Finalists announced for Rory Peck Awards 2016

The Rory Peck Trust has announced the finalists of the Rory Peck Awards 2016, sponsored by Sony professional, which honour the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in news and current affairs. The line up includes new and returning finalists from eight countries, including women freelancers from Syria and the UK.

The stories of refugees and migrants feature prominently this year. News finalist Will Vassilopoulos and News Features finalists Marco Salustro and Lottie Gammon, uncover stories of desperation, detention and kidnapping in Greece, Libya and Macedonia respectively.

Syrian and Yemeni freelancers living and working in the midst of conflict are News finalists for intense footage from the frontlines. Waad Al Kateeb — a 24 year old Syrian mother from Aleppo — and Yemeni video journalist Nabil Hassan from Aden, show us the devastation wrought on their home cities and the people who live in them.

The struggles and motivations of soldiers fighting for and against extremism in Syria and Iraq are revealed in intimate detail by Sony Impact finalist Paul Salahadin Refsdal in an unsettling portrait of Jabat al Nusra’s suicide bombers, and by News Features finalists Ayman Oghanna and Warzer Jaff who embed with Iraq’s elite Golden Division as they fight to expel Islamic State from Anbar Province.

And the resilience of families and children rebuilding lives devastated by conflict in Syria, and by ebola in Sierra Leone are movingly explored by Sony Impact finalists Marcel Mettelsiefen and Ben Steele in masterful films that, ultimately, reveal hope.

“The work of this year’s finalists shows very clearly that freelancers are at the forefront of news and current affairs, uncovering stories that shape the agenda, inform our lives, challenge our views and inspire us to act. Their curiosity, bravery and dedication is inspiring, says Tina Carr, Director of the Rory Peck Trust. “But as journalists around the world continue to be targeted, freelancers are the most vulnerable – many still work alone without any backup. We recognise the value of freelancers and we are proud to support them through the awards and through our work at the Trust.”

“At Sony we believe in the incredible power of images and nowhere is this better exemplified than in the work of freelance cameramen and women, whose work we honour at the Rory Peck Awards”, comments Michael Harrit, Marketing Director Media Solutions, Sony Professional Solutions, Europe. “That this year’s finalists have produced such sophisticated, impactful work from within unimaginable circumstances is an inspiration to us all. Our sponsorship of the Rory Peck Awards is Sony’s recognition of the immense value that freelancers bring to the news agenda and our acknowledgement of all that the Rory Peck Trust does to support in these challenging times.”

This year’s winners will be announced at the Rory Peck Awards ceremony which takes place at London’s BFI Southbank on Wednesday 7 December.  The event is the main fundraiser for the Rory Peck Trust which is dedicated to the support of freelance journalists and their families worldwide.

To buy tickets to the Rory Peck Awards ceremony and see the work of this year’s finalists, visit the Rory Peck Awards website, www.rorypeckawards.org.