[Updated with winners] Broadcasters increasingly rely on freelancers to go to places that they are reluctant to send their own staff, to bring back stories that would otherwise not be told, something demonstrated by the finalists at this month's Rory Peck Awards.
The Awards, which recognise the skill and achievement of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in international news and current affairs, take place on November 17 at London’s BFI Southbank.
The finalists also show how freelancers have raised the bar technically, demonstrating what small cameras can do in difficult situations.
The face of conflict - up close, personal and intimate – dominates the films short-listed for the two awards for News and for Features, with stories from Bangkok, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe and both sides of the conflict in Afghanistan.
The struggle of everyday life away from conflict characterises the shortlist for the Sony Professional Impact Award, with stories showing the human face of illegal immigration in the US and Guatemala, the plight of Roma gypsy children forced to steal and beg, and the harsh reality of life for children in the slums of Mumbai.
“The standard and range of entries to this year’s awards show that the freelance community is vibrant and thriving,” said Tina Carr, Director of the Rory Peck Trust. “Every year we are impressed by the level of commitment, drive and courage. Many of this year’s finalists worked under extremely difficult circumstances to produce extraordinary stories."
“We have three extremely moving films on this year’s Sony Professional Impact shortlist,” added Olivier Bovis, Sony Professional’s AV Media Business Head, and one of the judges for the Sony Professional Award. “I was particularly impressed with the way the finalists translated the emotion of what they saw through the camera lens. Each of them managed to articulate the human dimension of their stories in a way that had real impact - and that’s not easy to achieve."
Finalists – The Rory Peck Award For Features 2010
Hopewell Rugoho Chin'ono for A Violent Response - Shot in Zimbabwe and part self funded with Television International for K24. Some footage has been broadcast by ITN.
Najibullah Quraishi (pictured above), won the award for Behind Enemy Lines - Shot in Afghanistan; Clover Films for Channel 4 - Dispatches
Paul Refsdal, for Taliban: Behind The Masks - Shot in Afghanistan; Novemberfilm and Norwegian Film Institute for NRK
Finalists - The Rory Peck Award For News 2010
Roger Arnold, won the award for Bangkok Street Protests, Thailand, for Wall Street Journal.com
Robin Forestier-Walker, for Kyrgyzstan, for Aljazeera English
Greg Brosnan / Jen Szymaszek, for In the Shadow of the Raid - Shot in Guatemala and the US, and part self-funded with support from the Institute for Justice and Journalism Fund. Broadcast by PBS
Finalists - Sony Professional Impact Award 2010
Sebastian Rich, for Afghanistan, for NBC News
Nick Read (pictured top), won the award for The Slumdog Children of Mumbai, India - True Vision Productions for Channel 4 - Dispatches
Liviu Tipurita (pictured above), for Gypsy Child Thieves - Shot in Spain, Italy and Romania, for BBC Two - This World
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