(toilet flushing)
- You okay?
- No. No.
Greg, l, I keep having this dream
and in it, I'm dying.
- I think you've had one pint too many, bru.
- No, it's... I'm getting...
I'm getting crucified
and there's this big fucking lens
that just keeps zooming in on me.
- Yeah? - Yeah!
-It's just a dream, Kev.
- I wake up screaming my head off.
- Kev...
What am I supposed to say?
- I don't know.
- Maybe you need to see a doctor.
- Yeah, yeah.
- You're just reading into everything, huh? - Yeah, that's what I do.
- Let's get out of here.
- Sure. Now? - Yeah.
- All right. We're going. - Cheers.
- You know, he didn't know what it was.
l heard they had to tell him what a Pulitzer was.
lt's dumb luck.
Ask me, Ken. I'll tell you. Pure dumb luck.
(laughing) - Yeah, Jimmy.
You just have the sheer bloody luck
to find yourself ten feet away from a burning man.
Luckily, you're just two feet away from an oke with a knife,
taking swipes at the back of your neck.
l mean, you'd be sure to keep your eye nailed to your viewfinder, right?
You check your F-stop, used for a wall of flame.
Right?
So when you're that lucky,
come see me.
And we can talk about whether Greg Marinovich deserves a Pulitzer.
- I'm just saying, Ken.
(She speaks indistinctly.)
- lt was a great night.
l was really surprised by Ronald's speech.
l really didn't expect him to do that.
Ah, okay.
Okay.
Greg.
Slow down. Slow down.
Greg.
Greg, stop. Greg.
Greg. Stop.
Greg, stop it. Stop it! What's wrong with you?
- Nothing. (panting)
- Doesn't seem like nothing.
- I'm sorry.
lt's all fucked up.
l win this prize
and then the ANC publicly accuses me of being a state spy.
l fucking hate them all.
All of them.
The... lnkatha, the comrades, this place.
l fucking hate it all! - Greg.
Greg.
lt's okay.
Okay.
(soft music)
- Hey.
I'm Kevin.
- I know who you are.
- You do? Shit.
My own mother doesn't even know who I am.
(chuckling)
- Um...
You're one of those photographers
who takes the pictures?
- Yeah, I am.
- I really like your pictures.
- Thank you.
Are you a... are you a journalist?
No, I'm-I'm a teacher.
- A teacher?
Listen, um, my chinas and me,
we're having a braai on Sunday.
- Okay.
- Would you come?
l mean, your friends
are-are more than welcome to-to join... lt'll...
- l'd love that. - Yes?
- Yes. - Okay.
- Here.
Let's try this again.
(chuckling)
Cheers.
- Cheers. (glasses tinkling)
- Greg, it's a great picture.
- Yeah.
lt is.
(sighing)
You know, sometimes I think about doing something else.
- I'm not sure I believe you.
- I'm not sure I'm telling the truth.
(laughing)
(soft music)
Sometimes I feel so happy
Sometimes I feel so sad
Sometimes I feel so happy
But mostly you just make me mad
- Oh!
(laughter) Baby you just
Make me mad - Your man here...
(indistinct mumbling)
Linger on
Your pale blue eyes
- No! - No?
Linger on
Your pale blue eyes
- Ah!
- Fucking butchery this morning.
- I really like this one.
- She's not going to last more than a week anyway.
- Hey, Joao, fuck you.
- What the fuck?
Ken, come check this.
- We've just done a layout over here.
lt's a story about you guys. You're going to love it, it's great.
- There's no way you're printing this.
- What, bru?
- We're not fucking paparazzi.
- Come on, you kind of are.
- Fuck you, man. lt's like saying we're fucking hyenas.
- No, no, look, it's a really positive story
about you guys, okay?
- Take it out, you fucking wanker, or I'll take you out.
- He's right, bru.
Take it out. - All right, all right, Joao.
What about club?
The Bang Bang Club?
- That's so fucking lame.
- No, club's fine.
Leave it in. Sam, can you please get the plates?
- I'm going to.
Long have we awaited...
- Bye, all. Thanks, Sam. - Cheers.
Ciao, Viv.
- Cheers.
- Excuse me, sir? Hello.
I'm Abdul Shareef. I'm a photographer as well and...
I'm just trying to find out how do I join this Bang Bang Club.
- Just tell him it's fucking full.
- There's no club, man.
You know the Macho Chicken just off Old Potch Road?
- Yes sir, I can find it.
- Well if you turn up there one morning, who knows.
- Thank you.
Thank you.
- You were very nice to that guy.
- Not long ago I was that guy.
(dog barking)
Morning, my chinas.
How's it, bru? - Morning.
- Hey what's with all the journos? - Greg. Morning.
- Thanks. - Ah, them?
Yeah, they've been here every morning the past week.
Waiting.
- Yeah, I've been getting phone calls about this fucking Bang Bang Club shit.
Some Frenchman called me from Paris. Wants to know how he can become a member.
- What? - No shit.
- Yeah. - Hey, bru.
- Hey! - Who's this?
-It's Abdul. l told him he could ride along.
- Greg's been picking up stompies.
Come on. - Kevin.
- Abdul. Nice to meet you. - Let's go, Kev.
(cars starting)
- What the fuck?
They're following us in.
Come on man, fuck this shit.
- Ah... What's he doin'?
- Hey, assholes!
You make me fucking sick!
Find your own fucking bang bang!
(laughing) - Sure...
- Hey.
Who else did you tell about this place? - Nobody.
- Don't fuck with me, man. - Seriously, nobody.
- How many people did you tell? -It's not his fault.
lt's not his fault, Joao. They followed us in.
- Ah, okay, man.
(police radio chatter)
- Greg. Look down there.
(tires screeching)
(camera shutter clicking)
(police radio chatter)
(local dialect)
- Get down! Get down! The Zulus are over there, get down!
- What's happening? - There's no shooting.
- They got a sniper with a silencer. Get down.
- Get down!
(gunshot) Ah!
- He's been hit!
- Shit!
- Here! Here, here, here, here!
(gunshot) - Oh fuck!
ls he dead? - How the fuck do I know?
- He's breathing. I think he's breathing.
Fuck! I told him he could come.
- He wanted to come, man. He wanted in.
- Now you see what we go through every day. - Get him in the car.
- Come on. (all): One, two, three, go.
- Go, go, go.
(gunfire)
- ln the car. (all): Go, go, go.
- I got the door.
- Watch, watch, watch your head.
- Let's go!
(gunfire)
(van starting)
Go! (tires screeching)
(gunfire)
Faster, Joao!
Come on bru, come on!
Stay with us. Come on.
(mournful music)
(camera shutter clicking)
(police siren wailing)
(phone ringing) (sighing)
- Yeah...
Kevin? Yeah, I know...
He's what?... Ah, shit. Okay, I'm on my way.
- Ah, he works for us. (local dialect)
ls that it? (local dialect)
- We paid your bail.
You okay?
- Kev, what the fuck happened, man?
(sighing)
- I ripped my shirt, man. Fuck.
- All right, let's go.
- I'll tell you, but you know how I was supposed
to cover that thing with, um, with Mandela at the hotel?
You know? l was supposed to be there.
But then... but then something went wrong with my bakkie
and then there's a fucking tree, man,
and I fucking went right into it.
And then, the fucking cops came and they found my stash, man.
Ken, I need a favour.
- What?
- I just need one frame of Mandela.
That's it. You know, you said you were going to cover it.
You said you were going to cover it for The Star.
Right? That's all I need. l need something to bring in.
- No. No way. Not again, man.
My frames belong to the paper.
- I wasn't there. - You weren't there?
- No.
- I just need one frame. Something to bring in.
- Fuck you, Kev. No.
- Just give him a frame.
- Okay. But you must get your shit together, you understand me?
- I promise.
- Calm down. Kevin... Kevin!
Please.
lt wasn't my decision.
Kevin.
(sighing) - You bitch.
She fired me and Ken watched it.
You fucker. You watched it.
- Kevin...
lt was the drugs.
- Listen, my chinas.
All-all I need is enough money to cover airfare and hotel.
l have to go to the Sudan with Joao.
- You're not gonna smoke that.
lt's full of cat hair.
- I'm going to get myself sorted.
l need to get my shit together. Get...
I'm gonna stop. I'm gonna get sorted.
Did I tell you Allie threw me out?
- Mm-hmm. Aye, you told us.
- And then Joao's only leaving tomorrow, so there's still time.
- Joao?
- Sure. Why not?
(cat meowing)
- That's all I've got.
- Here, Kev. I'll give you more at the airport.
- Thanks.
- So they've gone?
- This morning, yeah.
- And you gave him money?
- He was really chuffed about it when we put him on the plane, yeah.
- Maybe it'll do him some good. (phone ringing)
- Hello...
Yeah, it's Greg...
Yeah...
That's what you saw?...
Okay...
Yeah, great...
Thanks...
Thanks.
- What are you doing? - An lnkatha attack in Boipatong.
There's armed men all over the township.
My stringer says some are white and wearing balaclavas.
Maybe this time I can actually catch the police doing something.
- No, you can't go in there on your own.
- You know Ken's in Bop, covering a boxing match.
lt's important I'm there and I'm going.
- Jesus, Greg.
This is bullshit.
No one goes into Boipatong at night.
(under her breath): You're behaving just like Kevin.
A fucking junkie.
Fuck.
I'm coming with you. - Robin...
- lf it's safe enough for you...
- Would you light that, Robs? - Yeah, sure.
(knocking on door)
(local dialect)
- Can we have a seat?
- Hello, sir.
Thank you for letting us into your home.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
But it's important that I find out what happened here.
- They came in buses driven by white men.
And I heard the white men.
They gave them orders:
"Don't talk, just shoot."
l was here at my mother's house
and my son was with me.
And I left him with my mother
to go home for my wife.
l began to run and they ran after me.
And I heard the white men again,
"Catch him! Catch him!"
But I ran faster
and hid behind some bushes.
And all around me...
l heard them kill people.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
As you would kill insects, stomping on them with your feet.
When they were gone, l...
l ran to my house...
... found my wife.
She was lying out there...
in the dirt
and her intestines were hanging out.
She said to me, "Where is lsaac?
Where's our son?"
l said, "He's safe. He's with my mother."
She said, "Bring him to me."
So I left her.
l came back here to fetch my son.
When I found my son...
he was dead.
They had no mercy.
(crying)
(sighing)
- May I see your son?
- He's in the bedroom.
- Robs!
- Sorry.
-It's too dark.
Come on.
lt's in my frame.
(sobbing) (camera shutter clicking)
You're moving too much. Please. (sobbing)
(camera shutter clicking)
Can you lean a bit in?
- Just do it. Just do it. - I'm nearly done.
(camera shutter clicking) - I can't! I can't! I can't!
(sobbing)
(music)
(chanting)
Maybe you have to be like that to do what you do.
- Be like what?
- I think you have to forget that those are real people.
- There was nothing I could do for those people, any of them,
except take a photograph.
Nothing.
What do you want from me, Robin?
- Nothing.
- Okay. Fine. Then why don't you just leave me the fuck alone?
- Right.
(children talking nearby)
(camera shutter clicking)
- Sorry to hear about you and Robin.
- Can't say I blame her.
How was it? - The whole trip sucked.
Never got near the fucking rebels. Nothing but flies and skinny people.
(chuckling)
- Well, we might be back in business here.
After the massacre that night,
l don't know if this election's gonna happen.
- No shit! - Well, that's exciting for you guys.
- New York Times called. They're running a Sudan story.
Have you got anything from your trip?
- I got kak. Nothing.
There might be something on Kev's roll.
He's been raving about a pic he took just before we left.
- Yeah?
Anything?
-It's all shit.
Check this.
- Jesus.
Shit.
(mews report): The spectre of starvation is haunting Africa once again.
In southern Sudan, people caught in a relentless cycle of civil war...
(woman): The ongoing civil war in the Sudan was given a spotlight today
when a photograph taken by South-African photographer Kevin Carter
was published on the front page of the New York Times.
The picture, which shows a vulture stalking a little girl,
has caught the attention of the world... (knocking)
- All right.
- Kev. - Yeah, hold on...
- Wake up. Kevin!
Wake up, buddy. Wake up.
- Okay, Nancy, here he is.
- Yo. - Hey.
- Kev.
lt's Nancy Buirski, from the New York Times.
- Good. Nancy, it's Kevin.
l need an assignment.
l need some money.
- Kevin, your photograph of the child in Sudan
just won the Pulitzer Prize.
- They're going... they're going to throw me out.
- Kevin, did you hear what I said?
You just won the Pulitzer Prize.
- What?
- You just won the Pulitzer Prize.
Can you hear me? - Fuck.
Guys. - Ke. . . Kevin?
- Nancy. Tell them...
Tell them what you just told me.
l won a Pulitzer.
- Kevin?
- I knew that when...
when I was taking it,
there was something special, yeah.
- Do you have a name for the picture?
- I don't name my pictures,
but my friends, they, uh, they named it
The Budgie Picture.
(laughter)
- Kevin, many of our readers
have asked about the fate of the young girl.
- The fate?
- What happened to the little girl, Kevin?
- l... I don't know exactly...
She... - Did you chase the vulture away, Kevin?
- Yeah, the vulture, yeah...
After... After I got the, uh, picture... - But did you physically help her?
- The girl? - Yeah.
- Not physically. - Kevin, you didn't pick her up?
- That's not his job.
- Since when are journalists exempt from helping people?
- I'm not saying I'm exempt from helping people.
l think my picture did more than that. - Why not just make sure she was safe?
- Kevin, no one is saying you shouldn't have taken the photo.
- Did you just leave her in the desert to die, Kevin?
- And you see no problem with the choice you made?
- I don't see a problem with the choice.
l went there as a photographer. l took a great photograph.
- Do you really think you did the right thing?
- You could've done something further. - What about saving this little girl?
- You don't know what happened? - But why not just pick up the child?
- We need to go.
(intense music)
- Why didn't you just tell them the truth?
- I told them the truth.
- No, you change the story every time.
- Leave it alone.
-It's an amazing fucking picture.
Okay.
- Greg.
They're right, you know.
- Who?
- All of them.
All of the people that say that it's our job
to sit there and watch people die.
They're right.
- That's not me.
- Yes, it is.
-It's in your head, Kev, not mine.
- I'm not alone.
(news report): The South African government and the African National Congress
have agreed to set a date for South Africa's first non-racial election.
Today's announcement did little, however, to stop the violence
which continues to threaten South Africa's townships.
In an attempt to control the violence,
the two parties also unveiled a new peacekeeping force.
The newly formed National Peacekeeping Force,
deployed for the first time in the townships,
clearly unable to cope with the high level of violence.
They spent most of the day hiding under their vehicles.
One man was shot in the leg by his own comrades.
- So how was New York, Jim?
- Yeah, it was good, man. Yeah. - When did you get in?
- Yesterday.
So, what do you guys do when this is all over?
- Well, if this war actually ends, we're really screwed.
- I can't go back to shooting circumcisions. - What, not enough blood?
(laughter)
No, I'm done with newspapers.
lt's magazine features for me now.
- I'm getting an appetizer.
You guys want a round?
- Mm. - Sure.
Thanks Jim.
- Times sends him all over the world.
Northern lreland, Bosnia. All the shitholes.
That's what I want to do.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
-It's a tough gig, eh?
Here you go, Joao.
- Okay. - Thanks.
- So I was thinking of going to this big ANC rally tomorrow.
How about you guys?
- Yeah. Their cause has been cooking for the last couple of days.
- Okay, well let's do it. Can I tag along?
- Of course. - Jimmy, you don't have to ask.
- Okay. - Cheers.
- Thanks, guys. - Yeah. Cheers.
- So Kevin.
What do you think makes a photograph great?
- Um...
- Kevin?
(clears throat) - I uh...
l don't know, really.
You take the picture and you see what you have later.
But, uh... But maybe what makes a great picture
is one that asks a question, you know?
lt's not just a spectacle, it's more than that.
And I think...
l think mine was like that and Greg's too.
You go out and you see bad things,
evil things
and you want to do something about it, so what you do
is you take the picture that shows it.
- Jeez. Jeez, man. - Fuck.
(Kevin): But not everybody is gonna like what they see.
You have to understand that they might want to shoot the messenger.
- Now I'm sure you're aware of all the controversy that surrounds
the photograph of the vulture and the child
and a lot of people are asking a lot of questions.
This may be difficult for you to answer, but do you know what happened to that child?
Kevin?
- What are they running from? - I don't know.
(people shouting)
(gunfire)
- Fuck! Fuck! - Fuck!
(tires screeching)
- Shit! - Fuck!
- Greg, pass me the phone.
(gunfire)
(dialing)
- Robin, it's Ken...
Yeah, we're in Thokoza.
There's lots of guns here. lt's gonna get fucking hectic down here.
A bunch of peacekeepers that don't know what the fuck they're doing.
Listen, we're going in.
Make sure they use the fucking pictures.
- Let's go. Let's go.
- What the fuck's going on? - Who cares, it's bang bang.
(gunfire)
(screaming, shouting) (camera shutter clicking)
(indistinct screaming)
(camera shutters clicking)
(gunfire)
- Fuck, this oke's been shot across the road there.
(camera shutters clicking)
(local dialect)
(gunfire)
(camera shutters clicking)
(gunfire)
- Shit! Look out, Ken! Ken! Ken! Ken!
(gunfire)
(camera shutter clicking) (gunfire)
- Get the fucking shot.
- Come on. Take it like a man. You're a puss.
Fucking pussy.
- Fuck you! - Fuck you, man.
You get the shot. - Puss.
- Move, move. I'll get it.
(gunfire)
(camera shutter clicking)
Sheesh! Woo!
- Yeah. Told you. (gunfire)
(chuckling)
(speaking in local dialect) (whistling)
(gunfire stopping)
(camera shutters clicking)
- What's going on? - Welcome boys.
- Who's thirsty?
- What? - What?
- Who wants a Coke? - What?
- No, man.
- No, I'm going to go to that spot over there.
- Okay, well if you're gonna go, go.
- Ready? - Don't get shot, dude.
- Oh! (camera shutters clicking)
(shouting) - ldiot.
- Woo! - Yeah!
- Hello!
Hello, anybody here?! Hello? (knocking)
Ah... Two Cokes, my bru.
- Two...
Two rand.
(people shouting)
- Shit.
Greg!
Run!
(gunfire)
- Ah! Fuck! - Run!
(laughter)
Thanks.
(laughter, gunfire)
- We're gonna take out this nest of snipers, okay?
We're going to move down along this wall.
As soon as you get around the corner, you start firing.
All right?
- I say when they go, we go with the same wave.
You got it, Joao? - Yeah, yeah.
- Are we gonna fucking do this thing? (soldiers): Yes.
- Okay. You guys can come in after us.
Okay, we're gonna get covering fire from the Mamba. Bring in the Mamba!
-It's starting to heat up. - Alright, get ready! Move down!
(camera shutters clicking) Go! Go! Go! Go!
Get in there, you fucking bastard!
Go, you piece of shit! Get in there!
Go! Go! Go!
Go! Bloody legged! Get off your ass!
(gunfire)
- Ugh!
I'm hit! I'm hit!
- Hold your fire. (groaning)
Hold your fire! - Cease fire!
- Get your hands off those weapons!
- Fuck!
Shit!
- We've got another man down.
- Jesus! Ken's hit! Ken's been hit! - Hold your fucking fire!
- Keep still. Keep still. - Ken's been hit.
- I'm okay. Help Ken.
(camera shutter clicking)
(ominous music)
(indistinct scream)
(gunfire)
(tires screeching)
- Where? Where? - ln there.
- Ken!
Ken!
- Joao.... - Sam...
- ls he?
- Sam...
Sam...
Ken's dead.
(chuckling) - Hi, Robs.
- Hello.
- Where's Ken?
ls he all right?
- No.
(crying)
(speaks indistinctly)
(birds chirping)
(no sound)
(whispering): I'll be back.
Hey.
- Hi.
l just want them to all leave.
- Yeah, I know.
(news report): The explosion of violence in this township
is an ominous sign for South Africa
at the beginning of a week
of planned protests and demonstrations by Inkatha.
- I would like to express
my deepest sympathy
to the family of Ken Oosterbroek.
- To Ken Oosterbroek! (all): Yeah!
(TV news report continues in the background)
- Sorry. - You fucker.
- Sorry, man. - You spilled my fucking drink.
- I said I was sorry, man.
- Fucking asshole.
- Watch your mouth, motherfucker. - Think you can take me on?
l didn't tell you, but I got an offer from AP a few days ago.
They want to send me to Afghanistan.
I'll be leaving next month.
lt's what I've always wanted.
Viv?
- Mm-hmm?
- Will you marry me?
- Yup.
- Still non-stop jol, is it? (chuckling)
How you doing?
- Better. Really better, yeah.
I've been thinking about us.
l think I lost the plot for a while.
I'm sorry.
- I think it's an occupational hazard.
(crowd cheering)
(news report): And minutes into Wednesday April the 27 1 994,
the flag of freedom and equality for all races
flew over South Africa.
The enthusiasm for voting among blacks of all ages and conditions
caught the mainly white organizers unprepared.
Millions more ballot papers had to be produced
and in six regions, a fourth day allowed for voting.
Inkatha's late entry into the election
meant its candidates had to be added to ballot papers.
Despite the problems,
the historic poll is expected to be declared free and fair.
- My name is Kevin Carter.
Without phone, money for rent,
Money for debts, money...
I'm haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses
and anger and pain...
Of killer executioners. . .
Of trigger-happy madmen, often police.
I have gone to join Ken, if I'm that lucky.
Long have we awaited
But many times have we seen
In the eyes of the neighbours
A feeling that leads Not a guess
Who's been doing what, who and went for less
And who's been left out there with dust on his dead feet
Shot down in the city
Look right at the sunset
Look left and pour the tea
Look on in amazement
Look fast and mass crazy here
Nowhere else in the world can you see
so many monsters creep out so efficiently
and leave you wondering what happened to all the sacred things
that got shot down in the city
New money new money
And old ways get away
But here in my cradle
I lie incapable
I'm a white boy who looked at his life gathered his hands
and saw it was all due to the sweat of some other man
That one who got shot down in the city
Shot down
One day we'll fight
That misty mild day
And we can live our lives
In peace
But don't forget your brothers and your sisters
Who got shot down in the street
Shot down in the street
Deep in the past
We can trigger to the barrel blast
On the avenue
Where I would crash into you
What's done is done and life is a gun
Life is a gun on the run
Oh my dear isn't life a gun
A story shotgun that came undone
It came undone
The well worn path
Was never something I would walk
So lay it down
Lay these guns in the ground
What's done is done and life is a gun
Life is a gun on the run
Oh my dear isn't life a gun
A story shotgun that came undone
We came undone
Blu-ray subtitling: CNST, Montreal
We came undone