THE RORY PECK AWARDS 2004
Sponsored by Sony
James Miller
Death in Gaza
Winner: The Rory Peck Award for Features
“I can see his care and consideration in every shot and the deeper thought comes out. It has enterprise, initiative, technical ability, the element of risk and a consideration for the crew. The camera eye and vision was outstanding. The kids doing the mock gun-fight...filmed as if they were at war...he made a connection that took him past the camera." Judge's Comment |
Filmed in Rafah, James Miller and Saira Shah intended to show the effects of war on the lives of Israeli and Palestinian children. Before the film could be finished, James Miller was killed.
Saira Shah on filming "Death in Gaza"
"Ironically, our film was not a war film. It centred on the lives of ordinary kids trying to grow up in this kind of environment. James loved kids, and our main character, Ahmed, instinctively warmed to him...Gradually, during filming, a close bond grew up between Ahmed and James.
James's death had a profound effect on Ahmed: he stopped working with the paramilitaries, and six months after filming sent us a video message, saying he wanted to become a cameraman."
Biography
At the age of 34, James Miller had already achieved more than most filmmakers do in a lifetime. Documentaries he shot and directed had won three Emmys, a BAFTA, five RTS Awards and a Golden nymph. He had been a finalist for the rory Peck Award on three occasions. Miller cut his teeth as a freelance cameraman in some of the most hostile environments in the world, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, the Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Iraq. In 2001 he shot 'beneath the Veil', an epic journey through the repression, terror and war of Taliban-contrlled Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan to film and direct 'unholywar' during the allied bombing campaign. Both these films received Emmy Awards in 2002.
Awards 2004 pictures
The Trust and Sony
Farewell from Miles Flint
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