Built on the idea of creating a network of independent journalists and filmmakers.
HEZBULLAH SULTANI
Born and raised in Afghanistan, Hezbullah Sultani found his passion for storytelling early, in a place where conflict has often drowned out personal narratives. He studied film at Kabul University, driven by a commitment to tell stories that mattered. Afghanistan’s complex history and turbulent present motivated him to capture the realities of his country through the lens of his camera.
In 2011, Hezbollah Sultani began working as a war photographer. Over the next decade, he braved the frontlines to document the impacts of war on Afghan civilians and landscapes. His footage became valuable assets for international documentaries on Afghanistan, airing on major platforms like ARTE, BBC, Discovery, and Netflix. He collaborated closely with international journalists, building a strong network of professionals equally committed to sharing Afghanistan’s story with the world. His work was dangerous and demanding. Many of his friends and colleagues did not survive, and he became acutely aware that his own life was frequently in jeopardy.
By 2021, with the resurgence of the Taliban and the drastic shift in Afghanistan’s political landscape, he faced an impossible choice: stay and risk certain persecution, or leave his homeland. As a second-time refugee, he fled to Lille, France, where he now lives in exile. His heart, however, remains tethered to Afghanistan. Though he is physically safe in France, Hezbullah Sultani’s mind often wanders back to his homeland. ENow unable to engage directly in fieldwork, he has dedicated himself to raising awareness and keeping people informed about the situation in Afghanistan. He connects with Afghans and internationals alike, sharing stories of resilience and hope, and educating those around him on the complexities and beauty of Afghan culture and society. He knows that while he may be away from the frontlines, his voice and insights still have power.
For Hezbullah Sultani Afghanistan’s struggles are far from over, and his work—whether through images, words, or personal conversations—is a tribute to his country.
DZMITRY HALKO
Dzmitry Halko has lived in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, where he became actively involved in political life from an early age. This deep-rooted engagement gave him an intimate knowledge of regional politics, which he brought into his work as an experienced journalist and analyst focused on Russian foreign policy. His insights are shaped by his life experience.
When the full-scale invasion began, he found himself on the side being shelled and attacked—both physically and emotionally present in the conflict. He felt the pain of those who were shot, tortured, and robbed as if they were his own people, seeing the attack on Ukraine as an attack on "us." Yet, because of his Belarusian origins, some saw him as part of "them."
In 2018, he was sentenced to four years in prison on fabricated charges, forcing him to leave his country of birth permanently. The true reason behind his sentencing was his frequent travel between Belarus and Ukraine and his public reporting on Ukraine’s pursuit of autonomy, as well as his outspoken criticism of Russian imperialism.
He bore witness to the events of the Maidan in 2013-2014 and embarked on an extensive journey through Ukraine's eastern and southern regions. From 2015 to 2021, Mariupol became his primary residence, and he watched the city transform—from a neglected, dominated by pro-Russian elements, into a growingly liberal, modern city.
In 2022, he lived with the belief that his youngest son had died in Mariupol, struck by bomb. His son, born in 2016 with mental disabilities due to the difficult circumstances, survived, but his eldest son was not as fortunate. His oldest son fled to Moscow to escape Belarusian persecution linked to his father’s work. In 2020, he died there under suspicious circumstances—likely murdered. His body remains in Russia, inaccessible to his family.
For him, these experiences are not about seeking sympathy; they underpin his acute understanding of the region's tensions and tragedies.
With around 15 years in journalism, he has worked for several media organizations that were later labeled "extremist" by the Belarusian government. This label was used to target independent, pro-democracy outlets critical of the regime, often as a tactic to silence dissent and limit free speech. These organizations were either forced to disband, operate in exile, or face severe repression. Among them were Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Belarusian Partisan, founded by the late Pavel Sheremet. After Sheremet's assassination, he was invited to lead Belarusian Partisan and became the first editor in Belarus to be targeted in a government crackdown on independent voices, as part of the authorities' efforts to prevent a feared "Maidan" uprising.
More recently, he worked as an analyst at the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security, a Ukrainian governmental think tank, where he was regarded as “the brain of the organization.” In his role, he generated a high volume of citations, particularly when he exposed the myth of the “Babushka with the Red Flag.” This work garnered significant attention, even if his contributions went uncredited by the journalists he supported.
For his work in Donbas from 2014 to 2016, he received three professional and civil society awards in Belarus. The editor who submitted his work for these awards described him as possessing "courage and responsibility" and compared his writing to that of Erich Maria Remarque.
ANJA OTT
Anja Ott was born in Berlin and showed an early commitment to environmental protection and human rights. Photography has been her passion since childhood, and during her school years, she won a national photography prize in Germany for youth projects focused on environmental issues. She went on to study Anthropology and Politics at the Free University of Berlin.
After finishing high school, she traveled to Northern Iraq, sparked by her interest in the Islamic State — a subject she had researched in-depth for her final school presentation. Originally planning a brief visit, she ended up staying for six months due to the Kurdish independence referendum, which disrupted air travel. This time deepened her interest in political issues, and she began meeting international journalists, which led her to start working with film and photography in a documentary context.
Her initial projects covered topics such as the Yazidi genocide, Mosul post-ISIS, Kurdish identity, and the struggle over Kirkuk, Iraq’s oil-rich city.
Following her work in Iraq, Anja Ott traveled to other conflict zones, including Lebanon, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Her projects there focused on themes such as the refugee crisis, deportations to Afghanistan, the role of warlords and ethnic backgrounds in Afghan society and the role of women in wartime.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anja continued her photographic work. She produced a portrait series documenting the lives of homeless people in quarantine, highlighting the unique struggles they faced during this time.
With nearly a decade of experience, Anja Ott has honed a wide range of skills, partly through formal training but largely self-taught. She has participated in workshops focused on camera techniques, audio training, and took part in the Bundeswehr's training program for journalists in conflict zones. Through this program, she learned critical skills like risk assessment, handling threats of kidnapping, weapon recognition, navigation in unfamiliar terrain, and methods to stay calm in high-risk situations. She has also taken courses in interview techniques, though she considers empathy and the ability to connect deeply with her subjects as her most valuable skill.
While some advise journalists to maintain an emotional distance from their subjects, Anja believes the opposite: to tell a story well, one must connect as closely as possible. However, she does not take reckless risks; she carefully weighs her decisions and is conscious of the need to protect her own well-being. She understands the importance of not letting past experiences dominate her life and strives to stay grounded in the present.
Anja serves as the connection between Dzmitry, Hezbullah, and Aman. In 2021, Anja spent three months in Afghanistan, where Hezbullah and Aman, along with other friends, worked closely on a project documenting Afghan warlords. They also took on lighter projects, like shooting a music video for an Afghan singer, which helped them form strong friendships. The time was intense, marked by a devastating COVID wave from India that claimed many lives in Kabul, as well as frequent attacks. The warlord project ultimately couldn’t be completed, as the Taliban took control of Kabul faster than anyone had expected.
Anja and Dzmitry later met in Kharkiv, where they spent days together in Izyum and other towns, often without power. Dzmitry found hope in Faces of Love and Fear at a particularly dark time, when he feared his young son had been lost. The project provided him with a renewed sense of purpose and enabled him to begin filming teasers.
