Kriegsfotografie

The documentary “Kriegsfotografie im Wandel” (War Photography in Transition) traces the development of professional war photography and its effect on how war is portrayed.

The film examines the changes in war reporting and shows how new technical possibilities and access to information are influencing the work of photographers. Four war photographers, Jay Ullal, Ursula Meissner, Sebastian Backhaus and Hosam Katan, share their personal and at times life-threatening experiences from different generations. The film accompanies two of them on a current journey to Iraq and Lebanon and presents their artistic work alongside striking examples of war photography.

The documentary addresses the transformation of an industry in which professional photographers receive fewer and fewer commissions and their images have to compete with a flood of social media content. It also raises the question of whether artistic standards and journalistic neutrality are being lost as a result. “Kriegsfotografie im Wandel” explores how the depiction of war has changed over the decades and what these changes mean for photographers and viewers.

The film is in German.