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Sebastian Junger: 'Which Way' To Turn After Hetherington's Death

Photographer Tim Hetherington during an assignment for <em>Vanity Fair Magazine</em> at the Restrepo outpost.
Tim A. Hetherington
Photographer Tim Hetherington during an assignment for Vanity Fair Magazine at the Restrepo outpost.

War photographer Tim Hetherington said he thought war was wired into young men. And he risked, and ultimately gave, his life to capture these young men in photographs and video — in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and other war zones. Hetherington was killed by shrapnel from a mortar round while taking pictures in Libya in 2011, during the uprising against President Moammar Gadhafi.

A new documentary about Hetherington premieres Thursday night on HBO. It's called Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington. Sebastian Junger, the director of the film, talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the years he spent reporting from war zones and his time working with Hetherington.

Junger and Hetherington co-directed the documentary Restrepo, which followed one American army platoon through their deployment in a remote and dangerous part of Afghanistan. It was nominated for an Oscar in 2011. Junger first became known for his book, The Perfect Storm, which was adapted into the film of the same name.

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