War Photographer

Last updated
War Photographer
War Photographer poster.jpg
Produced by Christian Frei
Starring James Nachtwey
Christiane Amanpour
Hans-Hermann Klare
Christiane Breustedt
Des Wright
Denis O'Neill
Cinematography Peter Indergand
James Nachtwey (microcam)
Music by Eleni Karaindrou
Arvo Pärt
David Darling
Production
company
Christian Frei Filmproductions
Distributed byLook Now!
Release date
  • November 2001 (2001-11)
Running time
96 min.
CountrySwitzerland
LanguagesEnglish, German and French

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.

Contents

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. [1]

Synopsis

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. James 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 documentary uses footage filmed with a small "microcam" video camera mounted on Nachtwey's SLR cameras. This allows the viewer to see the events from the perspective of the photographer.

Events and locations depicted in the film

Awards

Reception

War Photographer has an approval rating of 80% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 25 reviews, and an average rating of 6.92/10. The website's critical consensus states, "War Photographer offers a breathtakingly intimate look at life on the front lines by distilling the horror and terrible beauty captured while paying testament to war's awful cost". [2] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [3]

Edward Guthmann from the San Francisco Chronicle has emphasized that the film appeals to the spectators’ sense for compassion:

War correspondents, at least the ones that appear in movies, are rancid, crusty creatures -- emotionally numb, frequently drunk. James Nachtwey, the subject of the extraordinary "War Photographer," not only belies that image but also stands so far apart from it that his idealism and monklike commitment are inspiring. (...) This film is an act of spiritual faith – an eloquent, deeply felt meditation on the nature of compassion. [4]

Ken Fox has estimated the humanistic approach of the film and of the work of James Nachtwey:

Frei assembles a fascinating profile of a deeply humanistic artist who, in spite of all that he's witnessed, remains surprisingly idealistic, and retains an extraordinary faith in the ability of images to communicate the truth of the world around him. [5]

Similar Peter Rainer from New York :

Nachtwey, in his mid-fifties and lanky, with a full shock of hair, has a cool, almost Zen-like deliberateness. He speaks slowly and carefully, as if he had long ago weighed his words, one by one, and was only now offering us their gravity. He has been photographing the globe's worst hot spots for 25 years and has probably seen up close more grief and ruination than anybody should have to see in a dozen lifetimes, and yet he still believes he's making a difference. He regards his photographs as an antidote to war, and himself as an antiwar photographer. (...) Nachtwey clears the cynicism right out of you. He makes you realize that deep inside righteousness can be found a tough beauty. [6]

Notes

  1. http://www.war-photographer.com/en (follow the "Festivals and Awards" link). Page accessed June 21, 2012.
  2. "War Photographer". Rotten Tomatoes .
  3. "War Photographer". Metacritic .
  4. 6 December 2002, San Francisco Chronicle
  5. TV Guide's Movie Guide, February 2003.
  6. New York Magazine, 24 June 2004.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Nachtwey</span> American photojournalist

James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirby Dick</span> American film director, producer, and screenwriter

Kirby Bryan Dick is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing documentary films. He received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature for directing Twist of Faith (2005) and The Invisible War (2012). He has also received numerous awards from film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.

<i>Balseros</i> (film) 2002 film

Balseros is a 2002 Catalan documentary co-directed by Carles Bosch and Josep Maria Domènech about Cubans leaving during the Período Especial.

<i>Street Fight</i> (film) 2005 American film

Street Fight is a 2005 documentary film by Marshall Curry, chronicling the 2002 Newark mayoral election which pitted upstart Cory Booker against the incumbent Sharpe James for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. Other credits include Rory Kennedy, Liz Garbus, Mary Manhardt, Marisa Karplus, Catherine Jones, and Adam Etline. Street Fight screened at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival and was later aired on the PBS series P.O.V. on July 5, 2005, and CBC Newsworld in Canada on May 7, 2006. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Frei</span> Swiss filmmaker and film producer

Christian Frei is a Swiss filmmaker and film producer. He is mostly known for his films War Photographer (2001), The Giant Buddhas (2005) and Space Tourists (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyn Burke</span> Canadian writer and director

Martyn Burke is a Canadian director, novelist and screenwriter from Toronto, Ontario.

<i>Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry</i> 2012 American film

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is a 2012 documentary film about Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, directed by American filmmaker Alison Klayman.

<i>Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God</i> 2012 documentary film by Alex Gibney

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is a 2012 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. The film details the first known protest against clerical sex abuse in the United States by four deaf men. It features the voices of actors Jamey Sheridan, Chris Cooper, Ethan Hawke and John Slattery, who provide the voices of the deaf interviewees.

<i>How to Survive a Plague</i> 2012 American documentary film by David France

How to Survive a Plague is a 2012 American documentary film about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and the efforts of activist groups ACT UP and TAG. It was directed by David France, a journalist who covered AIDS from its beginnings. France's first film, it was dedicated to his partner Doug Gould who died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992. The documentary was produced using more than 700 hours of archived footage which included news coverage, interviews as well as film of demonstrations, meetings and conferences taken by ACT UP members themselves. France says they knew what they were doing was historic, and that many of them would die. The film opened in selected theatres across the United States on September 21, 2012, also includes footage of a demonstration during mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Ziering</span> American filmmaker

Amy Ziering is an American film producer and director. Mostly known for her work in documentary films, she is a regular collaborator of director Kirby Dick; they co-directed 2002's Derrida and 2020's On the Record, with Ziering also producing several of Dick's films.

<i>Life Itself</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Life Itself is a 2014 American biographical documentary film about Chicago film critic Roger Ebert, directed by Steve James and produced by Zak Piper, James and Garrett Basch. The film is based on Ebert's 2011 memoir of the same name. It premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. The 41st Telluride Film Festival hosted a special screening of the film on August 28, 2014. Magnolia Pictures released the film theatrically in the United States and simultaneously via video on demand platforms on July 4, 2014.

<i>The Square</i> (2013 film) 2013 Egyptian film by Jehane Noujaim

The Square is a 2013 Egyptian-American documentary film by Jehane Noujaim, which depicts the Egyptian Crisis until 2013, starting with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at Tahrir Square. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards. It also won three Emmy Awards at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, out of four for which it was nominated.

<i>Point and Shoot</i> (film) 2014 American film

Point and Shoot is a 2014 documentary film written and directed by Marshall Curry. It was produced by Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin and Matthew VanDyke.

<i>What Happened, Miss Simone?</i> 2015 biographical documentary film directed by Liz Garbus

What Happened, Miss Simone? is a 2015 American biographical documentary film about Nina Simone directed by Liz Garbus. The film opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The screening was followed by a tribute performance by John Legend. The film was released by Netflix on June 26, 2015. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 88th Academy Awards.

<i>13th</i> (film) 2016 American documentary film

13th is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Ava DuVernay. The film explores the prison-industrial complex, and the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States"; it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. This allowed for a constitutional loophole in which black Americans became criminalized and faced involuntary servitude in the form of penal labor.

<i>Jim: The James Foley Story</i> 2016 American film

Jim: The James Foley Story is a 2016 American documentary film about the life of journalist and war correspondent James "Jim" Foley, directed by Brian Oakes. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016, and on HBO on February 6, 2016.

<i>The B-Side: Elsa Dorfmans Portrait Photography</i> 2016 American documentary film directed by Errol Morris

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Errol Morris. The film explores the life and career of Elsa Dorfman. The film was released on June 30, 2017, by Neon.

<i>Minding the Gap</i> 2018 documentary film directed by Bing Liu

Minding the Gap is a 2018 documentary film directed by Bing Liu. It was produced by Liu and Diane Moy Quon through Kartemquin Films. It chronicles the lives and friendships of three young men growing up in Rockford, Illinois, united by their love of skateboarding. The film received critical acclaim, winning the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.

<i>For Sama</i> 2019 film by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts

For Sama is a 2019 documentary film produced and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, and directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. The film focuses on Waad Al-Kateab's journey as a journalist and rebel in the Syrian uprising. Her husband is Hamza al-Kateab, one of the few doctors left in Aleppo, and they raise their daughter Sama Al-Kateab during the Syrian Civil War.

<i>Procession</i> (film) 2021 American documentary film

Procession is an 2021 American documentary film, directed and edited by Robert Greene. It follows six men, who suffered abuse by priests, looking for peace.