THE RORY PECK AWARDS 2004
Sponsored by Sony
Tara Sutton
Falluja Exclusive
Finalist: The Rory Peck Award for Hard News
"It makes a statement about the independence of journalism." "Different from what you'd normally get if embedded with troops...she took a huge risk." Judge's Comments |
Tara Sutton, fixer Ahmed Al Jumaily and Observer correspondent Patrick Graham managed to enter Falluja during a cease-fire on the day of the peace deal. The Americans had cordoned off the city for almost three weeks. Resistance fighters were still out on the streets and very wary.
Camerawoman's Comments
"This was a perfect example of how being a freelance video journalist allowed me to gain access and footage that traditional crews couldn't have. Very little was reported during the siege from Falluja.
On the day we entered, there were rumours that refugees would be allowed back in (they weren't) so the highway from Baghdad was busy and therefore safe. We waited several hours and then noticed a footpath to the side of the highway and decided to walk. There was a cultural tendency to ignore women rather than look at them directly. This helped me a lot as I wore a veil and Abaya.
I will never forget arriving at the mass graves. I watched as Ahmed scanned the graves that were marked with names. Many of the dead were unknown and burried only with descriptions of where they were found. He was near tears as he discovered that several friends and acquaintances had been killed. It was important for me to get this story out as quickly as possible."
Biography
Tara Sutton began reporting from Iraq in January 2003 and has been living in Iraq since November 2003. She has also reported from Uganda, Cambodia, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. Her feature 'Baghdad Kids' has won several awards in north America as has 'RThe Survivor of Toul Sleng', a half hour documentary she made in Cambodia in 2002. Tara received a Rory Peck Bursary for a hostile environment training course in 2003.
Awards 2004 pictures
The Trust and Sony
Farewell from Miles Flint
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