Andrew Quilty is an award-winning photographer and journalist who spent most the past decade documenting the impact of war on the lives of civilians across Afghanistan. Andrew is the recipient of nine Walkley Awards, including Australia’s highest journalism accolade, the Gold Walkley, which he received in 2016 for his powerful photojournalism piece, ‘The Man on the Operating Table’, sharing the story of civilian casualties during a hospital bombing in Kunduz. He has also received the George Polk Award, the World Press Photo Award and the Overseas Press Club of America award for his investigation into massacres committed by a CIA-backed Afghan militia. Andrew’s photographic career began in his hometown of Sydney in 2000, after his post-school plans to surf his way around Australia were thwarted by break-in to his campervan. His well-hidden camera was missed by the thief, so he enrolled in a photography course at TAFE and discovered his true passion behind the lens, finishing top of his class in 2004. Andrew’s first job was at Fairfax Media. Working alongside many of Australia’s top photographers, his images of politicians and business leaders graced the pages of Fairfax papers such as the Australian Financial Review for six years. In 2009 he travelled to Mexico with his photographer-uncle, resulting in a self-published photo book and exhibition The Mexicans, depicting the complex and beautiful lives of the people across the country. In 2012 he relocated briefly to New York, before volunteering to join a trip to Afghanistan and the Middle East in 2013 – a place where he found his greatest sense of purpose. During his years in Afghanistan, Andrew travelled to two thirds of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, documenting the country through pictures and the written word, shedding light on the rich and often untold stories of people and places at the centre of a global conflict zone. In 2021, Andrew returned to Australia after a final two dangerous months documenting the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, and commenced writing his first book. August in Kabul, telling the story of America’s last days in Afghanistan was longlisted for the 2022 Longform: Walkley Book Award. His second book, This is Afghanistan, is scheduled for release in October 2023.
Listen to the full interview with Andrew Quilty on our #GlobalAustralianPodcast.
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