Sundance documentary ‘The Stringer’ debates who took AP photo of ‘napalm girl’ in Vietnam

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PARK CITY, Utah (AP) – After a century of civil peace, a freelance photographer in Vietnam said he took one of the most famous and influential images of the 20th century – a picture of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack in South Vietnam that has long been recognized as an Associated Press photographer. Press.

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Nguyen Thanh Nghe claimed ownership of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “napalm girl” image in the new documentary “The Stringer” and on the sidelines of its premiere Saturday night at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

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The AP conducted its own investigation and said it has no reason to conclude that none other than longtime photographer Nick Ut took the photo. The news agency said it was “surprised and disappointed” that the filmmakers had revealed that they had reviewed material on the film and were rejecting it. The AP said it saw the film for the first time at Sundance.

Nghe joined the filmmakers in a Q&A after the screening where he said, through a translator, “I took a picture.” The audience cheered with excitement. He did not say why he waited so long to apply.

The AP said it would review the material but wanted to speak with the stakeholders who signed non-disclosure agreements for the filmmakers, including Nghe. “We cannot make it any clearer that the Associated Press is only interested in the facts and the true history of this strange image.”

Investigating a photograph taken in the fog of war

Nguyen says he took a picture of Kim Phuc on June 8, 1972. Nghe said he went to Trang Bang town that day as a driver for an NBC news crew and took a picture of Phuc running down the street, crying and naked. arms outstretched. He said he sold his photo to the AP for $20, and they gave him a copy of the photo that his wife later destroyed.

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AP representatives, who saw the film for the first time on Saturday at the premiere, disputed the film’s interpretation of the company’s review of its findings and dismissed it.

“As recently as December, we repeated our request to see the full material of the filmmakers and they did not respond, and they did not include the AP’s full response to the film,” said Lauren Easton, spokeswoman for the AP, on Sunday. “We are surprised and disappointed that the film has revealed that the AP has reviewed material from the film and is denying the allegations, which are completely false.”

The film’s investigation was led by the husband and wife team of Gary Knight, founder of the VII Foundation, and producer Fiona Turner. Bao Nguyen, a Vietnamese American filmmaker, directed.

“I’m not a journalist by thought,” said Nguyen. “I had a healthy skepticism, as I think anyone would, against a 53-year-old reality. … But as a storyteller and a filmmaker, I thought it was both my responsibility and my privilege to be able to raise the story of people like Nghe.”

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AP was independently investigated

Before seeing the film, the AP conducted its own six-month investigation and concluded that it had “no reason to believe anyone other than Ut took the picture.” Now, the AP is asking the filmmakers to lift the non-disclosure agreements they put on their subjects to allow the company to fully investigate.

“The AP stands ready to review any evidence and new information about this photo,” Easton said.

Knight and Turner met with the AP in London last June about the allegations. According to the AP, the filmmakers asked the news organization to sign a non-disclosure agreement before giving their testimony. AP doesn’t want to. The film suggests that evidence was presented to the AP, which the AP says is untrue.

The primary source for this film is Carl Robinson, a former AP photo editor in Saigon, who was overruled in his decision not to use a photo by Horst Faas, AP’s Saigon photo manager. Robinson says in the film that Faas ordered him to “make a crew” and credits Ut with the picture. Both Faas and Yuichi “Jackson” Ishizaki, who developed the film, have died. Robinson, 81, was fired by the AP in 1978.

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On Saturday, the president of the Sundance Institute asked why he wanted to go public with these allegations now. “I didn’t want to die before this story came out,” Robinson told the audience after the show. “I wanted to find (Nghe) and say sorry.”

A variety of witnesses interviewed by the AP, including famous writers such as Fox Butterfield and Peter Arnett and the subject of the photo himself, Phuc, said they were certain that Ut took the photo.

The documentary also included the forensics of the crime scene

Robinson is one of those the AP tried to talk to during their investigation but “were told we could do so under conditions” they said would have prevented them from “taking immediate action if necessary.”

The research for this film took two years. Journalists include the French Forensics team, INDEX, to help determine whether Ut was in a position to take the photo. The forensics team concluded that it is unlikely that Ut did that.

Ut’s lawyer, James Hornstein, said this Sunday after the first game: “Over time, we will continue to correct this mistake in court where Nick Ut’s reputation will be vindicated.”

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Knight addressed the AP investigation on Saturday, telling the audience that the company’s statement was available online. “They said they are always open to checking the truth. And I think it was a reasonable thing to say,” Knight said. “Our story is here and there for you all to see.”

He continued: “Things happen on the field when it’s hot. … We all become stronger when we examine ourselves, ask the hard questions, and are open and honest about what is happening in our work. Now more than ever, I will protest.”

“Stringer” has no distribution plans yet.

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For more on the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

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