‘Napalm woman’ photographer Nick Ut information defamation lawsuit

Lawyers for acclaimed photojournalist Nick Ut have filed a prison defamation lawsuit in France towards Netflix and the VII Foundation over allegations made within the controversial documentary The Stringer, in keeping with Petapixel.

The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo, which is on Netflix, follows Gary Knight of the VII Foundation as he investigates claims that Nick Ut didn’t take the well-known picture.

The picture, sometimes called Napalm Girl, depicts a unadorned nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing a napalm assault within the village of Trảng Bàng. Ut was awarded the World Press Photo of the Year in 1973 for the picture.

The divisive movie recommended that both Nguyen Thành Nghệ or Huỳnh Công Phúc might have been higher positioned to seize the picture than Ut. The documentary has sharply divided the worldwide photojournalism group.

In May final 12 months, World Press Photo suspended Ut’s credit score on Napalm Girl after being proven the movie.

Now, within the newest twist to the story, Ut’s authorized workforce has turned to the French courts, the place a lot of the movie was shot, submitting a public defamation motion beneath France’s Press Law of 1881 towards each Knight and Netflix. 

The photographer is in search of €100,000 (roughly AUD $164,000) in damages, together with €20,000 (AUD $32,000) to cowl authorized prices.

The swimsuit alleges the movie defames Ut by asserting he’s not the writer of Napalm Girl and by claiming he misrepresented his function in serving to transport the injured youngster on the centre of the {photograph}, Kim Phuc, to medical care after the napalm assault.

In a public assertion, Ut stated the movie and its claims have precipitated deep misery to him and his household.

“Ever since the VII Foundation and Netflix released a film claiming that I didn’t take the ‘Napalm Girl’ photograph, and that I have been lying about it for more than 50 years, it has caused great pain to me and my family,” Ut stated.

“These accusations strike at the very core of who I am. My entire career has been built on telling the truth, often at great personal risk.”

Ut added that he risked his life repeatedly as a Vietnamese photojournalist to doc historical past truthfully, starting with the Vietnam War, and expressed gratitude for the help he has acquired from colleagues and pals worldwide—notably in France.

“It feels only natural to seek justice there, surrounded by people who understand my work and my character,” he stated. “I know that one day justice will be done.”

Ut’s attorneys declare that the movie portrays the photographer as a “shameless liar who, over the years, has skillfully cultivated a narrative that he knew to be false and a stolen attribution” and presents him as a “man who built his reputation on an act of appropriation and who knowingly persists in this betrayal.”

The case now units the stage for a doubtlessly landmark authorized ruling on authorship, popularity, and accountability in documentary filmmaking.