By Caitlin Pike
Freelance cameraman Cyrus V Nhara and
camerawoman “Sara” were named as the winners of this year’s Sony Impact
Award at the annual Rory Peck Awards on Tuesday night.
They won
for their film Zimbabwe: Forced Evictions, which was the first footage
of the slum clearances to reach the international community.
Sara
has chosen to remain anonymous to protect both her safety and ongoing
efforts to broadcast images around the world from Zimbabwe.
Related
Their
footage, which was broadcast by ITN in June, captured the devastation
caused by Zimbabwe’s controversial slum clearance policy.
The
Sony Impact Award recognises humanitarian footage shot by a freelance
that has had an impact worldwide and contains images that have changed
perception or policy.
Alexander Lomakin, the first cameraman to
film the aftermath of the Beslan school massacre, won the Rory Peck
hard news award for his film Beslan Siege.
Content from our partners
Ruhi Hamid’s film
about the Asian tsunami, At the Epicentre, Proposal by journalists and
politicians to film in main committee corridor is denied by House of
Commons claimed the features award.
The two films portray different perspectives of the risks facing freelancers from natural and man-made events.
Lomakin
said: “We were not prepared for the events of 3 September, but in the
chaos I managed to do a bit more, a bit quicker than colleagues from
other companies, thanks to the support I received from my team on the
ground.”
Hamid’s film tells the story of the 7,000 survivors of
the Indonesian village of Lampuuk, which was flattened by last year’s
tsunami. Judges’ comments included: “At first I thought this was a big
production with a huge crew and a director on board, but she did it all
herself, which is absolutely amazing.”
This year’s Freelances’
Choice Award was presented to print journalist Fatima Tlisova for her
continuous bravery, commitment to the story and efforts to help fellow
journalists.
The Rory Peck Awards are the major fundraising event
for the Rory Peck Trust, which this year celebrates its 10th
anniversary. The trust was established in memory of Rory Peck, who was
killed on assignment in Moscow in 1993.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
