THE RORY PECK AWARDS 2006
Sponsored by Sony

DIRK NEL - South African

Killer’s Paradise

Winner: The Rory Peck Award for Features

The film attempts to uncover the reasons for the unbelievable and mysterious escalation of violence against women in Guatemala. The crimes are rarely investigated and murderers are not convicted.

Cameraman's Comment

"This documentary had an immensely powerful impact on me emotionally. At one point I had to consider hard whether I could continue filming. Although I have filmed in dangerous places before this was different in the sense that no one had any answers to why this ‘femicide’ was happening. It seemed Guatemala was fraught with gangs and senseless violence. There is a huge drive to combat the situation and people are fed up and desperate.”

Biography

Dirk Nel grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1991 he trained as a camera assistant in Cape Town working on various commercials and feature films. He has worked on a number of documentaries over the last ten years travelling to many countries and covering a wide range of subjects including conflict zones. His BBC film, Children of Beslan won an RTS Award and was nominated for a BAFTA. Dirk lives in London with his wife and child.

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