For over 20 years, photojournalist James Nachtwey has been visiting war-torn countries such as Kosovo and Rwanda, documenting the destruction with his camera. Although he is merely an observer, he still feels the immediate effects of the devastation. His calm reserve contrasts starkly with the images he captures, and he fends off accusations of exploiting tragedy. For a bird’s-eye view of destruction, pain and ultimately hope, director Christian Frei attaches a small video camera to Nachtwey’s still camera.

Director: Christian Frei

Considered one of today’s most innovative and compelling documentary filmmakers, Swiss director and producer Christian Frei is renowned for films such as “War Photographer” (2001), which was nominated for Best Feature-Length Documentary at the 74th Academy Awards. “The Giant Buddhas” (2005), “Space Tourists” (2009), “Genesis 2.0” (2018) and “Saudi Runaway” (2020) were all screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, where Frei won the World Cinema Directing Award in 2010.
From the outset of his career, Frei has built a reputation as an exacting documentarist with an in-depth understanding of his subjects. His films are considered humanistic and universal as well as subtle and insistent. In 2026, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ZagrebDox International Documentary Film Festival in Croatia.
As a producer, Frei released “Raving Iran” (2016), “Saudi Runaway” (2020) and “Girl Gang” (2022), all of which were directed by Susanne Regina Meures. “Saudi Runaway” and “Girl Gang” were both nominated for a European Film Award. Frei’s film “BLAME” (2025) opened the Visions du Réel International Documentary Film Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, and won numerous awards. It was also nominated for the prestigious Roman Brodmann Prize.
From 2006 to 2023, Frei was an associate lecturer on Reflection Competence at the University of St. Gallen. From 2006 to 2009, he was President of the Documentary Film Commission for the Film Section of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. From 2010 to 2022, he was President of the Swiss Film Academy.