WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT RORY PECK AWARDS 04

The Rory Peck Awards tonight honoured the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs at a packed event hosted by Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford and Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum and attended by international journalists and editors at Londons BFI Southbank. In a year that demonstrated in particularly stark terms the challenges faced by freelancers, the event showcased the best of their work and their importance to the international newsgathering community.

The Rory Peck Award for News was presented to 23 year old freelancer Pacme Pabandji from Central African Republic for CAR: Descent Into Chaos, broadcast by AFPTV. Pacmes footage of the conflict in his home country depicts both the violence that erupted there and glimpses of everyday life. He captures the daily atrocities committed in Bangui and other areas of the CAR as well as more innocent scenes such as a church service and a fashion show. The judges praised Pacmes ability to cast a dispassionate eye on a heated and dangerous conflict whilst living in its midst with one judge commenting that the conviction he must have to keep going to keep telling the story of his country is admirable.

The Rory Peck Award for Features was won by Team Mindeulle - a group of six anonymous North Korean cameramen - for North Korea: Life Inside the Secret State which was produced by Hard Cash Productions and broadcast by Channel 4 Dispatches and PBS Frontline. Filmed completely undercover and at immense risk, the team was trained during trips to China by the Japanese journalist Jiro Ishimaru. Their film provides an extremely rare glimpse into the inner workings of the worlds most secretive state where we see fascinating and eerie scenes of life there. Crucially, the film also hints towards signs of cracks in the regimes control with ordinary people standing up to authority: one woman challenging an official trying to stop her running a bus service, and another arguing about her right to wear trousers. Judges noted the enormous historical importance of the piece and the teams extraordinary bravery in risking their lives to tell this story.

The Sony Impact Award was presented to British freelancer Ben Steele for Hunted, produced by Blakeway Productions for Channel 4 Dispatches. Bens film explores the world of Russian vigilante gangs who, encouraged by recent anti-homosexual legislation, go on hunting safaris to catch, humiliate and abuse gay victims. Ben captures this world extremely close up; in one scene, he is present and continues filming in the small room where a young victim had been lured for a violent interrogation. A member of the gang tells Ben it would have been much worse for the victim if his camera had not been present. Judges praised Bens compassionate and non-judgmental approach as well as the films success in capturing the extraordinary atmosphere of homophobia in Russia. It had a massive impact when it was shown just before the Sochi winter Olympics raising awareness and triggering public debate.

This years Martin Adler Prize, sponsored by Hexagon, was awarded to Palestinian freelance journalist, fixer and translator Khaled Abu Ghali. The prize, now in its sixth year, honours 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. Khaled was awarded this prize in recognition of his professionalism, composure and unique skill as a journalist under even the most challenging of circumstances. He has covered many of Gazas most intense periods of conflict in his 14 year career, most notably in 2006, 2009, 2012, and Summer 2014 and has worked with, and contributed to, many of the worlds most prominent news outlets. Khaled is widely known among journalists for his invaluable breadth of knowledge, experience and skill and for his impartiality and professionalism, despite living with the personal impact of war. Channel 4 News Foreign Correspondent Jonathan Miller, who worked with Khaled during the most recent crisis in Gaza, said he assumed a critical journalistic role during that time, delivering top-level interviewees and supporting reporters and news teams in the field.

This years Rory Peck Awards finalists and winners have produced work of the highest quality at a time when freelancers are being targeted and silenced more than ever a testament to their sheer determination, skill and desire to bear witness and uncover otherwise untold stories said Tina Carr, Director of the Rory Peck Trust. Without their work, our understanding of the world we live in would surely suffer and for that they deserve our protection, recognition and support.

"Its a privilege to stand alongside this talented community who, reporting with compassion and integrity, fight against incredible odds to tell stories that simply cant be ignored, said Olivier Bovis, Head of Marketing AV Media and Solutions, Sony Professional Solutions, Sony Europe. At Sony, we strive to provide the tools which help in achieving this goal, and though the contribution we make is small in comparison, we are incredibly proud to do it. Once more we return to honour the impact freelancers and their work continues to make, and to support the important work of the Rory Peck Trust.

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