POV "The Oath" on WXXI-TV

Pictured: Abu Jandal, as seen in Laura Poitras’ The Oath

Credit: Courtesy of Laura Poitras

The Oath offers a rare window into a hidden realm—and the international impact of the U.S. War on Terror.

Filmed in Yemen and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, The Oath interweaves the stories of Abu Jandal, Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, and Salim Hamdan, a prisoner at Guantanamo facing war crimes charges.

POV The Oath airs Tuesday, September 21 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV (DT21.1/cable 11/cable 1011).

Directed by Laura Poitras (POV “Flag Wars,” 2003; the Oscar®-nominated “My Country, My Country,” 2006), The Oath unfolds in a narrative structure filled with plot reversals and betrayals, leading ultimately to Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo and the U.S. Supreme Court. Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary. A co-production of ITVS in association with American Documentary|POV.