Cinema
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Posted on 04/20/2011 5:55:03 PM PDT by sinanju
An Oscar-nominated war-film director and a second prize-winning photojournalist died covering a battle between rebels and Libyan government forces in the western city of Misrata on Wednesday.
Two other Western photographers apparently working alongside them were wounded.
British-born Tim Hetherington, co-director of the 2010 documentary "Restrepo" about U.S. soldiers on an outpost in Afghanistan, was killed, said his U.S.-based publicist, Johanna Ramos Boyer.
Prize-winning photojournalist Chris Hondros died from wounds Wednesday while covering the battle between Libya government forces and rebels in the western city of Misrata.
Chris Hondros, a New York-based photographer for Getty Images, died later Wednesday after suffering a serious head wound, according to Getty's director of photography, Pancho Bernasconi.
Doctors said two other photographers were treated for shrapnel wounds: Guy Martin, a Briton affiliated with the Panos photo agency, and Michael Christopher Brown, a New York-based photographer originally from Skagit Valley, Wash.
The bodies of Hetherington, 41, and Hondros, 41, were taken from Misrata to Benghazi by the International Organization for Migration aboard the Ionian Spirit, which had been brought in to evacuate civilians from Misrata, according to a statement by Human Rights Watch. Martin and Brown remained in the hospital in Misrata.
(snip)
Hetherington was best known as co-director of the documentary film "Restrepo" with Sebastian Junger, author of "The Perfect Storm." The film tells the story of the 2nd Platoon of Battle Company in the 173rd Airborne Combat Team on its deployment in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. The title refers to the platoon outpost, named after a popular soldier, Juan Restrepo, who was killed early in the fighting.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I thought naming the movie "Restrepo" was a stroke of genius on the part of the film makers. The sort of sinister-sounding, evocative, one-word title that would compel the Sundance sophisticates to give it a chance.
Otherwise, the movie was a major downer. It did not give me any confidence in the leaders of these brave Marines and looked like Vietnam Redux all the way. Unlike "Gunner Palace" it did not look at all slanted either way. Just straight up.
RIP
I saw him and Sebastian Junger, and some of the soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, at a screening for Restrepo last year.
It's a crime that film didn't win best documentary, IMO.
This is sad and very unfortunate. Films like Restrepo are a great service to those men and for all of us.
Don’t forget Hondros. He was a hell of a guy who was willing to help anyone in his field. I only met him once, but he made an impression.
If you haven’t seen Restrepo, see it.
The way some of the soldiers deal with the bad situation is haunting.
No heros, just guys trying to get through another day.
Sadly Restrepo showed the reality of a NATO command.
Since Obama has taken command we have lost over 60% of total casualties.
The ROE has gotten even worse since Restrepo was filmed.
I believe Heatheringtons last communication in Misrata was that they were taking HEAVY fire and that NATO was no where to be found
The bit about Hondros working for Getty Images jumped right out at me. I could never have imagined that Getty Images had their OWN stable of photographers, though I’ll admit I’m not too familiar with the documentarian side of Getty Images. Are they now like a wire service of news journal-type photos?
Does the Times-Picayune Tattler and the Farmer-Journal Tribune go to them for fresh, up-to-the-minute pix of things blowing up?
This reminds me of Bernard Fall dying in Vietnam (after writing “Hell in a Very Small Place” about Dien Bien Phu, then “Street Without Joy”). He believed the Americans would win with their superior technology and stronger commitment, then died on the very same “Street Without Joy”.
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