‘Armed Only with a Camera’ celebrates the life of filmmaker Brent Renaud
New York, February 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes the decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to nominate the HBO Original documentary, “Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud,” for best documentary short film at the 98th Academy Awards, which will be announced on March 15, 2026.
Brent Renaud was killed on March 13, 2022, and is the only American journalist killed in the Russia-Ukraine war to date. According to CPJ, 23 journalists and media workers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Four years on from the start of the Russia-Ukraine war and Brent’s killing, more than 400 journalists and media workers have been killed worldwide.
CPJ provided support to Renaud’s colleague, Colombian-American journalist Juan Arredondo, who was with Renaud at the time of the attack and was gravely wounded himself. Arredondo produced the documentary with Brent’s younger brother, collaborator and the documentary’s director, Craig Renaud. Jon Alpert, a veteran journalist and mentor to the Renaud brothers, is the film’s executive producer.
The film follows Craig Renaud as he recovers Brent’s body from Ukraine and brings him home to Arkansas for a funeral and includes footage from the brothers’ reporting trips in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, Honduras, and Mexico.
“Amid the deadliest time on record for the press, ‘Armed Only with a Camera’ underscores the lengths conflict journalists go to report the news,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Brent Renaud was a fearless documentarian who dedicated his life to telling the stories of people caught in the crosshairs of global crises. Recognition of Brent’s life and career is a testament to all journalists who have risked their lives to document history.”
“It is an incredible and bittersweet honor to have Brent’s life and work recognized by the Academy,” said Craig Renaud. “This film is in honor of all the fallen journalists who gave their lives reporting the truth. Brent believed and we believe that without journalism, there is no democracy.”
While journalists are increasingly under fire reporting on war globally, U.S. based journalists are now facing war-zone conditions stateside, highlighting the importance of journalist safety. CPJ’s Emergencies team directly supports journalists injured while reporting with legal, medical, and mental health costs, and other health-related assistance. Over the past five years, the number of journalists who received support from CPJ rose by more than 190%.
The documentary won the Documentary Short Competition Audience Award at SXSW in 2025.
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About the Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide. We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.
The filmmakers and CPJ representatives are available to be interviewed about the film and the state of press freedom worldwide.
For media queries, please contact press@cpj.org.