For Immediate Release Contact: Carol O’Sullivan

August 15, 2007 412-681-5449

Nationally Renowned Photojournalists at Filmmakers Galleries

(Pittsburgh, PA) – Filmmakers Galleries presents two exhibits by prize-winning, New York-based photojournalists. On view from September 7 through October 21, is

Purple Hearts, an exhibit by Nina Berman. It is a series of interviews and photos she

took of wounded soldiers returning from Iraq. Running concurrently in the outer gallery is Grave and Deteriorating: Images of the Iraq War, a series of photos by Chris Hondros. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 7 at 7:00pm. It is free and open to the public.

The Purple Hearts project is a series of photographic portraits and interviews with American soldiers who were wounded in Iraq. It is a book, a DVD, and a series of fifteen 28"x28" color prints mounted for exhibition. The photos, which will be featured in this show, were taken at military hospitals, at Army bases and in soldiers’ homes across the US. The project brings awareness to the physical and psychological realities of returning veterans. The portraits have been shown in museums, galleries, universities, high schools and town halls, and embraced by all sectors of the political spectrum.

Berman, who lives and works in New York City, is an award-winning documentary photographer. Her work has taken her to dozens of countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia, India and Vietnam. She earned her BA from the University of Chicago and her MS from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked for numerous publications, including National Geographic, TIME, and the New York Times Magazine. She is also on the faculty of the International Center of Photography.

Her book, Purple Hearts – Back From Iraq, was published by Trolley in 2004.

Hondros’ Grave and Deteriorating, is a series of color photographs from the front lines in Iraq, of both soldiers and Iraqi citizens. The title is drawn from the report of the Iraq Study Group issued in late 2006.

Chris Hondros is a staff photographer for Getty Images, an international photo agency. He was a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in spot news photography for his work in Liberia (2004), and he was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal, war photography's highest honor, for "exceptional courage and enterprise” in his work from Iraq (2006).

Hondros has worked as a photojournalist in most of the world's major conflict zones, including Kosovo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Kashmir, the West Bank, Iraq, Lebanon, and Liberia. His work has appeared on the covers of magazines such as Newsweek and The Economist, and on the front pages of most major American newspapers, including The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He received his MA in photojournalism at Ohio University's School of Visual Communications, and has been awarded several grants and fellowships for his work.

This exhibit is presented in conjunction with In Service, a multi-media performance at the Harris Theater, Oct. 4 -7 and 11 -14, 2007. The live show is co-produced with Bricolage Theatre company.

Filmmakers Galleries are located at 477 Melwood Avenue, North Oakland. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 5:00, and during public film screenings. Free and open to the public. For more information call 412-681-5449, or visit: www.pghfilmmakers.org

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