My war reporter friend Sean should win a Bafta

My oldest friend, Sean Langan, was back in the news this week. He’s carved out a niche for himself as a maker of low-budget documentaries in conflict zones and his most recent film was shown on ITV on Monday night. He keeps costs down by shooting them himself on a hand-held camera, which isn’t easy given that he also stars in them. This involves holding a camcorder at arm’s length and pointing it at himself as he wanders through some of the world’s most dangerous hot spots, often in the midst of explosions and gunfire.

The fact that he’s a one-man band means he’s able to make films in places few other documentary–makers can reach. It sounds amateurish and in a way it is, but the unvarnished nature of the footage makes for a raw, immersive experience. His 2001 BBC2 series Langan Behind the Lines was nominated for a Bafta and last year he won the James W. Foley World Press Freedom award.

This latest venture is called Ukraine’s War: The Other Side and it finds him on the Russian-occupied eastern front, the first time a British or American professional journalist has gained such access. In one scene, he stumbles across a cache of captured Nato weapons in a barn, only to be surprised by a group of masked Spetsnaz operatives who have come to help themselves to the contraband. ‘Who let this foreigner in?’ asks one. ‘All hell is going to break loose now. I’m going to eat his liver.’ Sean, who doesn’t speak Russian, turns to Sasha, his fixer, to translate. After he’s done this, Sasha adds: ‘Try not to irritate these guys.’

Most journalists would think ‘time for a sharp exit’, but not Sean.