A Channel 4 commissioned film about survivors of the Lampedusa boat tragedy has grown out of a project enabled by The Photoworks British School at Rome (BSR) Fellowship.
Following an open call, Zed Nelson was awarded the third Photoworks Fellowship and completed a three month residency at the BSR in the Italian capital in Spring 2013.
On 3 October 2013, a migrant boat sank off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, killing 366 of the 518 people on board. Zed’s film tells the story of Fanus, a teenage survivor – one of thousands of people who flee Eritrea every year in search of asylum.
The film will air on Channel 4’s Dispatches in April 2014.
Zed Nelson
Zed Nelson lives in London. His work has been published and exhibited worldwide.
Having gained recognition and major awards as a documentary photographer working in some of the most troubled areas of the world, Nelson has increasingly turned his focus on Western society, adopting an increasingly conceptual approach to reflect on contemporary social issues.
Previous awards include the Visa d’Or, France; First Prize in World Press Photo Competition; and the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award, USA.
Nelson’s work has been exhibited at Tate Britain, the ICA and the National Portrait Gallery, and is in the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Nelson has had solo shows in London, Stockholm and New York.
