James Miller

Winner of the Rory Peck Award for Features, 2004

British
Shot in Rafah, Gaza, May 2003
Frostbite Films commissioned by HBO and Channel 4 Television

“Death in Gaza”
Filmed in Rafah, the footage, shot by James Miller, was for an HBO documentary showing the effect of war on the lives of Palestinian children. The main character, Ahmed, had begun working with the paramilitaries after he witnessed an older friend being shot by the Israelis. The film ends with the devastating footage showing how James Miller was killed.

“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
 
Biography
Already, at the age of 34, James Miller had 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 Awards on three occasions. Miller cut his teeth as a freelance cameraman in some of the most hostile environments in the world, including Algeria, Bosnia, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Iraq. In 2001, he shot “Beneath the Veil”, an epic journey through the repression, terror and war of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan to film and direct UNHOLY WAR during the allied bombing campaign. Both these films received EMMY awards in 2002. Had he lived, there is no doubt Miller would have gone on to be one of the pre-eminent directors of his generation.