BAYEUX AWARDS

Bayeux exhibition celebrates war photographer Manoocher Deghati

The 28th annual Bayeux War Correspondents' Awards get underway in Normandy this weekend, honouring journalists who have put their life on the line to tell important stories from war zones. This year’s president of the jury is Franco-Iranian photojournalist Manoocher Deghati, whose 45-year career is being celebrated with an exhibition in Bayeux. FRANCE 24 spoke to him about his work.

A Manoocher Deghati photo taken at Evin prison in Iran in 1982, before every woman in the image was executed by the Revolutionary Guards.
A Manoocher Deghati photo taken at Evin prison in Iran in 1982, before every woman in the image was executed by the Revolutionary Guards. © FRANCE 24 screengrab
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Ahead of the Bayeux Awards this weekend, 25 of Deghati’s photos are on display around this ancient city in northern France – focusing on the plight of women and children caught up in the horror of war.

“I wasn’t setting out to take pictures of those who wage war, but rather to photograph the people who pay for war with their lives,” Deghati said. “It’s women and children in particular who bear the heaviest toll in war.”

Despite the dangers inherent in going to warzones, Deghati never stopped taking photos, determined to show the world what was happening in any given conflict and to ensure that this reality was never forgotten: “Society needs this,” he said. “We can’t live without journalists who tell us the truth, the real story that can change the course of history.”

Click on the video player above to watch FRANCE 24's report.

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