| Documentary experience as a cameraman / director: | |
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Blood
on the Stone - Sierra Leone, Congo, USA: a Sorious Samura investigation into the certification process of today's diamond trade. This documentary is published on Warner Brother's DVD of 'Blood Diamond' with Leonardo DiCaprio staring as a ruthless diamond dealer during Sierra Leone's civil war in the 90s. Insight News TV produced the documentary and I got hired as a director/cameraman. (2+3 March 2007, CNN International, 52 min) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
The
Thin Blue Line - Iraq: as a director/cameraman I followed Karzan Sherabayani
reporting on the police in Kirkuk. It's one of the frontlines in Iraq's
growing civil war with deadly power struggles between different ethnic
and religious groups. We shot this film within a single day. It was a
rather tense experience. (10 January 2007, Channel 4 UK, PBS, AJI, 22min) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Guns
for Hire - Congo: a 2nd documentary filmed in team with Jim
Foster. Sam Kiley reports on Conrad Thorpe an ex British Special Forces
colonel who trains anti-poaching units in the Virunga National Park. After
a decade of civil war they launch a desperate attempt to protect Congo's
endangered wildlife, particularly gorillas. (22 May 2006, Sky One, 46min) |
 Website Link |
Race
to Dakar: Charley Boorman's ultimate off-road motorbike challenge
supported by Matt Hall and Simon Pavey. The 2 weeks endurance ordeal
through African deserts is captured not only by Jim
Foster and myself (main cameramen) but as well by producer Russ
Malkin, assistant Robin and all 3 bike riders. Injuries, accidents and
sleep deprivation turn into major issues. |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Guns
for Hire - Afghanistan: a highly topical insight into the secretive
world of private military companies including a unique interview in
Kabul's Polecharki jail with the infamous American prisoner Jack Idema
- an ex US Special Forces who turned rouge. Presented by Sam Kiley,
filmed in team with Jim
Foster and produced by Carbon
Productions. |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Neil
Morrissey's Excellent Adventure - Jordan: as a cameraman I follow
the British actor Neil Morrissey and his partner Emma on a Bedouin camel
trek along the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia. The 2 week journey through
the Jordanian desert at temperatures up to 50 C pushes them to physical
and emotional limits. (August 2005, Sky, 46min) |
| Walking
the Tightrope - Pakistan: as a director/cameraman I follow reporter
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy looking at the effects of 'War on Terror' in Pakistan.
Filming happens at the time of the 7/7 London Underground bombing and
we manage to capture a good overview of reasons for fast growing anti-US/UK
sentiments and escalating sectarian violence. (July 2005, Channel 4 Unreported World, 24min) |
|
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Living
with Aids - Zambia: a film with award winning reporter Sorious Samura
about the impact of HIV/Aids in Zambia. For 4 weeks Sorious works as a
nursing aid in a government hospital and lives with an HIV/Aids affected
family. He tries to find answers how to best combat the further spread
of HIV. I filmed and directed this documentary for Insight
News TV Winner of One World Media Awards 2006 for Broadcast Journalist of the Year (27 June 2005, Channel 4 Dispatches, 49min) |
Return
to Kirkuk - Iraq: after 24 years of exile Karzan Sherabayani returns
to Kirkuk where he participates in the first free Iraqi elections. He
also conducts a personal opinion poll: Do Kurds want to remain part
of Iraq or would they prefer an independent South Kurdistan? I produced,
directed and filmed this exclusive historic report within 2 weeks. |
|
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Land
of Missing Children - India: as a director and cameraman I follow
reporter Sam Kiley investigating the trafficking of underage girls into
prostitution in India. We start in North West Bengal and end up in the
red light districts of Calcutta and Bombay. |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Living
with Refugees - Chad: a film with award winning reporter Sorious
Samura living for 4 weeks with Darfur refugees. As a director/cameraman
I followed Sorious and a group of refugees from the Sudan/Chad border
to the over crowded camp of Breidjing in Chad. The lack of proper registration
procedures leads to a lot of hardship. I was assisted by producer George
Waldrum of Insight
News TV |
Long
Way Round: an epic motorbike journey around the world from London
to New York with the actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I
got involved as a director/cameraman riding a third motorbike. My ability
to work on my own was crucial for this 4 month assignment. Official
website: Long
Way Round |
|
| Rooted
- Sierra Leone: the 2nd series about British teenagers of immigrant
families traveling back to their countries of origin. As a cameraman I
followed Horatia to Freetown in Sierra Leone. Observer:
Possibly Five’s best documentary series at present. (25/04/2004, Channel 5 - 26 minutes) |
|
 Pictures Link |
Out
of the Shadows - Lebanon: John McCarthy takes us on a personal journey
to Lebanon - a country he has not seen since he was held hostage there
for 5 years. Now he is finally prepared to confront the ghosts of his
past and meets the Shia of today. I was involved as a cameraman (11/04/2004, ITV1 - 52 minutes) |
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A
Place in France - An Indian Summer: after the success
of the first series with up to 3 million viewers Channel 4 commissioned
a next sequel for prime time.The Guardian: The series
is filmed in a very contrived way, but it's strangely watchable. I filmed
and directed this series in collaboration with Charlie Forman |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Saddam's
Legacy - Iraq: the last part of a 4x52 min. series commissioned by
ITV and MBC. Filmed all over Iraq in August and September 2003 this documentary
focuses on the ethnic and religious tensions which surfaced after the
fall of Saddam. I shot and co-directed this film with Giles
Trendle, an Arabist and Middle East correspondent. (17/05/2004, ITV1 - 52 minutes) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
Rooted
- West India: As a cameraman I follow 11 year old Hemali Shah
from Leister. She comes from a Jain family and travels with her mother
to Rajasthan where she discovers the roots of her religion. We visit
magical tempels in Ranapur and stay with a Jain family in rural areas. |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Rooted
- Ukraine: this documentary is part of a children series about
youngsters of immigrant families searching for their origins. As a cameraman
I followed 12 year old Simon who traveled from the UK to the Ukraine.
His grandfather was born in Liviv but 1940 got deported by Stalin. Later
he was released and ended up in London after he fought with the Allies
during WW2. (2002, Channel 5 - 26 minutes) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K Pictures Link |
A
Place in France - part 2: After delays with the planning permission
Nippy and Nigel could start proper restoration work but Nigel got into
cash flow difficulties. He is now hoping that Celine, a charming local
mortgage broker, might help him out. Nippy is exploring the possibilities
of exporting French delicatessen to the UK. As a director/cameraman
I can see interesting new story lines but the challenge is not to lose
sight of the main plot: the restoration of the house at Les Fabres. |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Take
Away - Sri Lanka: a 26 min. documentary for the Taste Network (UK
Cable). As a cameraman I followed the UK born Indian cook Seema Gupta
on her first trip to Sri Lanka where she studied traditional cooking techniques.
The comparison of cultural differences was another important element of
the programme. (2001) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Take
Away - Kerala / India: a 26 min. documentary for the Taste Network
(UK Cable). As a cameraman I followed the UK based Indian chef Das Sreedharan
back to his home country Kerala in South India where we compared the native
cooking style with Das's menu in London. The progamme was shot within
1 week. (2001) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Saddam's
Bomb: a 40 min. investigation for German TV ARD and the BBC about
Saddam's nuclear weapons programme. The film is based on an eyewitness
account of a former Iraqi scientist who claims that Iraq conducted successful
underground atomic tests in September 1989. As a cameraman I shot key
sequences in Iraq, the UK and the USA. (2001) |
 QuickTime
300K
or 40K
Pictures Link |
A
Place in France - part 1: a new Channel 4 docusoap filmed over
1 1/2 years about two Brits - Nippy a Sikh shopkeeper and Nigel a journalist
- who are buying and restoring a holiday house in France. They could only
afford to buy a ruin on a remote mountain in the Ardeche region but they
fell in love with the stunning scenery and they are convinced to end up
with a jewel. I got involved as a director/cameraman + French translator. (2000) |
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Gardens
of the Mind: a 27 min. documentary for BBC World TV about the
sociological history of garden architecture, comparing the 18th century
park of Stowe in Buckinghamshire with the 20th century garden of the post-modernist
architect Charles Jenks. Produced and presented by Sham Ambiavagar, shot
and edited by myself. (1999) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Saddam's
Secret Time Bomb: a 40-minute Dispatches programme for Channel
4 (UK) on the long-term effects of chemical weapons used against the Kurdish
city of Halabja in 1988. With a tiny Sony DV camera I followed the director/reporter
Gwynne Roberts and the British geneticist Christine Gosden on a clandestine
investigation in Northern Iraq. I shot the most harrowing pictures of
my life and the film sold world-wide: CBS 60 Minutes USA, ABC Australia,
ZDF Germany etc. In 1998 nominated as one of the 3 best foreign documentaries by the Royal Television Society with a special commendation by the Rory Peck Award (1998) |
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The Money Makers: a 27-minute
documentary about German investment bankers in London. This report was
produced and directed by a young freelance journalist who won a prize
from the German foundation "context". I filmed and edited this
video. (1997) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
The Cuba Connection:
a 51-minute documentary for HTV (UK). The film tells the story of six
idealists building an ‘environmentally friendly’ cargo sailing boat with
recycled scrap metal. Their aim is to establish trade relations with Cuba
and protest against the American trade embargo. Filming started early
95 in the UK and ended in December 96 in Havana. I filmed, co-directed
and edited this story with a colleague. (1997) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
The
Saudi Tapes: a CHANNEL 4 ‘Dispatches’ programme about the growing
opposition movements in Saudi Arabia including an exclusive portrait of
Osama Ben Ladin, an internationally wanted financier of Islamic terrorism.
As cameraman I shot footage in Kuwait and Afghanistan. (1996) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Karzan’s
Brothers - Escape from the Safe Haven: a 65-minute investigative documentary
for BBC 1 ‘Inside Story’. As cameraman and director I used secret cameras
and mini DV equipment to film a perilous journey smuggling illegal Kurdish
immigrants from Iraq to Britain. Sold world-wide. (1996) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Voices
from the Aftermath: a 30-minute ICRC
documentary about victims of war in the Middle East. Employed as cameraman
I shot footage in Lebanon, Iraq and Israel. (1995) |
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Larisa’s
War: a 13-minute ICRC documentary about a Bosnian refugee in search
of her family. I shot this report on my own in Bosnia and London. Broadcast
at the International Women's Day meeting in Beijing and on numerous news
magazine programmes world-wide. (1993) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Rebels
of the Forgotten World: a 52-minute documentary, shot mostly on my
own, for CHANNEL 4 (UK) about Papuan OPM Guerrillas desperately fighting
for their independence. This film follows the journey from my initial
meeting with the OPM on a clandestine airstrip and how I succeeded in
evading the pursuing Indonesian army for more than 6 months. Sold internationally. (1991) |
 QuickTime 300K or 40K |
Eldorado
Perdido: a 52-minute documentary for Swiss TV SRG about a Brazilian
garimpero trying to find gold in the territory of the Yanomami Indians.
I filmed and directed this story with 2 Swiss colleagues. (1989) |
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Suisse
- La Forteresse Inconnue: a 52-minute documentary for ANTENNE 2 (France)
about the Swiss army and its system of civil protection. I shot and co-directed
this film with a colleague from Paris. (1988) |
