Film wins award for Ukraine aid worker story

A BBC film about a Truro man killed in Ukraine after helping rescue hundreds of people from the front line has won an award at a world media festival.

The documentary Hell Jumper, depicting aid worker Chris Parry, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Rockie Awards.

The 28-year-old went to the country shortly after it was invaded by Russia and died from gunshot wounds alongside fellow volunteer Andrew Bagshaw in January 2023.

The organisation said the director Paddy Wivell brought a "tenderness and empathy to his interviewing" within the documentary, which also won in the Social Issues and Current Affairs category.

It said: "These interviews are the architecture of the whole film, giving it its tone and emotional heart.

"Stylistically the master interviews were laced with social media posts, personal voice messages, and self-shot go-pro footage to create a first-person quality throughout."

Most of Chris Parry's work was captured on 10 hours of bodycam footage, making up a large part of the film.

It added: "The team wanted the audience to be fully immersed in Chris' experiences, so chose to run much of their footage at length.

"It's an extraordinary, breathless sequence that perfectly captures Chris' character."

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