As our news feeds become dominated by increased militarism and images of war, interspersed with facts, figures and video footage of earth’s climate collapse giving us an ever-growing reality we cannot ignore: this film and conversation become one of the most critical events and Q&As to take part in this season. Journalist and documentary maker Abby Martin’s new film exposes the environmental impact of the US military. One of the most well-known alternative media figures in the US, Abby will be joining us live via video-link from the US for a Q&A with one of the UK’s most respected journalists and authors on the Middle East – Jonathan Cook. The film challenges audiences to rethink the hidden cost of a global military empire and its planetary consequences.

Abby Martin is the founder and host of The Empire Files, an investigative documentary series that became a primary resource for people interested in understanding US imperialism. In 2019 she released her debut feature film, Gaza Fights For Freedom, which has been called the definitive “crash course” on Palestine. Her uncompromising style has made her a standard-bearer of advocacy journalism, and one of the most well-known alternative media figures in the country.

Jonathan Cook is an award-winning British journalist, formerly based in Nazareth, he returned to the UK in 2021. In 2025 Jonathan was a finalist in Amnesty UK’s Media Awards. His reports and commentaries have appeared in The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, The New Statesman, The International Herald Tribune, Le Monde, The Irish Times and many more. He writes regularly for Middle East Eye, CounterPunch, Al_Jazeera and Electronic Intifada. He has authored three books on Israel/Palestine and is one of the most respected journalists in the UK on the topic.