A Baptism of Fire
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
'As it gets harder to sell pictures, we take greater and greater risks,' explains Corentin Fohlen. A war correspondent still in his twenties, Fohlen is part of a new generation of freelance journalists who fly to war zones from Libya to Afghanistan on their own dime in the hope of selling images to news media outlets.
But the carefree attitude of youth can change when confronted with the harsh reality of life in wartime. When a colleague is killed in Syria, Fohlen's thirst for adventure turns into a deeper reflection on the meaning of work and life. Director Clement-Wilz followed Fohlen through shells and bullets for four years in order to create this riveting portrait of the life of a contemporary war correspondent.
'Risk your life to show the conflict and suffering of the world? This original documentary testifies to the passion of a photojournalism: Corentin, not yet 30-years-old, has already spent six years in the business. From the chaos of Cairo to Homs, from Haiti to Libya, we see him at work, equipped with a helmet, gas mask and bulletproof vest.' - Le Monde
'A young photographer's first wartime experiences are documented in A Baptism of Fire. Shot on the ground, in the heart of danger, the film exposes raw emotion, pain, reflection and laughter.' - Les Inrocks
'One of the best documentaries of all time. [Director Jerome Clement-Wilz] follows his friend through shells of bullets to bring to light the daily lives of these news junkies.' - Vanity Fair, France
Citation
Main credits
Clément-Wilz, Jérôme (film director)
Fohlen, Corentin (performer)
Caza, Jérôme (film producer)
Epale, Charlotte (film producer)
Other credits
Jérôme Caza, Charlotte Epale, producers.
Distributor subjects
Journalism; Middle East; Photography; Documentaries; Ethics; Political Science; Sociology; Human RightsKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:20.000
So if you were to introduce yourself.
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.999
Corentin is a freelance photographer.
He lives to report historical events.
00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.999
He lives at his own expense. He
lives without a media backing him.
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.999
He lives without even knowing whether his
pictures are going to sell, but he lives anyway.
00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.999
He lives. To me, it is like
learning how to jump in to the void
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.999
but without any parachute.
00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:20.000
[sil.]
00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:29.999
[non-English narration]
00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:34.999
[sil.]
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:48.000
[sil.]
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.000
[non-English narration] What is this?
00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:58.000
[sil.]
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:38.000
[sil.]
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.999
[non-English narration]
00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:13.000
[sil.]
00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.999
- You don\'t want to put it on too tight otherwise you might get headaches.
- You\'re gonna have the veil as well. - Tighten it just to see.
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:25.000
- You\'ve got a small face, it\'s going to
pull up the nose thing over your eyes.
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:43.000
[sil.]
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:58.000
[sil.]
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:30.000
[sil.]
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:28.000
[sil.]
00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:40.000
[sil.]
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:20.000
- No, the summary executions
are a different thing.
00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:18.000
[sil.]
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:08.000
[non-English narration]
00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.999
[sil.]
00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:40.000
Sorry?
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:08.000
[sil.]
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:18.000
[non-English narration]
00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:43.000
[non-English narration]
00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:10.000
[non-English narration]
00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.999
[sil.]
00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.999
- Tim. Tim? Yeah.
00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:30.000
In French or English? English,
if you can, that\'d be great.
00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:55.000
- You did good on the Arab Spring anyway.
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:23.000
[sil.]
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:15.000
[sil.]
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:55.000
[non-English narration]
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:53.000
[music]
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:50.000
[non-English narration]
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:15.000
[sil.]
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:45.000
[sil.]
00:20:55.000 --> 00:21:00.000
[non-English narration]
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:13.000
[sil.]
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
I didn\'t talk to my parents.
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
You talked to your parents? No,
I need to talk to them. Why?
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
Umm…\'Cause I kind… I mean I left them a
message saying, \"Ha, going to Libya.\"
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.999
Uh, I don\'t know.
00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
I don\'t know how much I\'ll be able
to tell them if I\'m like okay,
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
but I\'ll be alright.
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
But this is not the first time. I know,
but… But every time, it\'s going to France.
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
These… These things are different though.
I mean I have been to other places, but
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
these uprisings are more chaotic, and
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
violent, and unpredictable, so
they\'re more worried I think.
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:13.000
[sil.]
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
How do you say \"run\", like if you wanna
tell each other to run, what do we say?
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
[non-English narration]
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
So how do you say, um,
like… Like \"get down\"
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:38.000
[non-English narration]
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
Ahmed, how do you say \"where\'s
the disco?\" Bueno disco.
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
(inaudible).
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:58.000
[sil.]
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:38.000
[sil.]
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:53.000
[sil.]
00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:03.000
[non-English narration]
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:13.000
[sil.]
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
[sil.]
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:23.000
[non-English narration]
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
Have you take that one?
00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
Have you take that one please? Because,
you see like this, we see our God.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.999
His finger to up to our… To his God.
He died to ask his God,
00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
when he was going, he was asking his God.
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:18.000
[sil.]
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
Make what you want, Queen Elizabeth.
Make what you want,
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:30.000
fuck him bitch man, Gaddafi, okay, okay.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:58.000
[sil.]
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
Are you okay? Yeah, we\'re fine.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
We are… Yeah. We were watching
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
the opposition retreating
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
and the bullets hit the ground
very close to me and around me.
00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
And so we just started running.
Bullets? Whose bullets?
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:48.000
Uh…Bullets hit the ground, I don\'t know whose
they were. I don\'t know whose they were.
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
Just go, go, go.
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
Oh, yeah, it was very close.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
And I did not look back, but Remi…
Remi did, and he said, \"Yeah,
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:10.000
they\'re coming,\" so run.
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
Okay, we\'re going to a…
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:25.000
You said that?
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:38.000
[sil.]
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:48.000
[non-English narration]
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
Is he dead? Did he say… Did he say 15 dead?
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
No, no. 15 injured. 15 injured.
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:13.000
[sil.]
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
Yeah. Right.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
Okay, okay,
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
okay, all right, thanks bye. He said a
bunch of people are leaving the country…
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
Like now. In an hour. In
the middle of the night?
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
Yes? I don\'t know if it\'s the
middle of the night, but it\'s…
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
Umm…They\'re like either early
tomorrow morning or now.
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
Journalist in Benghazi are reading the
signs and they\'re giving freaked out.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
And sorry? They\'re getting freaked out.
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
They\'re reading the signs that\'s a…
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
That things are getting sketchy.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
I think the things that changed where
the ambush of the Al Jazeera team,
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:15.000
we don\'t know who did it. Yes. We don\'t know
what should Obviously, but they suspect…
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:43.000
We need to know what you want to do.
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
I mean okay do what you want that is now.
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
Why did you ask me?
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
Because we need to know what you are doing.
Okay, so (inaudible) I will leave.
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
Tomorrow? Yes. 10, 9. Okay.
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:23.000
[sil.]
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:48.000
[music]
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:05.000
[sil.]
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:18.000
[sil.]
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
[sil.]
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:35.000
Time to go.
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:48.000
[sil.]
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:35.000
[sil.]
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:48.000
[sil.]
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
[non-English narration]
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
(inaudible). That was fast.
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:05.000
[sil.]
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:15.000
Helmets. Keep your helmets.
00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.999
Did you shoot anything, Remi? Did you
shoot anything that we talked about,
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
like were getting down and just
staying where you are, no? No.
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
Me neither. I just ran. Yeah.
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:53.000
[sil.]
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:23.000
[music]
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
[music]
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
[sil.]
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
[music]
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:58.000
[sil.]
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:15.000
[non-English narration]
00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:23.000
[music]
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:30.000
[music]
00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:43.000
[music]
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:28.000
[music]
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:13.000
[music]
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:50.000
[music]
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:08.000
[sil.]
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:33.000
[sil.]
00:48:55.000 --> 00:49:03.000
[music]
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:53.000
[music]
00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:48.000
[sil.]
00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:13.000
Thank you.
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:23.000
[sil.]
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:38.000
[non-English narration]
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:48.000
[sil.]
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:13.000
[sil.]
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:23.000
[music]
00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:13.000
[music]
00:53:25.000 --> 00:53:33.000
[music]
