THE RORY PECK AWARDS 2007
Sponsored by Sony

THE MARTIN ADLER PRIZE

WINNER

BITEK OKETCH

 

At Rory Peck Awards 2007 in London, Bitek Oketch, out of Africa for the first time in his life, became the winner of the first ever Martin Adler Prize.

Bitek lives in Gulu, Northern Uganda where, during a terrible two decade-long war, he has worked as a freelance journalist and fixer for film crews. His role has been to help international filmmakers and reporters bring the war to the world's attention. He has frequently risked his own life and on one occasion survived a terrifying helicopter crash in rebel-held territory. 

Accepting his prize from Martin’s brother, Alan Adler, Bitek said: “allow me to salute the family of Martin Adler ….I want the world to know what is happening to my people in the northern part of Uganda. The guns are silent at the moment - but the war is not yet over.”

Introducing the prize, Rory Peck Trustee Tira Shubart said: “All of us who have worked in the field owe a huge debt of gratitude to our fixers--the women and men who offer visiting journalists practical help, cultural navigation and often translation. Most of these local journalists and fixers live in difficult and dangerous places. They don’t have the option to return to London or Paris or New York to recharge their batteries. What we call a story, they call their lives.”

The Martin Adler Prize is to honour a freelancer who has told, or played a vital part in telling a significant news story. The prize is given at the discretion of the Trustees of The Rory Peck Trust.

The recipient of this prize may be a freelance cameraman or woman, or the person who they have depended upon in the field for example their fixer, driver or freelance local reporter.

 

About Martin Adler

Swedish freelance journalist and cameraman Martin Adler had regularly entered The Rory Peck Awards since they began in 1995, sending footage and stories that shed light on some of the most dangerous and abusive situations in the world. He won The Rory Peck Award for Hard News in 2004 for his shocking account of the US army’s modus operandi in Iraq, which included footage of US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, months before the Abu Ghraib story broke. One of the judges called him “a proper, proper freelancer, bang in the tradition of what Rory Peck is about: taking initiative, getting out there and doing it, journalism and pictures…”

Martin Adler was murdered while working in Somalia in 2006. In recognition of his support of The Rory Peck Trust, and his great talents as a filmmaker and storyteller, The Rory Peck Trust is inaugurating this special prize in Martin’s memory.

About The Rory Peck Awards

The Rory Peck Awards, sponsored by Sony, is a unique and highly respected international competition, which celebrates the work of freelance cameramen and camerawomen in TV news and current affairs. The awards ceremony is a moving celebration which honours their skill and initiative, their independence and, above all, their courage.

This annual event is the main fundraiser for The Rory Peck Trust, the charity which exists to help freelancers worldwide in need and their families, and to promote their welfare and safety. The Trust also provides bursaries enabling freelancers to undertake safety training and promotes good practice in the newsgathering industry.

For further details, please contact:

Tina Carr

Tel: +44 (0)20 7730 1411

tina@rorypecktrust.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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