Hedley Trigge
Finalist: The Hard News Award

Australian
"Zimbabwe Farm Invasions"
BBC News
Shot: April 2000

Judges Quote "... a very good sense of what matters in a story... this is the cameraman that every journalist would like to be sent out with to cover a story."

"As we tried to drive out the vehicle was blocked by the crowd. They attacked the car starting to roll it over and threatening to kill us. We were forced to reverse back then run to the farmhouse and take refuge in the most secure room in the house... After police had negotiated a safe passage, the crowd insisted on searching our bags and car. I said we were tourists when they saw remaining equipment in the car. The situation was very tense. I was able to hide a Sony Mini DV camera from view. It was this camera that I then used after driving out to complete filming the story... "

Hedley Trigge's footage was shot in Zimbabwe, as the issue of land distribution between blacks and whites led to increasing lawlessness and violence.

The film crew were following a farmer they had met in a safe area. As they drove, the farmer received news that a crowd was approaching his farm, wanting him to hand over the land. The crew decided to follow the farmer inside, planning to leave via a back gate in the compound if things became rough. Things became very rough indeed and the back gate - and every other exit - was blocked by the crowd who had now surrounded the compound. Trapped in the farm for hours, Trigge filmed secretly as the farmer, behind a grille, argued with the angry crowd. The crew, with the Betacam tapes hidden on their bodies, only succeeded in leaving the farm after police had negotiated safe passage.

Hedley Trigge was born in Australia and has worked all over the world. He covered the Gulf War with the BBC and events in the Middle East for ABC Australia based in Amman, Jordan until 1994. During this time he was awarded two of the Australian Cinematography Society's Golden Tripod Awards for films about Somalia's internal conflict. In 1997, still in Jordan, he and his wife Carolynn set up Crewcut Pictures and continued to freelance. In 1999 after being in the Middle East for 9 years, they relocated Crewcut Pictures to London, where Hedley continues to freelance for production companies and broadcasters all over the world.

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