“Restrepo” Director Tim Hetherington Killed In Libya

Tim Hetherington, who produced and co-directed the excellent Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo about one American platoon’s experiences in Afghan

istan over the course of a year, has been killed during a battle in Misrata, Libya:

BENGHAZI, Libya — Tim Hetherington, the Oscar-nominated film director and conflict photographer who produced the film “Restrepo,” was killed in the besieged city of Misurata on Wednesday, and three photographers working beside him were wounded.
The wounds to two of the photographers — Chris Hondros and Guy Martin — were grave, according to a colleague at the triage center where they were being treated Wednesday night. Their prospects for survival were not immediately clear.
Mr. Hondros, an American working for the Getty photo agency, suffered a severe brain injury and was in extremely critical condition, according to a colleague who was with at the triage center. He had been revived and was clinging to life in the evening, the colleague said.
Mr. Martin, a British citizen working for the Panos photo agency, had shrapnel wounds and was undergoing vascular surgery Wednesday night, according to the same account. He was in surgery Wednesday night.
The fourth photographer, Michael Christopher Brown, suffered shrapnel injuries but his life was not in danger.
Misurata, Libya’s third largest city, has been cut off by land from the rest of Libya by military forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. It has been the scene of intensive, close-quarters fighting for weeks. Hundreds of Libyans have been confirmed killed.

Sad news indeed, Hetherington and his co-workers did excellent work in Restrepo (which I recommend seeing if you haven’t) and they’ve met an all too common fate for war correspondents.

“Restrepo” Director Tim Hetherington Killed In Libya (UPDATED)

by Peter Knegt (April 20, 2011)

Image courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington has been killed in Libya, it is being reported by Vanity Fair (where Hetherington worked as a contributing photographer).
Though there are conflicting reports to the contrary, Vanity Fair is reporting that Hetherington’s colleague Chris Hondros is alive and remains in grave condition. It is also being reported that three other journalists were wounded in the incident, which was a mortar attack. Photographer Guy Martin is in very serious condition, while freelancer Michael Brown is slightly wounded. The identity of the fifth person is unknown.
The news was first posted on fellow photographer Andre Liohn’s Facebook page.
Hetherington co-directed last year’s “Restrepo” with journalist Sebastian Junger, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. The film shows a year with one platoon in Afghanistan’s deadliest valley. He was also the cinematographer in Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg’s “The Devil Came on Horseback.”
In a statement, the Hetherington family said the following:
“It is with great sadness we learned that our son and brother photographer and filmmaker Tim Hetherington was killed today in Misrata, Libya by a rocket-propelled grenade. Tim will be remembered for his amazing images and his Academy Award nominated documentary “Restrepo” which he co-produced with his friend Sebastian Junger.
Tim was in Libya to continue his ongoing multimedia project to highlight humanitarian issues during time of war and conflict. He will be forever missed.”
”[We are] reeling from the news about Tim,” a representative from the Sundance Film Festival told iW Wednesday afternoon as news spread about the tragedy. “We all adored him. We send our condolences to all of Tim’s family and friends.”
His “Restrepo” co-director Sebastian Junger, meanwhile, said in a statement:
“There is no way to express my devastation and sorrow at the death of my dear friend, Tim Hetherington in Misrata, Libya. Tim was one of the most courageous and principled journalists I have ever known. The good that he accomplished – both with his camera, and simply as a concerned person in some of the most devastated countries in the world – cannot be measured. I can’t believe he is truly gone.”
Hetherington’s last tweet on his Twitter feed read: “In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.”
indieWIRE interviewed Hetherington alongside Sebastian Junger last year.

'Restrepo' director killed in Libya

Photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, both 41, were killed Wednesday and two others were hurt by mortar fire in Misurata, Libya, according to the Washington Post and other news agencies.
Hetherington, a British native who was based in Brooklyn, N.Y., was nominated for an OscarTim Hetherington, Outpost Films Tim Hetherington at the Restrepo outpost in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, during filming of "Restrepo" in 2007. last year for the Afghan war documentary "Restrepo," which he co-directed with writer Sebastian Junger.
"There is no way to express my devastation and sorrow at the death of my dear friend," Junger said in a statement. "I can't believe he's truly gone."
Hetherington was a contributing photographer for Vanity Fair, though he was not on assignment for VF at the time. He also worked with CNN in Afghanistan two years ago, the cable network said.
Hondros worked for Getty Images. He had covered numerous wars and conflicts during his career. He was also engaged.

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