YOU'VE SAID 68% ARE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
THERE MUST BE A COMBINATION OF CIVILIANS, AND I SUPPOSE COMBATANTS.
BUT HOW DO YOU ANALYZE THE PUSHBACK FROM THE ISRAELIS, SOMETIMES EVEN THE AMERICANS THAT WE CAN'T EVEN TRUST THESE NUMBERS?
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RELYING ON PALESTINIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH NUMBERS?
HOW ACCURATE HAVE THEY BEEN OVER THE YEARS?
AND NOW WE'RE HAVING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, HAMAS-RUN, OR AUTHORITIES IN RAMALLAH.
CAN YOU BREAK ALL THAT DOWN FOR US?
>> YES.
UNRWA, WHICH HAS BEEN THERE FOR THESE MANY, MANY DECADES, AS YOU KNOW RUNNING THESE INSTITUTIONS, HELPING OTHER INSTITUTIONS TO FUNCTION, THEY AND WE AND MY OFFICE HAVE INDEED BEEN USING THE STATISTICS PROVIDED, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH IN GAZA AND HAVE TRIANGULATED THEM OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT THEM.
SO WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY.
WE DON'T PUT THESE FIGURES OUT WITHOUT THOUGHT.
AND I THINK PEOPLE CAN TRUST US ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT WHEN WE SAY THESE THINGS, IT'S PRETTY LIKELY TO BE CLOSE TO THE TRUTH.
AND FRANKLY, THE EXTENT OF IT, THE NUMBERS ARE SO AWFUL THAT IT'S KIND OF ACADEMIC WONDERING WHETHER THERE IS A FEW THOUSAND HERE OR THERE.
THE FACT THAT THERE ARE MORE CHILDREN KILLED IN THIS CONFLICT THAN IN ANY OTHER THAT WE CAN THINK OF EVER, AS MY SECRETARY GENERAL SAID, YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS 100 MORE OR 100 LESS, EXCEPT IF YOU'RE IN THE HUNDRED.
YOU JUST HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THIS IS AS BAD AS IT GETS.
>> SO MARTIN GRIFFITH, WITH ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHY YO DO YOU THINK THE ISRAELIS, THE SPOKESPEOPLE, THE GOVERNMENT, PEOPLE WHO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THEM ARE SO FIXATED ON THE FACT THAT WE SHOULDN'T BELIEVE THESE FIGURES?
THIS TIME.
I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.
>> WELL, YOU'RE MUCH MORE FAMILIAR THAN I AM, CHRISTIANE.
SO I THINK THAT'S VERY INTERESTING YOU SHOULD SAY THAT.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE, FIRST OF ALL, THAT OCTOBER 7th WAS ABSOLUTE HORRIFIC NIGHTMARE.
I'M AMONG THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THE COMPILATION VIDEOS WHAT HAPPENED ON THOSE DAYS AND THE TRAUMA IT CLEARLY AND UNDERSTANDABLY HAS CAUSED TO MANY, MANY FAMILIES IN ISRAEL.
NUMBER TWO, THE NUMBERS, 11,000, 13,000, WHATEVER IT IS IN GAZA KILLED, THE NUMBERS DISPLACED, FOUR OUT OF FIVE PEOPLE ALIVE IN GAZA DISPLACED.
1.6 MILLION PEOPLE NO LONGER AT THEIR HOMES.
I MEAN, OF COURSE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY ISRAEL WOULD RESPOND TO THAT CHALLENGE, THESE FIGURES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO HORRIFIC, AND IT LED TO SUCH A GLOBAL REACTION.
GAZA IS A GLOBAL CRISIS, AS YOU KNOW.
IT'S NOT JUST A CRISIS ABOUT GAZA.
IT'S A CRISIS ABOUT HUMANITY.
IT'S A CRISIS WHICH AFFECTS POLITICIANS ACROSS THE WORLD.
IT'S A CRISIS WHICH BRINGS PEOPLE OUT ON TO THE STREETS IN GREAT NUMBERS.
AND IT'S A CRISIS WHICH DESTROYS OUR FAITH BUILT UP OVER MANY DECADES THAT WAR SHOULD NOT BE THE FIRST OPTION.
I'M TERRIFIED TO SEE THAT IN THIS CASE, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
WAR HAS BECOME THE OPTION OF THE DAY.
AND THE SUFFERING THAT COMES FROM IT IS ASTRONOMICAL.
>> YOUR -- YOU MENTIONED YOUR SECRETARY GENERAL, WHO HAS CALLED THE DEATHS IN GAZA -- I BELIEVE HE USED THE WORD UNPARALLELED AND UNPRECEDENTED.
YOU ARE ALSO, AGAIN, THE FRONT LINE OF SOME KIND OF GLOBAL ATTEMPT TO ALLEVIATE SUFFERING AND RELIEF WHEREVER IT HAPPENS.
AND GENERALLY, YOU'RE ALSO PART OF PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE.
BUT ACTUALLY, TWO QUESTIONS.
ONE, THE SECRETARY GENERAL HAS SAID HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE U.N. BLUE HELMETS SHOULD BE PART OF A POST-WAR PEACEKEEPING OR PROTECTORATE.
PEOPLE ARE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT THE POST WAR.
WHY DO YOU THINK HE IS SAYING THAT?
WHY NOT THE U.N.?
>> I THINK HE IS SAYING THAT IN ORDER TO NOT PROJECT THE IDEA THAT THE U.N. IS EASILY CAPABLE OF FINDING A QUICK SOLUTION TO THE VERY, VERY REAL PROBLEM WHICH IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN GAZA, TO GAZANS AFTER THIS WAR HAS I HOPE ENDED, IT'S GOOD I THINK THAT HE'S BEGINNING TO TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.
THE MORE THAT PEOPLE DISCUSS WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AFTER THE WAR, THE BETTER.
BUT THERE IS NO QUESTION, THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW PALESTINE IS TO BE ADMINISTERED, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ABOUT THAT TUESDAY SOLUTION THAT'S BEEN PUT ON THE BACK BURNER FOR ALL THESE YEARS.
IS THAT NOW ACTUALLY GOING TO GET THE INTENTION THAT IT DESERVES AS A RESULT OF THE KILLINGS OF THESE INNOCENT CIVILIANS?
GOD, I HOPE THAT AT LEAST WE COULD HOPE FOR.
SO I'M NOT SURPRISED HE HASN'T OFFERED SORT OF A GOLDEN BULLET TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, BUT I THINK HE IS RIGHT TO POINT OUT WE HAVE A PROBLEM AHEAD AND WE NEED TO DISCUSS IT.
>> DOES IT ALSO GO TO THE FACT THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON, THE ISRAELIS JUST DON'T TRUST YOU, JUST DON'T LIKE HIM.
YOU REMEMBER THE FOREIGN MINISTER, ELI COHEN CALLED ON GUTERRES TO RESIGN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS FOR ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO OPERATE IN A HUMANITARIAN FIELD WHEN ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS JUST DOESN'T TRUST YOU?
>> WELL, WE NEGOTIATE DAILY AND NIGHTLY WITH THE ISRAELIS.
I WAS THERE RECENTLY.
THEY DID GRANT ME A VISA, AND I WENT THERE AND MET WITH THEM, AND I MET THE PRESIDENT, FOR EXAMPLE, AS WELL AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY.
WE DO NEGOTIATE WITH THE ISRAELIS DAILY, AS WELL AS WITH THE EGYPTIANS.
ALL OF THESE AGREEMENTS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF FUEL, THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS, THE OPENING OF NEW CROSSINGS, OR NOT, AS THE CASE MAY BE.
THEY ALL COME OUT OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH ISRAEL.
SO IT'S NOT AS IF WE ARE NOT NEGOTIATING WITH THE ISRAELIS.
BUT IT IS ALSO THE CASE THAT WE CANNOT BE SILENT WHEN EITHER FROM ISRAEL OR FROM HAMAS OR FROM ANY OTHER PARTY WHEN THERE IS A BREACH OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SPEAK OUT FOR IT.
OF COURSE WE DO.
OF COURSE WE MUST.
AND WE DO IT EVERYWHERE.
AND WE GET BLAMED EVERYWHERE FOR SAYING THESE THINGS.
AND NOWHERE PERHAPS SO THAN ISRAEL.
BUT WE ALSO PROVIDE -- AND I WAS VERY STRUCK BY THIS WHEN I WAS THERE IN ISRAEL, WE PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY, THE LAST CHANCE PERHAPS OF SOME KIND OF HELP FOR THE PEOPLE OF GAZA, AND THUS GIVE THEM A MODICUM, A SLIVER OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
AND THAT'S IN ISRAEL'S INTERESTS AS WELL.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
BECAUSE ISRAEL HAS ALREADY SAID ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT IT SHUNTED DOWN TOWARDS THE SOUTH, THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO CONDUCT GROUND OPERATIONS OR OTHER OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH, AND NOW ALL THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO EVACUATE AGAIN.
ARE YOU BEING -- IN THE DISCUSSIONS ON THAT?
HOW IS THAT GOING TO TRANSPIRE?
>> WE'RE NOT IN THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ISRAELI WAR PLANS, NO.
AND I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEIR WAR PLANS.
BUT IT SEEMS CERTAIN THAT THEY WILL PUSH THE PEOPLE SOUTH.
WE HAVE A PLAN.
I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF WHAT THAT PLAN SHOULD LOOK LIKE FOR HOW TO MANAGE TO RECEIVE, TO HELP PROVIDE AID TO THE PEOPLE AS THEY ARE FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES IN THE NORTH.
HOPEFULLY, WITH THIS POTENTIAL PAUSE, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO GO BACK HOME TO THE NORTH.
AND WE MAY BE ABLE TO GO TO THE NORTH ALSO TO REPAIR FACILITIES.
BUT IF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT, AND I HOPE SUCCESSFULLY IS TO OPPOSE ANY NOTION OF PUSHING THE PEOPLE INTO WHAT WAS CALLED A SAFE ZONE.
NOTHING SAFE ABOUT A SAFE ZONE, A CONTAINMENT ZONE, WHICH IS AT ONE POINT THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES THOUGHT COULD BE THE SOLUTION TO FORCING THE PEOPLE SOUTH IN GAZA DOWN TO THE SOUTHWEST.
WE HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE IN THE U.N., CHRISTIANE.
YOU KNOW IT FIRSTHAND IN SO-CALLED SAFE ZONES.
WE KNOW HOW THAT DOESN'T WORK.
AND WE KNOW IT WON'T WORK HERE.
AND I'M GLAD TO SEE IT'S BEEN TAKEN OFF THE AGENDA.
WE HAVE A PLAN TO REPURPOSE SCHOOLS, TO IDENTIFY DISTRIBUTION POINTS, TO USE DECONFLICTION, TO ENGAGE WITH THE THOUSANDS OF U.N. STAFF STILL WORKING DAY IN AND DAY OUT IN GAZA.
UNRWA, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS 5,000 STAFF STILL WORKING IN GAZA.
IT'S EXTRAORDINARY GIVEN THE COST TO ITS OWN PEOPLE.
OVER 100 DEAD AND THEIR FAMILIES.
SO WE HAVE A PLAN HOW TO RECEIVE THESE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE FURTHER PUSHED OUT TO THE SOUTH.
WHAT'S GOING HAPPEN IS THEY'RE GOING TO BE CRUSHED INTO THIS TINY AREA OF SOUTHERN GAZA.
GAZA ALREADY THE DENSEST POPULATION IN THE WORLD.
THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO TRY TO PUSH ACROSS THE BORDER.
EGYPT WON'T LIKE THAT.
PEOPLE NEED TO THINK TWO STEPS AHEAD INSTEAD OF ONLY ONE STEP AHEAD, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE CASE AT THE MOMENT.
>> TO FURTHER THIS POINT, BECAUSE THIS MAY BE THE NEXT POINT, YOU MIGHT NOT BE IN THE WAR PLANS, BUT IT'S BEEN PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WANT THEM TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE SOUTH BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GO HUNT HAMAS IN THE SOUTH NOW.
SO YOU SAY RETURN TO THE NORTH TO THEIR HOMES.
WELL, WHERE?
>> I'M BEING -- WHERE IS THE REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
ALL I'M SAYING IS THEY SHOULD HAVE THE FREEDOM, INDEED, UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW, THEY DO HAVE THE FREEDOM TO RETURN TO WHERE THEY USED TO LIVE TO FIND ASSETS WHICH MAY STILL BE THERE AND SO FORTH.
BUT I AGREE WITH YOU.
THE REALITY, AND WE SEE IT EVERY DAY ON THE SCREENS THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT THE NORTH IS AN AREA OF DESOLATION.
WE FEAR TERRIBLY ABOUT THIS BEING REPEATED IN THE SOUTH.
BUT WE'RE THERE TO TRY TO PROVIDE THOSE WHO WILL BE IN THE SOUTH, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE STILL IN THE NORTH, BY THE WAY, THEY'RE STILL OPERATING UP THERE WITH DIFFICULTY WITH THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF AID AND SUSTENANCE.
WE NEED THAT FUELED SO THAT WATER CAN HAPPEN.
WE NEED HOSPITALS TO BE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE CURED, NOT SHOT AT.
WE NEED SCHOOLS, GOD, SCHOOLS TO BE OPENED.
WOULDN'T THAT BE A MARVELOUS THING?
BUT WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR A MAJOR HUMANITARIAN OPERATION IN THE SOUTH.
AND WE NEED TO GRAB EVERY MOMENT OF ANY PAUSE THAT COMES OUR WAY.
>> MARTIN GRIFFITHS UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL, THANK YOU SO MUCH INDEED FOR JOINING US.
>> THANKS VERY MUCH, CHRISTIANE, THANKS VERY MUCH INDEED.
>>> IN THE UKRAINE WAR, A DAY AFTER THE U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY VISITED PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY AND UNVEILED A NEW $100 MILLION MILITARY AID PACKAGE FOR KYIV, THE GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER IS THERE AS ZELENSKYY IMPLORES THE WORLD NOT TO FORGET THEIR COUNTEROFFENSIVE.
ON THE FRONT LINES, UKRAINIAN FORCES SAY THEY'VE WON A KEY FOOTHOLD AT THE DNIPRO RIVER.
CORRESPONDENT ANNA COREN REPORTS HOW THEY ACCOMPLISHED THIS SIGNIFICANT GAIN.
>> MEANDERING THROUGH THE MARSHLANDS OF KHERSON REGION IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE IS THE MIGHTY DNIPRO RIVER, NOW THE NEW FRONT LINE IN UKRAINE'S WAR AGAINST RUSSIA.
IN RECENT WEEKS, MARINES HAVE MANAGED TO CROSS THIS EXPANSION OF WATER USING INFLATABLE BOATS.
ESTABLISHING A TENUOUS FOOTHOLD ON THE LEFT BANK OF THE RIVER.
>> Translator: HEY, AM I IN VIETNAM, ASKED THIS SOLDIER SARCASTICALLY, RUSHING PAST ALL THE GRASSES?
A REFERENCE TO ANOTHER BLOODY CONFLICT THAT ENDED BEFORE MOST OF THESE SOLDIERS WERE EVEN BORN.
ACCORDING TO UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES, THEY'VE PUSHED BACK THE RUSSIANS 3 TO 8 KILOMETERS, TWO TO 5 MILES FROM THE RIVERFRONT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THE ENEMY TO FIRE MORTARS AT POSITIONS ON THE RIGHT BANK.
HOWEVER, RUSSIAN DRONES, ARTILLERY, AND AERIAL GLIDED BOMBS ARE STILL LANDING AND CONSTANTLY.
AN EXCLUSIVE ACCESS WITH A DRONE PILOT, HIS NIGHT MISSION HAD JUST BEEN ABORTED BECAUSE THE RUSSIANS HAD IDENTIFIED HIS POSITION ON THE RIGHT BANK.
HUNKERED DOWN IN HIS PICKUP, HIDING UNDER TREES FROM RUSSIAN BIRDS ABOVE, THE 32-YEAR-OLD FORMER JOURNALIST TELLS ME THEY'RE UNDER CONSTANT BOMBARDMENT.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?
"EXPLOSIONS.
NOW THERE IS AN ATTACK ON THE PLACE WHERE I AM.
THERE ARE DRONES, I THINK SHEAD, DRONES AND TANKS.
IT'S ALWAYS LIKE THAT HERE.
TODAY THEY'RE USING AERIAL GUIDED BOMBS.
DO YOU HEAR IT TOO?
THAT'S ANOTHER ONE.
I THINK IT WAS A ROCKET.
>> THE JOB OF HIS AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE UNIT WAS TO PROVIDE COVER FOR MARINES CROSSING THE RIVER, AND TO WATCH THE ENEMY ON THE OTHER SIDE.
DO YOU FEEL SAFE WHERE YOU ARE?
>> NO.
IT'S DANGEROUS HERE, WHERE WE LIVE AND WHERE WE WORK.
EVERY TIME I ENTER THE ZONE, I SAY GOODBYE TO MY WIFE.
BUT I REALIZE THAT MY LIFE CAN BE ENDED AT ANY MOMENT.
YOU GET USED TO IT, BUT IT'S UNPLEASANT.
>> THE REASON THIS LEFT BANK OPERATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR UKRAINE IS TO OPEN THE ROAD TO RUSSIAN OCCUPIED CRIMEA AND TO PROTECT THE NEARBY CITY OF KHERSON.
A YEAR AGO, THE RUSSIANS WITHDREW FROM KHERSON USING THE DNIPRO RIVER AS A DEFENDABLE NATURAL BARRIER BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.
BUT IN THE LAST MONTH, ATTACKS ON KHERSON HAVE INTENSIFIED TO THE POINT WHERE THE REGION'S MILITARY GOVERNOR TOLD ME THERE WAS 700 INCOMING ROUNDS IN ONE DAY.
"THIS IS REVENGE AND NOW IT'S FELT MORE," HE SAYS, "BECAUSE OUR SOLDIERS ARE ALREADY ON THE LEFT BANK AND OUR CIVILIANS ARE FEELING THIS REVENGE."
300,000 RESIDENTS USED TO LIVE IN KHERSON.
NOW LESS THAN A QUARTER REMAIN, INCLUDING 56-YEAR-OLD INA.
SHE CARES FOR HER INVALID MOTHER AND HER 4-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON.
"24 HOURS A DAY, IT'S SCARY.
WHEN IT'S QUIET, IT'S EVEN SCARIER THAN WHEN THERE IS SHELLING."
SHE SAYS SHE LIVED THROUGH EIGHT MONTHS OF OCCUPATION AND WILL ENDURE THIS AS WELL.
"OUR MAIN TASK IS TO SURVIVE" SHE EXPLAINS.
"THAT WAS THE PRIORITY DURING THE OCCUPATION, AND IT'S THE SAME THING NOW.
WE HAVE TO SURVIVE."
A DAILY STRUGGLE FOR A POPULATION THAT'S BEING CONSTANTLY TERRORIZED.
>> ANNA COREN REPORTING THERE.
AS WE'VE DISCUSSED ON THIS SHOW, THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR HAS CAUSED A GLOBAL SPIKE IN HATE CRIMES, AND FILMMAKER DANIEL LAMBROSO KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT.
HIS FIRST FILM "WHITE NOISE" WAS A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ALT-RIGHT MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
HIS LATEST FILM "NINA AND IRINA" FOLLOWS HIS INTERVIEWS WITH HIS HOLOCAUST SURVIVING GRANDMOTHER WHO REVEALS THAT HER OLDER SISTER PERISHED DURING THE WAR.
HARRY SRINIVAS SPOKE TO THEM.
OUR ONGOING SERIES OF ANTI-SEMITISM, RACISM, AND EXTREMISM.
>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOININGS.
DANIEL, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO A FILM ABOUT THIS?
>> I SPENT A LOT OF MY CAREER FOCUSED ON FAR RIGHT EXTREMISM AND ITS DANGERS.
MY FIRST FILM "WHITE NOISE" IS ABOUT THE RISE OF THE ALT-RIGHT MOVEMENT.
I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST REPORTERS IN THE COUNTRY TO START COVERING THAT GROUP EIGHT YEARS AGO.
AND PART OF THAT REASON WAS BECAUSE OF MY GRANDMOTHER'S STORY.
SHE TAUGHT ME -- BOTH MY GRANDMOTHERS ARE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.
MY MOM'S MOTHER NINA AND MY FATHER'S.
SO I GREW UP I THINK WITH AN UNDERSTANDING AND A VIGILANCE ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS THESE IDEAS CAN BE.
SO I RESPONDED QUICKLY BACK WHEN TRUMP WAS A CANDIDATE EIGHT YEARS AGO, AND I REALIZED THAT HIS BASE, PEOPLE WHO ARE MY AGE WERE BEING RADICALIZED BY FAR RIGHT, RACIST ISLAMOPHOBIC ANTISEMITIC IDEAS.
SO MY EDITOR AT THE TIME JEFF GOLDBERG ENCOURAGED ME TO PURSUE IT, AND THAT ORGANICALLY BECAME A FEATURE FILM FROM THEN TO CHARLOTTESVILLE AND BEYOND.
AND NOW WITH "THE NEW YORKER," WHERE I'M ON STAFF, I JUST KIND OF REALIZED IT DAWNED ON ME THAT THE GENERATION THAT SURVIVED THE WAR IS DISAPPEARING VERY QUICKLY.
MY GRANDMOTHER, SHE SAYS THE FILM COULD HAVE BEEN CALLED "THE VANISHING BREED."
THAT'S WHAT SHE TELLS ME.
AND IT'S SAD BECAUSE THEY'RE THE LIVING MEMORY OF WHAT HAPPENED OF HOW AWFUL HUMANS CAN BE.
AND IT'S REALLY THE LAST OPPORTUNITY TO DO A PROJECT LIKE THIS.
SO I BROUGHT IT UP TO DAVID REMNICK, THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AND HE ENCOURAGED ME TO PURSUE IT.
SO I CALLED MY GRANDMOTHER.
SHE SAID COME OVER, AND WE MADE A FILM.
>> THE WAR BROKE OUT SEPTEMBER 1st, 1939.
FROM THE MINUTE THE GERMANS ROLL IN, THEY STARTED PICKING UP JEWS IN THE STREET.
MY FATHER DECIDED WE'RE NOT STAYING HERE.
HE FIGURED OUT SOMEHOW THAT MAYBE IF HE WENT TO A PRIEST AND THE PRIEST WOULD GIVE US THE PAPERS SAYING THAT WE ARE STUDYING TO BECOME CATHOLIC, THAT THAT WILL SAVE US.
THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT WE REALLY HAD TO PRETEND THAT WE'RE NOT JEWS.
WE HAD TO GO TO CHURCH.
♪♪ AND ALL THE JEWS WENT TO THE GHETTO.
AND IT WAS BAD NEWS THERE.
>> NINA, DID YOU HAVE A RELUCTANCE TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THIS OVER THE YEARS AND THE DECADES?
>> WELL, THE THING -- NOBODY WAS INTERESTED, YOU KNOW.
NOBODY SPOKE ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST.
AND I NEVER DISCUSSED IT.
MY KIDS NEVER ASKED ME.
WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE, I THOUGHT WELL, IT'S TOO HORRIFIC TO TELL THEM ABOUT IT.
SO I FIGURED OKAY, THE FUTURE, FUTURE, FUTURE.
THE FUTURE NEVER CAME UNTIL MY GRANDSON HERE DECIDED THAT THERE IS A STORY TO BE TOLD, AND THAT'S WHAT HE DID.
AND HE APPROACHED ME AND I SAID OKAY, GO ON.
AND YOU BETTER HURRY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M 91 YEARS OLD.
I WAS 90 AT THE TIME.
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT STAYING HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
I WAS BORN IN A TOWN BETWEEN WARSAW AND KRAKOW.
WE WERE WAY ABOVE MIDDLE CLASS.
AND IF ANYBODY THINKS THAT I COME FROM A -- I GET VERY UPSET BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SCHTETTLE IN MY WHOLE LIFE.
MY SISTER WAS SIX YEARS OLDER.
SUPPOSEDLY, I LOOKED LIKE CHERYLLY TEMPLE.
I HAVE BLOND CURLS.
AND SHE WAS DIANA DURBIN.
ONCE SHE HEARD A TUNE, SHE COULD SIT DOWN AND PLAY IT.
MY SISTER HAD FRIENDS, AND I -- SHE WOULDN'T LET ME IN.
SHE WOULD CLOSE THE DOOR, AND THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS, AND I WOULD LISTEN THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE.
AND IF I HEARD SOMETHING BAD, I WOULD RUN TO MY MOTHER.
YOU KNOW WHAT SHE IS DOING?
WE WERE EATING SOMETHING, AND SHE WANTS WHAT I HAVE.
SHE WOULD SAY YOU WANT TO EAT THEM?
DISGUSTING.
HOW CAN YOU HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW?
THE MINUTE I PUSHED IT AWAY, SHE WOULD TAKE IT AND EAT IT.
>> AND HER NAME IS IRENE?
>> HER NAME WAS IRENE?
>> IRINA.
>> IRINA.
>> AND WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW HER?
>> IN APRIL OF 1943.
>> WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR SISTER GROWING UP?
WHAT KIND OF SISTER WAS SHE?
>> WELL, THERE WAS A SIX-YEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE WERE NOT FRIENDLY-FRIENDLY.
BUT I -- I LOOKED UP TO HER.
AND WE LIKE WE HAD A RELATIONSHIP LIKE TWO SISTERS, YOU KNOW.
AND I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT I'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT SHE SAID TO YOU, WHAT SHE DID WHEN SHE LEFT?
>> ALL SHE DID, SHE SEND US A POSTCARD SAYING THAT SHE'S GOING -- WE WERE AT THAT TIME IN THE SUBURBS OF WARSAW.
THEY SAID -- SHE SAID I'M GOING TOWARDS -- NOW UKRAINE, WHERE WE HAVE FAMILY.
AND SHE SAID IN THE POSTCARD, I'M GOING TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYONE LEFT THERE.
AND THAT'S THE LAST TIME I HEARD OF HER.
TO ME, SHE JUST WENT ON THE EVENTUALLY SHE IS GOING TO COME BACK.
SO, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE WAR, MY PARENTS TRIED TO THE RED CROSS AND ALL THIS, AND THERE WAS NO TRACE OF HER.
WE THINK THAT POSSIBLY WHEN SHE WAS ON THE TRAIN, THE GERMANS USED TO GO THROUGH THE TRAINS ASKING FOR PAPERS AND EVERYTHING.
AND SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED, AND THEY PROBABLY TOOK HER OFF THE TRAIN AND SHOT HER, BECAUSE THERE IS NO RECORD OF HER BEING IN ANY CONCENTRATION CAMPS OR ANYTHING.
>> SO DANIEL, DID YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS GOING INTO THE FILM OF THE STORY THAT SHE JUST SHARED WITH OUR AUDIENCE?
>> YOU KNOW, I KNOW, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW.
I HAD A SENSE, YOU KNOW.
HER PIANO WHICH YOU SEE IN THE FILM WAS FILLED WITH FAMILY PICTURES.
HER TWO KIDS, HER SIX GRANDKIDS, HER FIVE GREAT GRANDKIDS, THE LIFE MY GRANDMOTHER REBUILT FROM THE ASHES OF THE WAR.
BUT IN THE CENTER IS A SMALL CUTOUT OF A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO OF A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN.
AND I NEVER ASKED WHO THAT WAS.
IT'S MY GRANDMOTHER'S SISTER IRENA.
AND I NEVER SPENT A MOMENT OF MY LIFE ASKING WHO THAT WAS.
IN THE ROOM NEXT TO US IS A PAINTING OF HER SISTER.
I NEVER ASKED OR WONDERED WHO THAT WAS.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MY GRANDMOTHER LOST 25 FAMILY MEMBERS.
SHE LOST ALL FOUR OF HER GRANDPARENTS, EVERY AUNT, UNCLE AND COUSIN FOR THE MOST PART.
THE ONLY ONES WHO SURVIVED WERE HER, HER MOM, HER DAD, AND HER, AND THEN THEY CAME TO AMERICA IN THE '50s.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK I HAD A SENSE.
AND EVEN MY MOTHER, WHO IS MY GRANDMOTHER'S DAUGHTER, WE ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT SHE WAS A SURVIVOR, BUT WE DIDN'T PROBE, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO PUSH HER TO GO THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A SHAME THAT WE WAITED THIS LONG, BUT I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO IT WHILE SHE IS STILL HERE.
>> SO HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN IT, THAT YOUR STORY IS OUT THERE?
>> I'M GLAD.
I'M GETTING VERY WARM RECEPTION.
PEOPLE, WHEN THEY ARE IN THE AUDIENCE, WHEN IT'S A Q&A, COME UP TO ME AND SO GRATEFUL TO ME FOR SHARING IT.
I DON'T KNOW.
IT SEEMS THAT PEOPLE LIKE TO HEAR THE STORY, AND I'M GLAD IF I MADE SOMEBODY HAPPY, OR WHATEVER.
IT HAS SOME VALUE.
AND I FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, THE YOUNG PEOPLE NOWADAYS DON'T KNOW.
SOME DON'T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS A HOLOCAUST.
>> YEAH.
>> HOLOCAUST, WHAT'S THAT?
AND NOW WITH THE ANTI-SEMITISM RISING, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN IMPORTANT STORY TO TELL.
SO WHEN DANIEL APPROACHED ME, I FELT YES, LET'S GO AHEAD, YOU KNOW.
>> DANIEL, THIS FILM PREMIERED REALLY IN THE WAKE OF OCTOBER 7th.
WHAT HAS -- WHAT'S THAT DONE TO HOW THE FILM IS BEING RECEIVED AND TALKED ABOUT?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THE FILM IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER.
OCTOBER 7th WAS THE DEADLIEST DAY FOR JEWS SINCE THE HOLOCAUST.
1,200 ISRAELI CITIZENS MASSACRED.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONFLICT, MANY OF THE CIVILIANS WERE PEACE ACTIVIST, ARTISTS AND FILMMAKERS.
I KNOW PERSONAL FRIENDS OF MINE WHO WERE INJURED OR KILLED.
IT WAS A CATASTROPHIC DAY.
AND WE SAW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T EVEN TAKE A MOMENT TO MOURN.
THEY SPURRED INTO ACTION.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE JEWISH WORLD WERE SHOCKED THAT THOSE WHO THEY CONSIDERED ALLIES WHO WE'VE MARCHED WITH AND STOOD WITH COULDN'T EVEN TAKE A SECOND TO MOURN.
IRRESPECTIVE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE CURRENT ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, WHICH I'M PERSONALLY NOT A FAN OF.
HALF THE JEWISH WORLD IS IN AMERICA ROUGHLY, AND THE OTHER HALF IS IN ISRAEL.
THIS WAS A MASSIVE TERRORIST ATTACK.
AND TO NOT TAKE THAT SECOND.
AND NOW WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, A PUMMELLING RESPONSE FOR PALESTINIANS IN GAZA.
AND IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SEE.
I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR MY GRANDMOTHER TO SEE.
IN THE FILM, SHE TALKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY AN EYE FOR AN EYE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD BLIND, AND THAT REVENGE IS NEVER A GOOD THING.
SHE WATCHES A GERMAN OFFICER BE BURNED IN FRONT OF HER, AND SHE ENCOURAGES THE PEOPLE AS A KID TO NOT DO THAT, TO STOP.
>> WE WERE NOW EVACUATED AS POLES.
WE GOT ON THE TRAIN, AND WE ENDED UP IN PRAGUE.
THE CZECHS DECIDE TO LIBERATE THE TOWN FROM THE GERMANS BECAUSE THE ALLIES ARE VERY CLOSE.
THE CZECHS POURED TAR ON THE GERMANS, HUNG THEM AND THEN LIT THE MATCH.
I MEAN, THIS WAS HORRIBLE.
I NEVER -- THE SMELL OF THE BURNING FLESH.
>> BUT YOU -- YOU LOST YOUR SISTER.
SURELY THAT'S REVENGE TO BURN.
>> WHY?
>> ISN'T THAT A KIND OF REVENGE, SOMETHING THAT THEY DESERVED?
>> NO.
NO.
I JUST -- YOU DON'T DO THAT TO OTHER HUMAN BEING.
COME ON.
WE ARE ALL BORN LITTLE ADORABLE CHILDREN.
WHAT HAPPENS?
WHAT HAPPENS?
WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN BECOME WORSE THAN ANIMALS.
ANIMALS KILL BECAUSE THEY'RE HUNGRY.
BUT TERRIBLE WHAT PEOPLE DO TO PEOPLE.
IT'S BEYOND ME.
I DON'T CARE GERMAN, JEW, WHOEVER.
>> NINA, DO YOU THINK SOMETHING LIKE THE HOLOCAUST COULD HAPPEN AGAIN?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW.
IF WE LET IT, IF WE LET IT.
WE HAVE TO STOP IT EARLY ENOUGH.
HOPEFULLY, BY SHOWING MOVIES LIKE ABOUT ME AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT WENT THROUGH SHOW THE ATROCITIES AND TO -- WHAT I'M AFRAID OF, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THAT THE BULLYING IS SORT OF A BEGINNING OF A MOVEMENT OF BEING -- I DON'T KNOW, THEY APPEAL TO A SUPERIOR YOU, AND THAT STARTED WITH HITLER, THAT HE FINALLY CONVINCED PEOPLE THAT THEIR RACE WAS BETTER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE AND DO AWAY WITH THE JEWS.
WHO KNOWS WHAT OTHER LUNATIC CAN COME AROUND AND IT WON'T BE THE JEWS.
IT WILL BE THE ITALIANS OR THE CHINESE OR WHATEVER.
WE GOT TO DO AWAY WITH THEM.
YOU HAVE TO STOP IT.
WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP.
>> DANIEL, GIVEN THE TYPES OF GROUPS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN REPORTING ON, THE MOVEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD, WHICH ARE REALLY PREYING ON ALL SORTS OF SENTIMENTS, ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS HERE?
HAVE WE COLLECTIVELY LEARNED ENOUGH FROM NINA'S GENERATION?
>> SHE SAYS NO.
I THINK SHE IS RIGHT.
IT'S -- IT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN AN EXPLOSION IN WHITE NATIONALIST VIOLENCE.
JANUARY 6th AND CHARLOTTEVILLE BEING THE MOST EXAMPLES.
THERE WAS AN EVENT IN NEW ZEALAND WHERE 50 WERE KILLED AT A MOSQUE.
AT A SYNAGOGUE IN PITTSBURGH WHICH WAS THE BIGGEST KILLING OF JEWS ON AMERICAN SOIL IN HISTORY.
THERE WAS ATTACK ON MEXICAN AMERICANS IN EL PASO.
AND ALL OF THOSE SHOOTERS BELIEVED IN A THEORY CALLED THE GREAT REPLACEMENT THAT REALLY JEWS THEY BELIEVE ARE ENGINEERING, ARE BRINGING IN NONWHITES AS A WAY TO DISPLACE THE WHITE ELITES OF THESE COUNTRIES.
IT'S A SICK ANTISEMITIC THEORY THAT WHITE NATIVE-BORN POPULATIONS, OF COURSE THE ONLY ONES WHO ARE NATIVE HERE IS ARE NATIVE AMERICANS, BUT SOMEHOW WHITE NATIVES ARE BEING REPLACED BY NONWHITE IMMIGRANT, AND THE DOING THAT UNSEATING.
AND THAT HAS TURNED INTO A GLOBAL NETWORK.
THE U.S. WAS FOUNDED AS A PLACE THAT SOMEONE LIKE MY GRANDMOTHER COULD SEEK REFUGE IN.
SHE CAME HERE AS A REFUGEE IN 1951.
SHE MET MY GRANDFATHER ON THE BEACH AT CONEY ISLAND A YEAR LATER.
THEY WERE MARRIED FOR SOMETHING LIKE 60 YEARS AND BUILT A NEW LIFE.
AND THAT'S THE PROMISE OF THIS COUNTRY.
YOU KNOW, ONCE THAT STARTS TO BREAK DOWN, ONCE WE BELIEVES THIS IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR WHITE CHRISTIANS, THE AMERICAN PROJECT HAS NO FUTURE.
SO WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THAT NARRATIVE.
>> NINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SITTING DOWN WITH US AND FOR ALLOWING DANIEL TO MAKE THIS FILM.
NINA GOTTLIEB AND DANIEL LAMBROSO.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>>> TROUBLING TIMES OBVIOUSLY AS DANIEL SAID THAT REQUIRES A LOT OF VIGILANCE BY ALL OF US.
>>> TURNING NOW TO A DIFFERENT STORY OF HEALING AND A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRAGEDY.
MUSICIAN JON BATISTE WAS THE MOST CELEBRATED ARTIST AT LAST YEAR'S GRAMMYS, WINNING 5 OF 11 NOMINATIONS.
BUT THE DAY THOSE NOMINATIONS HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED, HIS FAMILY LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN HIS WIFE SULEIKA WAS TOLD THAT HER LEUKEMIA HAD RETURNED.
THIS IS THE STORY THAT GAME "AMERICAN SYMPHONY," WHICH IS NOW SHOWING ON NETFLIX.
AND HERE IS A CLIP FROM THE TRAILER.
>> MUSIC COMES FROM LIFE EXPERIENCES.
>> WE BOTH HAD SO MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPENING.
>> AND THE GRAMMY GOES TO -- >> JON BATISTE!
>> AND SO MANY INCREDIBLY HARD THINGS.
>> AND THEN COME BACK, WE DON'T KNOW.
>> I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO HOLD SUCH EXTREMES.
>> WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH JON BATISTE AND DIRECTOR MATTHEW HEINEMAN IN LONDON RECENTLY, WE DISCUSSED THOSE EXTREMES, AND HOW MUSIC CAN BE A MAGICAL HEALING TOOL.
JON BATISTE, MATTHEW HEINEMAN, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
"AMERICAN SYMPHONY."
I THINK, JON, IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE A DIFFERENT BEAST THAN IT TURNED OUT TO BE.
>> YES.
>> TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU INTENDED, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE NOT THE FILMMAKER, AND WHAT IT TURNED OUT TO BE.
>> YOU KNOW, THE SYMPHONY IS SOMETHING THAT HAS A TRADITION, AND I WANTED TO EXPAND THAT TRADITION.
I WANTED TO TAKE THE TRADITION OF A SYMPHONY AND CREATE SOMETHING THAT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, AND PUSH MYSELF TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT WAS A VISION OF HOW I SEE MUSIC, EXPANSIVE, MARCHING BAND MUSICIANS, WITH INDIGENOUS AMERICAN MUSICIAN, WITH SYNTHESIZERS, CLASSICAL MUSICIANS, JAZZ MUSICIANS, VENEZUELAN MUSICIANS, ALL CREATING A NEW AGE ORCHESTRA.
I WANTED TO DOCUMENT THAT PROCESS.
MY GOOD FRIEND MATT AND I, WE SAT DOWN.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
WE TALKED ABOUT WANTING TO MAKE A PROCESS FILM THAT DOCUMENTED THIS INCREDIBLE NEW GROUNDBREAKING SYMPHONY.
AND GUESS WHAT?
THE NEXT MONTH, THE SAME WEEK AS WE FOUND OUT THAT SULEIKA'S LEUKEMIA COME BACK, THE SAME WEEK I FOUND OUT I WAS NOMINATED FOR 11 GRAMMYS.
LITERALLY A MONTH AFTER DECIDING WE WERE GOING TO FILM, THIS OCCURRED.
AND THEN WE HAD TO MAKE THE DECISION, DO WE FILM?
DO WE CONTINUE TO KEEP FILMING?
AND THE OTHER THING ABOUT IT WAS WE WERE GOING TO TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY THE WORLD TO MEET THESE MUSICIANS, TO SIT, BE IMMERSED IN THE CULTURE OF THESE MUSICIANS.
AND ANOTHER WAVE OF COVID BROKE OUT IN THE WORLD.
SO IMAGINE THAT, AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE AMERICAN SYMPHONY PROCESS FILM THAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO MAKE.
>> SO LIFE ESSENTIALLY INTERVENED IN A WAY THAT WAS A REAL BODY BLOW.
COVID, YES.
BUT YOUR WIFE HAD A RECURRENCE.
>> NO, EVERYTHING CHANGED.
AS A FAMILY, ANY FAMILY GOING THROUGH TRAGEDY, ANY FAMILY GOING THROUGH THIS KIND OF THING KNOWS, EVERYTHING SHIFTS.
PRIORITIES CHANGE.
AND LIFE COMES IN TO VIEW IN A VERY ACUTE WAY.
>> SHE IS WELL, NOW?
>> SHE IS WELL.
THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
>> GOOD.
>> SHE IS HERE.
>> IS SHE?
>> YES.
SHE IS TRAVELING WITH US, WHICH IS A HUGE, HUGE DEAL.
>> YEAH?
>> YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, WE DIDN'T KNOW WE'D EVER BE ABLE TO TRAVEL AGAIN.
THAT'S ONE OF OUR GREAT JOYS IN LIFE.
>> THAT'S FANTASTIC.
BUT IT MADE FOR YOU, MATTHEW, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FILM.
IT WENT FROM A MUSICAL PROCESS TO A LIFE, TO A LIFE THAT DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER LIFE WAS GOING TO CONTINUE, AND TO A COUPLE THAT WAS TOTALLY TESTED.
>> I THINK LIKE ALMOST EVERY FILM I'VE EVER MADE, IT STARTED OUT AS ONE THING AND ENDED UP AS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
THAT'S WHY I LOVE MAKING FILMS.
THAT PROCESS OF DISCOVERY, THAT PROCESS OF DANCING WITH THE REALITIES OF LIFE.
AND IT REALLY BECAME THIS SORT OF PORTRAIT OF THESE AMAZING TWO ARTISTS CONFRONTING, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE GREATEST HURDLES OF THEIR LIFETIME AND HOW THEY NAVIGATED THESE HIGHS AND LOWS.
>> AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU AS A FILMMAKER?
WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT YOUR DOCUMENTARIES, YOUR PREVIOUS VICTIMS ON MARIE COLVIN, MY GREAT COLLEAGUE, STUFF YOU'VE DONE ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND OTHER THINGS.
THIS WAS ALMOST MORE PERSONAL, RIGHT?
PERHAPS THE MOST PERSONAL THING YOU'VE EVER DONE?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE WHY YOU MAKING THIS FILM?
YOU MAKE CONFLICT FILMS.
YOU MAKE WAR FILMS.
FOR ME, THIS IS IN LINE WITH EVERYTHING I'VE DONE.
TRY TO MAKE FILMS ABOUT PEOPLE THAT FASCINATE PEOPLE, PEOPLE THAT CHALLENGE ME, PEOPLE THAT INSPIRE ME AND ARE GENERALLY CONFRONTING SOME SORT OF OBSTACLE.
AND I THINK MY GOAL WITH EVERYTHING IS TO TRY TO GET AS INTIMATE AND CLOSE TO MY SUBJECTS AS POSSIBLE.
AND WE'RE FILMING, YOU KNOW, 16, 18 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR 7 MONTHS.
>> THAT'S A LOT.
ONE COULD CALL THAT INTRUSIVE.
>> ONE COULD CALL IT INTRUSIVE.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS REALLY A DECISION WE CONSTANTLY HAD TO REASSESS AS A FAMILY.
DO WE KEEP FILMING?
WE LOVE MATT.
MATT HAS BECOME FAMILY THROUGH THIS PROCESS, AND WE WERE ALREADY FRIENDS BEFORE.
BUT THE IDEA OF ALL THIS HAPPENING, 17 HOURS A DAY SOMETIMES UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WE COME BACK, WE SEE MATT'S IN THE BEDROOM.
LITERALLY IN THE BEDROOM, IN THE SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER WARD, OR ON STAGE AT CARNEGIE HALL, INCHES AWAY FROM MY FACE WITH THE STEADICAM IN MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL.
BUT THERE IS SO MUCH.
>> CAN I PLAY A LITTLE CLIP WITH YOU AND SULEIKA SPEAKING IN THIS MOVIE.
>> MUSIC COMES FROM LIFE EXPERIENCES.
WE'VE BOTH HAD SO MANY GOOD THINGS HAPPENING.
>> AND THE GRAMMY GOES TO.
>> JON BATISTE!
>> AND SO MANY HARD THINGS.
>> WITH YOUR MISSION LAST YEAR AND COME BACK, AND WE DON'T KNOW.
>> I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO HOLD SUCH EXTREMES.
♪♪ >> YOU HAVE TO CONFRONT THE BRUTAL REALITY.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, HAVE COMPLETELY UNWAVERING FAITH.
>> TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR FAITH, BECAUSE YOU ARE, AND YOU DO MUSIC, NOT JUST ENTERTAINMENT, BUT SPIRITUALITY AS WELL.
HOW DID MUSIC HELP YOU GET THROUGH THIS PERSONAL CHALLENGE?
>> MUSIC IS A MANIFESTATION OF THE ANCESTORS, THE PAST.
IT'S IN THE PRESENT, BUT WE'RE ALSO USING IT TO CREATE THE FUTURE.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT MUSIC AS A TOOL, AND YOU ENVISION THE FUTURE THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE, YOU HAVE INTENTIONS, YOU HAVE WAYS OF USING ART TO CREATE THOSE INTENTIONS INTO REALITY.
SO IMAGINE ME WRITING SULEIKA LULLABIES.
HER PAINTING BECAUSE HER VISION IS BLURRED, SHE IS IN THE HOSPITAL, SHE CAN'T WRITE.
SO SHE IS PAINTING NOW.
THESE ARE ALL VISIONS THAT PUT INTENTION INTO MOTION.
AND WHEN YOU PUT THESE INTENTIONS INTO MOTION, THEY BECOME YOUR REALITY.
THEY BECOME THE THING THAT DRIVES THE WAY THAT YOU FRAME REALITY, THE CONTEXT OF HOW YOU LIVE AND HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD, HOW YOU TREAT OTHER PEOPLE.
THAT'S A SUPER POWER.
>> BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT -- BECAUSE WE -- I, I FIRST CAME ACROSS YOU WHEN YOU WERE THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR OF STEPHEN COLBERT'S LATE SHOW, RIGHT?
>> YES.
>> AND I WONDER, YOU'VE BECOME A PHENOMENON ON YOUR OWN.
AND I JUST WONDER WHAT THAT JOURNEY WAS LIKE FROM NEW ORLEANS, A YOUNG BOY GROWING UP IN NEW ORLEANS, A BLACK MUSICIAN.
DID YOU FEEL THAT YOU -- WHAT WAS IT LIKE, THAT JOURNEY?
WAS IT DIFFICULT?
>> DEFINITELY.
VERY DIFFICULT.
VERY DIFFICULT.
THINK ABOUT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY BEING MISUNDERSTOOD.
AND ALSO HAVING GREAT SUPPORT AND HAVING GREAT SUCCESS BASED UPON THAT MISPERCEPTION.
SO PEOPLE SEE THE MISPERCEPTION, AND THEY THINK OH, AMAZING.
YOU'VE PEAKED.
OH, YOU'VE MADE IT TO -- THIS IS -- THIS IS YOU.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
AND IN YOUR MIND, I HAVEN'T EVEN GOT STARTED YET.
AND IN YOUR MIND YOU THINK HUH, THIS IS ALL YOU EXPECT OF ME?
THIS IS ALL YOU THINK THAT I'M CAPABLE OF DOING?
THAT TO ME IS THE BIGGEST THING THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT.
BECAUSE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY PUSHING AGAINST THE GRAIN.
PUSH BACK, PUSH BACK.
YOU'RE CONSTANTLY JUST LIKE MEETING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT BUILT FOR YOU.
AND YOU HAVE TO RECONSTRUCT IT, OR YOU HAVE TO DISMANTLE IT.
SO ULTIMATELY, I THINK IN GENERAL WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MARGINALIZATION OF CERTAIN UNDERREPRESENTED PEOPLE, AND IN THE WORLD IN GENERAL, MISPERCEPTION OF PEOPLES AND US NOT SEEING EACH OTHER, THAT'S THE BIGGEST HURDLE OF BEING AN ARTIST.
IT'S ABOUT UNITY, ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, ABOUT UPLIFTING PEOPLE AND ABOUT BEING EXCELLENT.
YOU JUST HAVE TO TRANSCEND SO MANY MISPERCEPTIONS.
>> AND ONE OF THE MISPERCEPTIONS, WHO WERE YOU TO BE PLAYING CASS CAL MUSIC.
>> YES.
>> YOU EXPLAIN HOW MANY DIFFERENT MUSIC YOU LIKE TO PLAY, DIFFERENT GENRES.
HOW DID YOU GET AROUND THAT?
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A PART OF AMERICAN SYMPATHY.
>> IT'S JUST A MATTER OF KNOWING THE THING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S ULTIMATE JUST ABOUT QUALITY.
DO YOU KNOW THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO DO THE THING YOU WANT TO DO?
>> IT'S COMPETENCE.
>> IT'S COMPETENCE.
EVERYTHING COMES BACK.
PEOPLE, I OFTENTIMES WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CRAFT OF CREATIVITY, MATT HAS STUDIED FILMS.
HE KNOWS FILMS LIKEN PSYCH PEDIAFILMS, AND HAS PUT HIS LIFE ON THE LINE TO MAKE EVERY SINGLE FILM HE HAS MADE.
HE IS QUALIFIED TO MAKE THIS FILM, AND ANY FILM HE WANTS TO MAKE.
I MAKE MUSIC.
I MAKE WHATEVER IT IS THAT I'M DOING, RIGHT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE STUDIED, I KNOW, I LIVE, I BREATHE.
THIS IS ME.
SO IF YOU HAVE THAT, THEN ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF BEING A HUMAN BEING IN THE WORLD AND UNDERSTANDING THE DEPTH OF WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE DOING TO YOUR CRAFT.
>> THERE IS A PART IN THE FILM AT CARNEGIE HALL WHERE THERE IS A SNAFU AT THE BEGINNING OF "AMERICAN SYMPHONY."
I'M GOING LET YOU DESCRIBE THAT, AND HOW IT WAS TRANSCENDED.
>> SO ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH OR SO, IN THE SYMPHONY, THE POWER WENT OUT ON STAGE.
AND IT WAS EXTREMELY CONFUSING BECAUSE THE LIGHTS DIDN'T GO OUT.
THE AUDIENCE HAD NO IDEA, BUT ALL THE MICROPHONES TURNED OFF.
ALL THE ELECTRONICS WHICH JON WAS USING FOR THE SYMPHONY TURNED OFF, AND WE WERE ALL KIND OF LIKE WHAT DO WE DO?
AND JON, LIKE, EVERYTHING HE DOES IN HIS LIFE, CONFRONTED THIS OBSTACLE AND IMPROVISED.
AND TO ME IT'S LIKE IT REPRESENTS SO MUCH OF WHO HE IS AND WHAT THIS FILM IS ABOUT.
HOW HE MET THIS MOMENT.
OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS GOOD FOR THE FILM.
BUT AT THE TIME, AT THE TIME IT WAS VERY UNCLEAR WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
>> UNCLEAR MUST BE, YOU KNOW, A EUPHEMISM.
HOW DO YOU IMPROVISE WHEN NOTHING IS GOING RIGHT?
NONE OF THE TECH IS WORKING.
>> WOW.
>> WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT WAS ALSO UNUSUAL IS THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED AT CARNEGIE HALL, EVER.
AND ALSO, MY EARPIECE WAS THE ONLY THING LEFT WORKING, AND THE ONLY PERSON I COULD HEAR IN THE EARPIECE WAS MATT.
AND MATT, HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, THE POWER IS OUT.
AND I WAS LIKE YEAH, I GATHERED THAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO COME BACK.
SO I HAD NO VISION, NO VISION OF HOW TO BRIDGE IT, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO TIME.
SO WHAT I DID, LET THE SPIRIT MOVE, I STARTED TO PLAY.
I STARTED TO JUST PLAY.
AND I PLAYED AS LONG AS IT FELT RIGHT.
AND THEN ONCE I GOT TO THE END OF PLAYING, THE POWER STILL HADN'T COME BACK, BUT IT WAS A MOMENT WHERE WE HAD BRIDGED ANOTHER ENOUGH OF THAT FOR EVERYONE TO GATHER THEMSELVES IN THE ORCHESTRA.
AND I REMEMBER CUEING THE ORCHESTRA IN AND EVERYBODY CAME IN, AND EVENTUALLY THE POWER CAME ON SOON AFTER.
AT THAT MOMENT, IT WAS LIKE THE SPIRIT OF ALL OF THOSE FORCE, THOSE GATEKEEPERS, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT PUSHED BACK AGAINST IT FROM HAPPENING.
HAD TO JUST BE CONFRONTED AND COMPLETELY EXTINGUISHED FOR GOOD IN THAT MOMENT.
I DID IT THROUGH THE PIANO.
>> THERE IS A MINI PIANO ON THE FLOOR.
WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT?
>> I CALL IT A AHARMONA BOARD, LIKE A HARMONICA AND KEYBOARD PUT TOGETHER.
>>.
>> THIS IS WHAT YOU FIRST LEARNED?
>> THIS IS ONE OF MY EARLY INSTRUMENTS.
I STARTED ON PERCUSSION AND PIANO.
AND MY DAD BROUGHT THIS HOME.
HE WAS A GREAT MUSICIAN.
HE BROUGHT IT HOME FROM JAPAN.
I GUESS IN JAPAN THEY WOULD LEARN THIS IN SCHOOLS AS PART OF MUSIC EDUCATION.
IT'S REALLY A TOY THAT I MADE INTO MORE.
♪♪ THEME FROM THE SYMPHONY.
♪♪ >> THE ONLY REASON I'M LAUGHING IS BECAUSE I READ THAT YOUR TEACHER AT JUILLIARD JUST COULD NOT GET A GRIP, AND BASICALLY, SENT YOU TO THE PSYCHIATRIST.
>> THAT'S TRUE.
>> BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T PUT THE MELODICA DOWN?
>> YEAH, THAT'S TRUE, THAT'S TRUE.
I'M LAUGHING NOW.
JUST THE WAY THINGS, THE TURN OF EVENTS.
THAT WAS MY FIRST YEAR I WOULD MOVE AROUND THE HALL LIKE THIS PIED PIPER STYLE PLAYING ALL THE TIME, TRYING TO JUST PLAY, LEARN IT, HAVE FUN.
AND THEY THOUGHT THIS INSTRUMENT, LET ALONE A STUDENT THAT'S PLAYING IT ALL THE TIME, OH, IT MUST BE SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THIS PERSON, AMONGST OTHER THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE INTERESTING PART OF IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, NOW I'M ON THE BOARD AT JUILLIARD.
WE'RE CHANGING THAT.
>> SO NOW -- THE MELODICA IS AN INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE.
>> NO, NO IT WAS A TRUE EXPRESSION OF JOY.
>> MUSICIANS OFTEN TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY PLAY, WHEN THEY SING, IT'S LIKE A THROWBACK TO CHILDHOOD.
IT IS JOY.
IT'S INNOCENCE.
IT'S FREEDOM.
DO YOU FEEL THAT?
>> I FEEL LIKE I'M CONSTANTLY LEARNING.
I FEEL LIKE I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH.
I FEEL LIKE I'M A CHILD IN THAT I HAVE -- I HAVE SO MUCH TO DISCOVER.
I'M SO CURIOUS ABOUT TRYING THINGS.
I WANT TO CHANGE AND PUSHBACK AGAINST THINGS, MAINLY TO SEE IF IT WILL STICK, TO SEE, OH, THIS IS THE WAY YOU DO IT?
BUT WHAT IF WE PUT SPAGHETTI ON THE WALL?
YOU KNOW?
WE SUPPOSED TO EAT IT?
WE THROW IT ON THE WALL.
WHAT CAN WE DO DIFFERENT.
WHAT CAN WE CHANGE ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE THAT WILL GIVE US MORE CLARITY, MORE INSIGHT ABOUT THIS THING CALLED LIFE.
>> AND THIS THING CALLED LIFE, MATTHEW, THIS IS YOUR FIRST MUSICAL FILM.
AND AGAIN, EVERYTHING IS ABOUT STORYTELLING.
YOU'VE DONE IT IN MUCH MORE HARD WAYS.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT STORYTELLING THROUGH MUSIC?
>> I THINK THE WAY JON LIVES HIS WAY, THE WAY SULEIKA LIVES HER LIFE IS SO IMPROVISATIONAL, YOU NEVER KNOW.
EVERY DAY I WAS CONSTANTLY SURPRISED, AND OBVIOUSLY IN HIS MUSIC, THAT'S INHERENT IN THE WAY HE APPROACHES MUSIC.
BUT I HAD TO MATCH THAT CINEMATICALLY.
I HAD TO DANCE WITH HOW THEY WERE DANCING.
AND I THINK WE ALL SORT OF SHARE THIS IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, MAGIC CAN EXIST BEHIND EVERY DOOR.
YOU JUST HAVE TO OPEN IT.
THAT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL WAY TO LIVE LIFE.
IT'S A REALLY FUN WAY TO MAKE A FILM.
>> AND IT'S A GREAT WAY TO END THIS WONDERFUL CONVERSATION.
MATTHEW, JON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> YES, THANK YOU.
>> AND AS WE SAID, NOT ONLY IS JON'S WIFE DOING WELL, AS HE SAID, NOT ONLY IS THIS "AMERICAN SYMPHONY" OUT ON NETFLIX, BUT JON BATISTE HAS ALSO BEEN NOMINATED FOR ANOTHER SLEW OF GRAMMYS FOR THIS YEAR.
>>> AND FINALLY, CELEBRATING THE BEAUTY OF OUR NATURAL WORLD.
WE LEAVE YOU WITH THESE PICTURES BY THE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE YEAR.
THE CONTEST CAPTURES THESE BREATHTAKING WILDLIFE SCENES.
THE WINNING IMAGES WILL BE ON VIEW IN AN EXHIBITION TRAVELING THROUGH PARTS OF EUROPE.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING AND GOODBYE FROM LONDON.
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