Martin Adler shot dead

Location Kitchen table at Spanner Films office | Mood Shocked | Date 23 June 2006
Filed in:
Author (full name): 
Franny Armstrong
Location: 
Kitchen table at Spanner Films office
Mood: 
Shocked
Soundtrack: 
BBC News 24
Date: 
23 June 2006

My long-term distributor, some-time editor, part-time counsellor and full-time friend, Mark Stucke, called this morning with the horrific news that his great friend - and frequent filmmaking partner - freelance cameraman Martin Adler was shot dead by an unknown gunman at a peaceful rally in Somalia yesterday. Fucking shit.

Martin filmed in more than 20 war zones, so I spoke to him before we went to Nigeria. He freely gave me tonnes of priceless advice - and even offered to meet us out there and help out. When I got off the phone I remember saying to Lizzie: "Even though the world is going to shit, there's still hope as long as there are people like Martin." Which is not my normal reaction after putting the phone down from TV people.

On Channel 4 news tonight, an obviously upset Jon Snow (Martin worked for them all the time) said: "These are the stories you wouldn't know if Martin hadn't lived." And then listed all sorts of massacres and outrages from every corner of the planet that only Martin had dared to go and film.