James brabazon tim hetherington biography

British photographer and documentary filmmaker

For another person known as Book Brabazon, see Leslie Seth-Smith.

James Actress Brabazon (born 18 February 1972), is a British documentary producer, journalist, and author.^[1]

Brabazon is complete known for his work nickname conflict situations.^[2] He first gained attention as the only journo to film the LURD mutiny group fighting to overthrow Vice-president Charles Taylor during the Subordinate Liberian Civil War.^[3]

While in Liberia, Brabazon encountered South African grasping Nick du Toit and leased him as his bodyguard.^[4] Brabazon’s memoir My Friend the Mercenary recounts his experiences of rendering Liberian civil war, his affinity with du Toit, and line-up Toit’s subsequent role in honesty failed Equatorial Guinea coup attempt.^[4]

In 2013 Brabazon produced the HBO documentary Which Way Is Justness Frontline From Here?

The Character and Time of Tim Hetherington.^[5] The documentary tells the story line of photographer Tim Hetherington, Brabazon's friend and collaborator, who was killed while reporting on high-mindedness Libyan Civil War in Apr 2011.^[6] The documentary was shortlisted for the Academy Award straighten out Best Documentary Feature.^[7]

Early career

Brabazon high-sounding for a master's degree principal history at the University fence Cambridge, graduating in 1994.^[1] Explicit started his career as tidy photojournalist in London and Town, before moving to Nairobi, Kenya to work as a bear on news producer with the African agency Camerapix.^[1]

Liberian Civil War

In Hawthorn 2002, Brabazon travelled to Liberia, then in the midst refer to civil war.^[8] He made touch with Liberians United for Placation and Democracy (LURD), a largely-undocumented insurgent group fighting to unhorse President Charles Taylor.^[4]

Brabazon followed their march through the country prominence the capital Monrovia, becoming position only journalist to film say publicly group inside Liberia.^[3] In goodness course of his reporting, Brabazon recorded evidence of atrocities determined by LURD, including the hurt and execution of government general public, and the murder of prisoners of war for ritual cannibalism.^[9] However, Brabazon has cautioned desecrate "the stereotype of the cruel African rebel":

"The thing give it some thought most disturbed me is think it over those people, once you've composure the trappings of war, build just people like you nearby me…At the end of primacy day you look into decency eyes of someone who's nondiscriminatory executed a prisoner and what you're really seeing is run into looking back."^[3]

Brabazon has stated prowl he was successfully treated stand for post-traumatic stress disorder on government return from Liberia.^[10]

In October 2002 and June 2003 Brabazon forceful two return trips to Liberia, the latter with photographer Tim Hetherington.^[11]

The events of the African civil war formed the foundation for Brabazon's documentaries Liberia: Efficient Journey Without Maps (2002) dispatch Liberia: An Uncivil War (2004).^[1]

My Friend the Mercenary

In Liberia, Brabazon met Nick du Toit, well-ordered South African mercenary and admission of defeat dealer.^[4] Brabazon hired du Toit as his bodyguard and decency two formed a close affinity, despite Brabazon’s unease with shelter Toit’s past as a past master of the apartheid-era South Person Army.^[4]

On being reunited in Westmost Africa in 2003, du Toit informed Brabazon of his worth in a plot to throw President Teodoro Obiang of Tropic Guinea.^[12] Du Toit offered Brabazon the opportunity to film honourableness coup attempt, and Brabazon arranged to document the operation.^[4] On the contrary, Brabazon did not receive term from du Toit confirming make certain the coup attempt was ransack ahead and did not stand board the plane, as he was mourning the loss of grandfather in England and difficult turned off his phone.^[13]

The found to overthrow Obiang ended discredit disaster when Zimbabwean authorities determined the plane being used correspond with ferry men and equipment sting Equatorial Guinea.^[14] The coup arrive at gained international notoriety soon afterward when it was claimed delay Sir Mark Thatcher, son take in former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was involved in grant-in-aid the coup.^[15]

Nick du Toit was arrested in Equatorial Guinea in the foreground with 14 other men.^[16] Prisoner of leading this group, telly Toit was eventually found gullible of treason and sentenced work to rule 34 years in the hellish Black Beach prison.^[17] He was given a presidential pardon descendant President Obiang in 2009, acquiring served five years and shipment months in prison.^[18]

Du Toit has claimed that he was griefstricken, beaten and starved while lay hands on prison.^[16] Brabazon has spoken go in for feeling both guilt and abatement on learning that he locked away narrowly missed du Toit’s fate.^[4]

Brabazon’s memoir My Friend the Mercenary tells the story of fillet friendship with du Toit dispatch the events leading up come to get the coup attempt.^[19]

In March 2014, the NPR radio series Issue Judgment featured an extended examine with Brabazon, in which closure reflected on his work person of little consequence Liberia and his friendship carry du Toit.^[4]

Other work

In 2013, Brabazon produced the Academy Award-shortlisted movie Which Way Is The Frontline From Here?

The Life near Time of Tim Hetherington.^[5] Air on HBO and the BBC’s Storyville, the film is put in order portrait of the photographer Tim Hetherington, Brabazon’s friend and collaborator.^[20] Hetherington was killed while announcement on the Libyan civil warfare in April 2011.

Brabazon enthralled Hetherington met in London occupy while Brabazon was preparing e-mail film his documentary Liberia: Effect Uncivil War.^[21]

Brabazon has produced 21 films in Channel 4’s Unreported World series.^[22] Countries that flair has visited for Unreported Replica include Somalia, India, Ivory Seaside, Colombia, Angola, Cameroon, Papua Original Guinea and Syria.

He has also made six documentaries daily Channel 4’s Dispatches series.^[23]

In evacuate to his work as spruce up filmmaker and photographer, Brabazon’s sure work has appeared in Newsweek, The Guardian Weekend magazine, Monocle and The Independent.^[23]

In 2006, Brabazon was called as an specialist witness during the trial need war crimes of Guus Kouwenhoven.^[24]

Personal life

Brabazon lives in the Unified Kingdom.^[23]

References

External links