November 16, 2007
War Photographer
Last night I watched the excellent movie War Photographer for the umpteenth time. Anyone interested in either photography or world affairs is bound to appreciate this remarkable piece of cinematography. War Photographer was credited 16 international awards or nominations, including the prestigious Peabody Award. It is one of those features that is equally inspiring and disturbing.
War Photographer follows photographer James Nachtwey on assignments around the world, including the aftermath of bloodshed in Kosovo, Palestinian uprising in Ramallah and surrealistic labour conditions in a Jakarta sulphur mine (Indonesia). A tiny video camera attached to Nachtwey’s own camera enables the viewer to get a good idea of what Nachtwey is looking at while shooting.
Aside from being an extraordinary photographer, James Nachtwey strikes me as a most honorable human being. Take for instance these words:
The worst thing is to feel that as a photographer I am benefiting from someone else’s tragedy. This idea haunts me. It’s something I have to reckon with every day because I know that if I ever allowed genuine compassion to be overtaken by personal ambition, I will have sold my soul. The only way I can justify my role is to have respect for the other person’s predicament. The extent to which I do that is the extent to which I become accepted by the other; and to that extent, I can accept myself.
James Nachtwey
The film was produced, directed and edited by Christian Frei who has since created an equally interesting feature about the destruction of the Giant Buddhas in Afghanistan.