James Miller (documentary filmmaker)
James Henry Dominic Miller (born December 18, 1968 in Haverfordwest , † May 2, 2003 in Rafah ) was a Welsh cameraman and documentary filmmaker . He was shot dead while filming a documentary in the Gaza Strip .
life and career
Miller was born the son of an army officer and a school principal. He grew up from the age of six in the Outer Hebrides , where his parents were stationed. He later studied photojournalism at the London College of Communication. In 1997 he married Sophy Warren-Knott, the couple had a son and a daughter.
Miller worked as a freelance journalist and joined Frontline News as a reporter in 1995 , for which he wrote a report on the civil war in Algeria , among other things . He took photos in Afghanistan and described the Afghans before the Taliban came to power as "wonderful people" with great hospitality. He later documented the Taliban's march on Kabul .
In 1999 he shot his first film, "Prime Suspects" , for Hardcash Productions . The film deals with a massacre in Kosovo and won the International Affairs Award of the Royal Television Society .
From 2000 he worked with Saira Shah , among others , who both traveled to Afghanistan again on behalf of Hardcash. It was there that the documentaries "Beneath the Veil" were created with Miller as cameraman, and "Unholy War", which he directed. Miller described the work on "Beneath the Veil" as extremely difficult, since filming was banned under the Taliban. Despite the use of hidden cameras, the team was arrested several times. In “Unholy War” the recordings were allowed in the area of the Northern Alliance , but the poor supply situation and the rapid change in the situation caused major problems. "Unholy War" won an Emmy and a Peabody Award .
From 2003, Miller and Shah filmed “Death in Gaza” (“ Fatal Enemies - What the Intifada Children Feel ”) about the fate of individual children in the Gaza Strip. While filming in Rafah, Miller was shot dead at night despite being clearly labeled as a television journalist. The film was completed by Saira Shah and premiered at the 2004 Berlinale . James Miller posthumously received three Emmys , a BAFTA Award and the Rory Peck Award for “Death in Gaza” .
Circumstances of death and consequences
The autopsy revealed that Miller was hit in the neck by a bullet from an M-16 assault rifle from the front, from the direction of Israeli soldiers. The jury of the London Investigative Court of St. Pancras ruled on April 6, 2006 that an Israeli soldier had targeted him. This soldier was identified as First Lieutenant Hib al Haib during the investigation.
Despite this guilty verdict, the officer did not have to serve a prison sentence in his home country, as two different reports, one of them from the weapons laboratory of the criminal police in Jerusalem, could not clearly prove that the fatal bullet was fired from his rifle: “ In dubio pro reo ". The British government, on behalf of the Millers family, lodged a complaint and requested the soldier's extradition. The British Attorney General , Lord Peter Henry Goldsmith , gave the Israeli judicial authorities an ultimatum to investigate al Haib. The lack of an Israeli charge was later criticized in the British Foreign Office's official human rights report.
In April 2008, the Israel Foreign Ministry offered the family a payment of £ 1.75 million if they agreed to terminate the case. In February 2009 it was reported that the family had agreed to compensation of £ 1.5 million.
Filmography
- 1999: Prime Suspects
- 2000: Dying for the President
- 2000: Children of the Secret State
- 2001: Unholy War
- 2001: Beneath the Veil
- 2002: The Tramp and the Dictator
- 2002: The Road from Rio
- 2002: The Trade Trap
- 2002: The Perfect Famine
- 2002: Armenia: The Betrayed
- 2004: Death in Gaza
Awards
- 1999: RTS Televisions Journalism Award for Prime Suspect (Current Affair - International)
- 2001: RTS Craft and Design Award for Beneath the Veil (camera)
- 2001: Emmy for Beneath the Veil (producer) and Unholy War (camera)
- 2001: SAIS-Novartis International Journalism Awards for Beneath the Veil
- 2001: Peabody Award for Beneath the Veil and Unholy War
- 2004: Rory Peck Award for Death in Gaza (posthumous)
- 2005: Three Emmys for Death in Gaza (posthumous) (Outstand Directing for Non-fiction Program, Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming, Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking)
Web links
- James Miller in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- "Death in Gaza" on the Berlinale website (PDF file; 117 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ James Miller. Documentary maker . The Independent, March 7, 2003
- ↑ a b Journalists Behind 'Beneath the Veil' and 'Unholy War' Tell Their Stories . Transcript of a conversation on Larry King Live on December 26, 2001
- ^ A b James Miller, Renowned filmer of recent conflicts Obituary by David Henshaw in the Guardian, May 7, 2003
- ^ Death in Gaza, Awards Internet Movie Database
- ^ Miller's family push for prosecution Guardian, April 6, 2006
- ^ The court declares documentary filmmaker to be a murder victim of the Israeli army. Spiegel Online, April 8, 2006
- ↑ Award-winning film-maker's death divides UK and Israel . The Independent, August 6, 2007
- ↑ Great Britain. Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Human rights: annual report 2007 . The Stationery Office, 2008, p. 158.
- ↑ Israel to pay £ 1.75m to family of James Miller in deal over killers . Times online April 23, 2008
- ↑ to compensate family of British filmmaker killed by IDF ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Haaretz.com on April 22, 2008
- ↑ Shot Briton's family 'gets £ 1.5m' BBC online February 1, 2009
- ↑ Television Journalism Awards 1999 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ RTS Craft and Design Award 2000-01 ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 23rd Annua; News & Documentary Emmey Ewards ( Memento of the original from September 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ SAIS-Novartis International Journalism Awards Program Announces Year 2001 Winners ( Memento of the original from June 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
- ↑ CNN Presents: Beneath the Veil and Unholy War ( Memento of the original from June 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Teh Rory Peck Awards - Previous Winners ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ 2005 Emmy Awards in the Internet Movie Database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Miller, James |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Miller, James Henry Dominic (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British cameraman and documentary filmmaker |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 18th December 1968 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Haverfordwest |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 2, 2003 |
| Place of death | Rafah |