Produced in Libya and North Africa over five years, this project uses as a jumping-off point a part-documentary, part-speculative investigation into the death and disappearance of Martins’ close friend, photojournalist Anton Hammerl, during the 2011 Libyan war.
The project is guided by a simple premise: how does one tell a story when there is no witness, no testimony, no evidence, no subject? By retracing Anton’s steps, the places he visited and where he met his end, by engaging with myriad people involved or affected by the conflict, and seeking meaningful intersections between their journeys, Martins was able to step into his friend’s shoes, even if momentarily.
However, this project is about much more than honoring a slain friend. It portrays a complex story, warped by absences, that talks of the difficulty of documenting, witnessing, remembering and imagining war.
