War Photographer is a documentary by Christian Frei about the photographer James Nachtwey. As well as telling the story of an iconic man in the field of war photography,
the film addresses the broader scope of ideas common to all those
involved in war journalism, as well as the issues that they cover.
The documentary won a 2003 Peabody Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 and an Emmy Award in 2004. It also won or was nominated for more than 40 other awards internationally.
One of the main themes of the documentary is the level to which a
journalist should become involved in the events that they are there to
document. Nachtwey credits the intimacy of his photography to his
emphasis on establishing a rapport with his subjects, often despite a
significant language barrier. Des Wright, a cameraman with Reuters, describes the problem of being too far removed from what is happening. Discussing a video reel of President Suharto's
resignation and a police crackdown on protestors, he notes: "[Some
journalists] say, 'I'm sorry, I'm a journalist, I'm not a part of this.'
And I say, but you are a part of it. I think a lot of people would be
quite happy for that man to be killed so they can get the particular
picture that they want."
the film addresses the broader scope of ideas common to all those
involved in war journalism, as well as the issues that they cover.
The documentary won a 2003 Peabody Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 and an Emmy Award in 2004. It also won or was nominated for more than 40 other awards internationally.
One of the main themes of the documentary is the level to which a
journalist should become involved in the events that they are there to
document. Nachtwey credits the intimacy of his photography to his
emphasis on establishing a rapport with his subjects, often despite a
significant language barrier. Des Wright, a cameraman with Reuters, describes the problem of being too far removed from what is happening. Discussing a video reel of President Suharto's
resignation and a police crackdown on protestors, he notes: "[Some
journalists] say, 'I'm sorry, I'm a journalist, I'm not a part of this.'
And I say, but you are a part of it. I think a lot of people would be
quite happy for that man to be killed so they can get the particular
picture that they want."