My Asian Heart (ATOM Study Guide)

During the heyday of classical magazine photojournalism in the 1970's, Cornell Capa of Magnum Photo agency coined the phrase concerned photographer to mean 'a photographer who is passionately dedicated to doing work that will contribute to the understanding or well being of humanity'.

And although in today's cynical and fast world turnaround of images and headlines where traditional photojournalism has become swamped by a torrent of lifestyle reporting and celebrity paparazzi photography, there are some who still care.

Classic photojournalism is still alive, though struggling, amongst a new generation of photographers; Philip Blenkinsop is one of these classic photojournalists.

In 1989, Blenkinsop quit his job on a national Australian newspaper, sold his car and boarded a plane for Bangkok. He was escaping suburbia for the heartbeat and chaos of Asia. He began documenting conflict, war and death in all its forms throughout Asia.

My Asian Heart follows Philip on assignment to China, setting up his next exhibition; capturing Nepal during the pro democracy uprisings; and reflecting on the plight of the Hmong 'survivors' who continue to haunt him.

He trekked into the forbidden zone of Laos to photograph the persecuted Hmong minority, suffering constant helicopter rocket attacks from the revengeful communist government. Thirty years after the Vietnam War, they have not forgiven the Hmong for siding with the Americans and the CIA. Since then, Philip has been on a race against time to alert the world to their situation.

Why does he do it? As he puts it himself, 'to counteract the prettified picture reporting that is presented to us every day. My task is simple: to show that which you cannot see somewhere else'.

For that reason the daily press often reject his work, so he has been forced with growing success to exhibit in galleries and museums around the world.

In Philip's world there's constant tension between his artistic commitments and the drive to report on world conflicts. His promise to organise, exhibit and host a photographic exhibition at an abandoned Chinese candy factory is clashing with the pro-democracy riots in Nepal. For Philip the choice is relatively easy and he soon finds himself between police and protesters when Nepalese street protests turn ugly. Then there are other decisions to be made – when to photograph and when to intervene. And as a foreign photojournalist, does he have the right to do either?

Curriculum Guidelines

The film would be an excellent resource for senior students studying in a range of areas. The SBS television version of the documentary has an M rating and teachers should be aware that, in the words of the television voiceover, it 'contains material that may distress some viewers', the warning that sometimes precedes news reports of demonstrations and wars on television. Some of the footage is confronting as it shows people being treated brutally by security forces, corpses and other quite confronting images. It would therefore be more suitable for senior and tertiary students of:

• Studies of Society
• Politics and Society
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• International Studies
• Photography
• Media and film studies

This is a film about a photographer committed to revealing the often hard truths about human rights abuses that occur in many parts of the world. Both Bradbury and Blenkinsop are committed to showing the truth. At the same time, it is fascinating as a picture of a photographer who mainly shoots in black and white and does not use digital technology to record and create images. The film also raises important questions about the relationship between photographer, subject and audience.