02 September 2009
Christian Poveda
Shooting
Journalists paid tribute on Thursday to their murdered colleague, the French-Spanish filmmaker Christian Poveda, after he was shot dead in a gang-ridden suburb in El Salvador.
"We are all in shock," said Jean-Francois Leroy, head of the Visa Pour L'Image photojournalism festival in southern France where one of Poveda's films premiered last year.
"Everyone told him it was dangerous. But he said he was sure he was in no danger."
The Spanish-born Poveda, 54, was shot dead Wednesday night on a road north of the capital San Salvador, on his way back from a film shoot in the gang-controlled suburb La Campanera, according to police officials.
The French foreign ministry confirmed that Poveda has been murdered, describing him in a statement as "a great professional who did not hesitate to take great risks in the service of freedom of information."
Poveda had reported extensively on Latin America, producing photojournalism and documentaries for media in Europe and the United States.
One of his recent films -- "La Vida Loca" about the Mara street gangs of El Salvador -- is set for national release across France on September 30.
Alain Mingan, a friend and fellow journalist, paid tribute to "a great professional, widely respected in the world of photojournalism and documentary-making."
"He wanted to show what remained of humanity in this world of violence, and he has paid the price for it."
