2025 | Vietnam, USA, France | Documentary

The Stringer

  • English, Vietnamese English 100 mins
  • Director | Bao Nguyen
  • Writer | Terri Lichstein, Fiona Turner, Gary Knight, Graham Taylor
  • Producer | Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein

STATUS: In Distribution

This film is currently not available.   

The work of photographers during the Vietnam War exposed the horrors committed against the civilian population to a Western audience largely unaware of the scale of the atrocities. The iconic photograph, The Terror of War, also known as Napalm Girl, was shocking in its depiction of the violence experienced by children, prompting global protests and calls to end the war. But a claim by a former Associated Press photo editor raises doubts over the image’s origins. Bao Nguyen’s film follows a relentless journey to find the truth, locating a photographer known only as ‘the stringer’ who claims he took the photo, throwing the AP photographer credit into question. In following this investigation Nguyen’s film tackles racial injustice and journalistic ethics as it questions why Vietnamese photographers’ essential contribution to this conflict have been overlooked in history.

Photography Vietnam War Truth Ethics Journalism Injustice History
Playlists