Kate Brooks (born 1977) is an American photojournalist who has covered the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan since September 11, 2001.
Biography
At age 20, while studying Russian and photography, Kate became actively involved in the plight of Russian orphans, starting a non-profit aid group to help the children at an institution outside of Moscow, while documenting their lives. The resulting photographs[2] were published in Human Rights Watch's (HRW) report entitled "Abandoned by the State: Cruelty and Neglect in Russian Orphanages"[3] and syndicated worldwide through Saba Press Photos. The campaign for orphans' rights galvanized global interest and raised funds to help orphaned children. She has worked as a freelance photojournalist ever since.[4]
Immediately after the September 11 attacks, Brooks was ordered to move to Pakistan to photograph the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the region and life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. In 2003, she covered the American invasion of Iraq and the beginning of the insurgency for Time Magazine.[5]
No Woman's Land: On the Frontlines with Female Reporters (2012)[17]
In the Light of Darkness: A Photographer’s Journey After 9/11 (2011)[1][18]
Documentary films
The Last Animals (2017)[19] directed by Brooks was about man-caused mass animal extinction. The documentary premiered at Tribeca Film Festival[20] where Brooks was awarded a Disruptor Award.[21] For two years she campaigned[22] for ivory and rhino horn bans while the film travelled the film festival circuit around the world. In 2018, The Last Animals won the Impact Award[23] at Wildscreen[24] in competition with Blue Planet II. In 2019 the film was broadcast globally by National Geographic,[25] streamed on Hulu in the U.S and Netflix overseas.
The Boxing Girls of Kabul (2011)[26] directed by Ariel Nassar was about a group of young Afghan women dream of representing their country as boxers at the 2012 Olympics, embarking on a journey of both personal and political transformation. The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Awards[27] in 2011, won a Canadian Screen Award and Inspirit Foundation Pluralism Prize. Brooks worked on the documentary as a contributing cinematographer and photographer.
