The Rory Peck Awards last night honoured the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs at a packed event hosted by Christiane Amanpour of CNN and ABC News, and James Mates of ITV News, at Londons BFI Southbank.
The Rory Peck Award for News was presented to young British freelancer Aris Roussinos for Ground Zero Mali: The Battle of Gao - a self-funded piece broadcast by VICE. It shows striking street by street battle footage from Gao in northern Mali in February 2013, as Malian troops attempt to storm buildings being held by Mujao Islamists. It is a rare piece of combat footage to come out of the war there, and shows the Malian armys obvious poor training and lack of military discipline - as well as lack of equipment and tactics in a confusing and chaotic battle. Judges praised the power of Roussinos footage and how close he got to the Malian army: "He threw himself into the midst of the fighting and captured moments some of which are oddly comic for a war zone.....Its classic war footage - fantastic television journalism - and it hardly needs any script because it is so incredibly well shot."
TheRory Peck Award for Features was won by British freelance filmmaker Olly Lambert for Syria: Across the Lines, which was commissioned and broadcast by Channel 4 Dispatches. Olly spent a total of five weeks in the Orontes River Valley documenting life in villages on opposite sides of the river, and opposing sides of the war. His film explores how the conflict is tearing once-peaceful communities apart and ends with the devastating results of a double airstrike on the rebel village in which at least 17 people were killed. The judges described the film as "a truly memorable piece of television". One said: "It is a brilliantly shot piece- the camerawork is fantastic. He bought a documentary eye to a very chaotic news situation. It tells you so much about the state of war in Syria - and the state of war generally - the chaos of war - with such a human touch."
The Sony Impact Award was presented to Bangladeshi freelancers Soumen Guha and Dipak Chandra Sutradhar for Hazaribagh: Toxic Leather, produced by Wild Angle (WA) Productions for Public Senat, Ushuaia TV and La Locale. Soumen and Dipak pretended to be filming a commercial for a French leather company to gain access to the giant slum of antiquated tanneries in Hazaribagh on the outskirts of
Dhaka. Their film provides clear evidence of the appalling, squalid conditions for the half a million workers in the factories there which use toxic products that cause cancer and other illnesses that kill most of them before the age of
fifty. The leather produced is for cheap products - belts and bags - to be sold in Europe. Judges said it was "an intelligently shot film with some unforgettable sequences. "These cameramen stuck their necks out to get that story right under the noses of the factory owners. They put themselves in physical danger by going into that situation....They got amazing footage of an incredibly damaging industry - watching it made my skin itch."
Azerbaijani freelancer Idrak Abbasovwas presented with this years Martin Adler Prize, sponsored by Hexagon, which honours the work of a local freelancer who has made a significant contribution to newsgathering. The aim of the prize is to highlight the dedication and talent of freelancers who work under challenging and difficult circumstances within their own country. Azerbaijan has seen growing restrictions on press freedom and increasing attacks on journalists over recent years and Idrak has worked with dogged determination to cover stories for a range of independent media including print, online, radio and television. In April 2012, Idrak was left in a critical condition after being beaten unconscious while filming protests surrounding the demolition of houses in Baku by state oil company SOCAR, and spent months in hospital, unable to work. But when violent protests erupted in the town of Ismayilli, in January, Idrak put his personal concerns to one side to shoot pictures that he thought his fellow citizens and the wider world needed to see. The footage was broadcast on obyectiv.tv. The governor was later dismissed. The prize was awarded to Idrak in recognition of his inspiring his bravery, composure and determination to cover events, under the most testing of circumstances.
"Todays freelance cameramen and women have a really tough job", said Tina Carr, Director of the Rory Peck Trust. "Many work under incredibly tough and dangerous circumstances, without much support. Despite this, they produce outstanding and important work. Its been an honour to host this years finalists and winners and to see such inspiring films and reports. They all deserve our support, thanks and recognition."
"It is humbling to be among such a talented group of individuals who fight against incredible odds to bring the truth to light", said Olivier Bovis, Head of AV Media, Sony Professional Solutions, Sony Europe. "For me personally, being part of the Rory Peck Awards every year helps me to understand why, at Sony, we do what we do. Its gratifying to know that our technology - when in the hands of such incredible freelance talent - can help tell such impactful and emotive stories, and we are proud to support the Rory Peck Trust and its important work with freelancers.
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The Rory Peck Awards last night honoured the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs at a packed event hosted by Christiane Amanpour of CNN and ABC News, and James Mates of ITV News, at Londons BFI Southbank.
