Ian Berry, a photographer at two speeds, by Brian Ross
In this interview, Brian Ross tells us about the birth of the documentary project on the work of Ian Berry and the difficulties that may have surrounded it. We discover a photographer at two speeds, whose work goes far beyond his testimony of the Sharpeville Massacre.
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Zoé Isle de Beauchaine: Could you introduce yourself and your work?
Brian Ross: I was raised in a small town in the Scottish Highlands, 50 miles from the nearest cinema, yet somehow, I ended up as a filmmaker. I’ve been making documentary films since 2008. Prior to this I was a drama, comedy and entertainment director and was awarded a BAFTA in 2003 for directing the BBC TV series Raven. Since moving into documentary, I’ve mostly made films about the visual arts, music and social history, although I recently received an RTS award for producing and directing a 60 minute film about 1970 World Boxing Champion Ken Buchanan. My first feature length documentary No One But Me about the life of Jazz vocalist Annie Ross (no relation), was filmed in New York and launched to 4 star reviews at the Glasgow Film Festival.
ZB: How did you discover Ian Berry’s work and meet him?
BR: I was doing some research for a documentary I was making for the BBC about Scots-Italian street photographer Oscar Marzaroli when I came across Ian’s photobook The English in a second-hand bookshop in Edinburgh. I was blown away by his use of natural light and the sharpness of his eye, but most of all by the humanity of his photos. The English was released in 1978, a year before Margaret Thatcher came to power in the UK, and it’s an insightful portrait of a country on the cusp of great change.
A few years later, when I was asked by the producer Jennifer Stoddart if I’d be interested in directing a feature-length film about Ian and his former South African colleague Peter Magubane, I jumped at the chance. The idea was to take Ian back to South Africa to team up with Peter on an assignment documenting the changes in the country.
The first time I met him was when Jennifer and I visited his home for what we hoped would be the first of many filming trips. Sadly though, that’s not how it turned out. Shortly after visiting Ian, Jennifer was diagnosed with cancer and died within 3 months. I worked to keep the feature-film idea going, but without Jennifer I wasn’t able to find further funding. Peter Magubane died in January 2024, so although Ian is still going strong, there’s no way of realising the original project now.
ZB: How did he receive the idea of you making a film about him?
BR: As with everything else in life, Ian took the idea of a film being made about him in his stride. He’s a modest man and maybe because of this, his work hasn’t always been given the exposure it deserves. He’s best known for taking the photos of the Sharpeville Massacre, but as he says himself, he was only 26 at the time and while he’s proud of their humanitarian impact he feels he’s made stronger work photographically. Hopefully this film, while centring on Sharpeville, will encourage people to seek out his other work.
ZB: How would you describe Ian?
BR: Ian is a man who likes to walk very slowly and drive very quickly. Taking his cue from Cartier Bresson he moves in slow-motion while he’s taking his photos -but there’s a distinctly different approach when he’s behind the wheel of his car. He likes to drive fast, betraying the fact that as a young man he used to race sports cars. On a more serious note, he is a remarkably dedicated photographer whose love of the medium and belief in its power as a social tool has kept him working into his 90th year.
ZB: Why did you choose to focus on his work in South Africa?
BR: The decision to focus on South Africa was taken before I got involved with the original project. Jennifer had a track record making films about photography, having previously produced and directed 1000 Pictures, RFK’s Last Journey featuring the work of Magnum photographer Paul Fusco. She secured funding from Screen Scotland to develop a film focused on South Africa. The short film that I’m presenting here was edited in 2024 from the material I filmed with Ian during the development process. I was moved to revisit the footage and get this film seen as a tribute to Jennifer and to mark the year of Ian’s 90th birthday.
Interview conducted in July 2024
The photos are taken from the film Ian Berry, Lucky Number 13
directed in 2024 by Brian Ross
