Followed by a live panel discussion with director Bao Nguyen, photojournalist Gary Knight, producer Fiona Turner, and moderated by journalist Charles Sennott
A former Saigon photo editor plagued by a 52-year secret courageously makes a stunning admission, setting off a gripping two-year investigation into five decades of buried secrets behind one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic photographs. Acclaimed war photographer Gary Knight and journalists Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein, and Lê Vân embark on a relentless search to locate and seek justice for a man known only as “the stringer.”
The work of photographers during the Vietnam War exposed the horrors committed against the civilian population to a Western audience largely unaware of the scale of the atrocities. The iconic photograph, The Terror of War, also known as Napalm Girl, was shocking in its depiction of the violence experienced by children, prompting global protests and calls to end the war. But a claim by a former Associated Press photo editor raises doubts over the image’s origins. Bao Nguyen’s film follows a relentless journey to find the truth, locating a photographer known only as ‘the stringer’ who claims he took the photo, throwing the AP photographer credit into question. In following this investigation Nguyen’s film tackles racial injustice and journalistic ethics as it questions why Vietnamese photographers’ essential contribution to this conflict have not found their place in history.
Bao Nguyen – Director
Bao Nguyen is an Emmy-nominated Vietnamese American filmmaker whose work has been seen on HBO, Netflix, the New York Times, Arte, among many others. He directed BE WATER, a deep dive into the life and journey of Bruce Lee, which competed in the U.S. Documentary Competition category at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was invited to other
prestigious festivals such as SXSW, Cannes, Telluride, Hot Docs, among many others. It is broadcast nationally on ESPN and is the most-watched ESPN 30 for 30 film ever. His latest film, THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, a feature documentary about the making of the seminal global hit song “We Are the World,” world premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and launched globally on Netflix on January 29th, where it quickly became the number one film globally on the platform. He is a 2011 PBS/WGBH Producers Workshop Fellow, an alumnus of the 2012 and 2014 Berlinale Talent Campus, a Firelight Media Fellow, and a 2022 BAFTA US Breakthrough recipient. He earned his BA in Politics/International Relations at NYU and his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Gary Knight
Gary Knight began his career as a photojournalist in the late ‘80’s, documenting regions and societies in conflict and crisis across the globe. He has won multiple awards and honours for his work and is a prominent voice within the visual journalism community.
As a freelance photographer and later, a contract photographer for Newsweek for many years, his work was commonly seen in the major international publications of the time. Knight is the architect and founding member of VII Photo, established at the forefront of the digital age as the industry was adapting at the turn of the new millennium. It was during these years of international photojournalism that he recognised that much of the reporting that is published in the western press is enterprised by journalists working in their home territories, often without recognition and without access to mentorship and support. The VII (Seven) Foundation, of which he is co-founder and CEO, is committed to in-depth journalism and empowering new voices through tuition-free education in regions where press freedom is limited and journalists are vulnerable.
Fiona Turner – Producer
Fiona Turner is a five-time Emmy award-winning journalist and producer with 20 years experience in news and documentary for the US networks; ABC News and NBC News. For the past decade, she has worked on major projects for The VII Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that seeks impact and veracity in visual documentary through the practice and teaching of journalistic principles in visual storytelling. Turner produced and directed EAT UP, 2019, a feature documentary that followed a philanthropic entrepreneur as she set to elevate school meals in the Boston Public Schools. IMAGINE: REFLECTIONS ON PEACE, 2020, is a multi platform project examining post conflict nations. Production outcomes included an extensive book, short films, multi-media exhibition and an educational curriculum.
Terri Lichstein – Producer
Terri Lichstein spent over three decades with ABC News, reporting, producing, Executive Producing, overseeing breaking news, and long form narrative investigative programming for the network. She has been recognized by the Emmy Awards, Dupont Awards, Peabody, Overseas Press Club, and the IRE-Investigative, Reporters, and Editors Award. Lichstein spent ten years in London covering foreign news, three years in Washington, DC covering politics, and foreign policy. She created and ran the Law and Justice team at the news division in New York. Lichstein also worked on creating news content for multiple platforms, including executive producing two highly successful narrative multi-part podcasts. She was awarded one of the most prestigious journalism opportunities, the Nieman Fellowship, at Harvard University.
Sue Turley – Executive Producer
Sue Turley is the Senior Vice President for Development, Production and Strategic Partnerships for XRM Media. Prior, Sue was the Managing Director for ro*co films productions for 18 years. An industry veteran, Sue has a strong track record in identifying, investing in, producing and distributing award-winning and Oscar-nominated projects such as Sundance’s 2023 Audience Award Winner and 2024 Oscar Shortlisted and BAFTA Nominated; BEYOND UTOPIA, directed by Madeleine Gavin, 2024 Oscar Shortlisted; 32 SOUNDS, directed by Sam Green, and 2020 Oscar Nominated Crip Camp, directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham.
