Kashmiri photo-journalist Ahmer Khan along with his four-member team have been awarded The Edward R Murrow Award by Overseas Press Club of America for the documentary film ‘India Burning’.
Deeply honoured and humbled to receive @opcofamerica award for our documentary “India Burning” for #ViceonSHO.
Kudos to our incredible team @Angadgsingh, @IsobelYeung @JackieJesko, Siddharth, Zach, Drew, David.
Deeply honoured and humbled to receive @opcofamerica award for our documentary “India Burning” for #ViceonSHO.
Kudos to our incredible team @Angadgsingh, @IsobelYeung @JackieJesko, Siddharth, Zach, Drew, David. https://t.co/xNIDmdsypZ pic.twitter.com/M1xp6zBR6q
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) April 7, 2021
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) April 7, 2021
According to the Overseas Press Club of America, Angad Singh, Isobel Yeung, Jackie Jesko and Ahmer Khan are part of the team who have been chosen for the prestigious award.
“The 2020 award winners wrote eloquently and vividly about war and disease, discrimination and exploitation, and business fraud and neglect,” said Paula Dwyer, president of the Overseas Press Club.
“They literally covered the globe, with stories originating from Afghanistan to India, Mexico to Brazil, and Russia to China. The depth and scope of their work is breathtaking.”
The Overseas Press Club has termed the work “best TV, video or documentary interpretation of international affairs with a run time up to 30 minutes.”
.@VICENews has been honored with the @opcofamerica Edward R. Murrow award for its “India Burning” #VICEonSHO report, and has also received a citation for VICE Audio’s podcast “Painkiller.”
Congratulations to the recognized teams!
The OPC is pleased to announce winners in this year's Annual Awards contest to recognize the best in international reporting – learn about the winners and read more here: https://t.co/23rtw3gHnA #OPCAwards82
— Overseas Press Club (@opcofamerica) April 6, 2021
— VICE Communications (@VICEComms) April 6, 2021
“Moving and illuminating, VICE captures this underreported story with humanity and clarity, in just 15 minutes. By venturing deep into remote communities, the team exposes the disconnect between millions of Muslim Indians at risk of losing their citizenship, and the denials of top officials,” the judges observed.
Earlier, the team’s show ‘VICE’ which aired on Showtime was nominated for the Emmy Awards.
Emmy Awards recognise excellence in the television industry, the status of which is comparable only to the Oscars.
Ahmer has earlier been awarded the prestigious 24th Human Rights Press Awards (2020) in short video category for a short-film shot during post-August 5 lockdown. The short-film titled Defending Kashmir: Anchar’s last stand against India’s control, won under the ‘Short Video’ category, was published by The Guardian.
In 2019, Ahmer was named the winner of the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for his coverage on the ground in India-controlled Kashmir during Delhi’s lockdown of the region.
He has also been awarded the Lorenzo Natali Prize 2018 for his story ‘A school under metro bridge teaches Delhi children’ in 2018.
Ahmer is an independent multimedia journalist based in Kashmir, focusing on South Asia.
He has done photo and video commissions for The New York Times, The Guardian, TIME, SHOWTIME, Al-Jazeera, Radio France International, Amnesty International, The Christian Science Monitor, Vice News, and other publications. Free Press Kashmir