Brent Renaud died covering the Russia-Ukraine war. A new movie celebrates his life and work

Brent Renaud died covering the Russia-Ukraine war. A new movie celebrates his life and work

Armed Only with a Camera is directed by Brent’s brother and collaborator, Craig, and produced by Juan Arredondo, who was also shot during the ambush that killed Brent It’s a journalist’s role to stay behind the scenes. But sometimes, a reporter’s extraordinary life becomes the story itself. Such is the case with Brent Renaud, an award-winning documentary film-maker who was the first American journalist killed , at the age of 51, in the Russia-Ukraine war. His life and death are captured in a new, intimate documentary that debuted in Los Angeles at the 21st annual HollyShorts film festival earlier this month. Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud has just received the Audience award at SXSW and will be available to stream on HBO on 21 October 2025 Continue reading...

My favourite childhood outfit: ‘I am in classic British beachwear – a cardigan knitted by my nan’

My favourite childhood outfit: ‘I am in classic British beachwear – a cardigan knitted by my nan’

Whatever the season, I was always in something hand-knitted, and this outfit was colour-coordinated right down to the cheese and onion crisps I inherited my hands from my nan. Long and slim with hard but feminine nails, we called them “piano fingers”, though neither of us ever learned to play. While I went on to use mine for writing, my maternal grandmother dedicated hers to knitting. Decades before the Sewing Bee or Tom Daley’s Instagram , Barbara would go to the local wool shop for designs and supplies – everything, right down to tiny buttons. As her first born granddaughters, my elder sister and I were the natural beneficiaries of this skill, willing mannequins covered in glitter glue and nostalgia. When I look back at photos of myself until around the age of six, I realise I’m usually in knitwear. This commitment to wool was not limited by season or location: in my early years, whenever I was photographed on a beach, I was wearing a cardigan as the waves splash at my feet, like an influencer promoting swimwear for people with hypothermia. Continue reading...