James Miller's journey as a freelance cameraman began, and in 1995, he joined the Frontline News collective, taking on various roles such as cameraman, producer, and director in some of the world's most tumultuous hotspots. Four years later, he made his first film for Hardcash Productions, a forensic examination of a massacre in Kosovo, which went on to win the Royal Television Society (RTS) award for international current affairs in 2000.
Miller's exceptional work continued to garner recognition, with films like Dying For The President, a documentary about Chechnya, and Children Of The Secret State, a film about Korea, both aired on Channel Four's Dispatches in 2000. He then collaborated with reporter Saira Shah and producer Cassian Harrison to create Beneath the Veil (2001),a groundbreaking documentary that revolutionized the world's understanding of Taliban-run Afghanistan.
Contrary to the stereotype of a reckless journalist, Miller was a thoughtful and risk-aware individual who carefully evaluated danger before embarking on his assignments. His bravery was exemplified during the production of his second film in Afghanistan, Unholy War (2001),where he and Shah narrowly escaped death while crossing the Hindu Kush in sub-zero temperatures. This film earned Miller his first Emmy as a director and the prestigious Peabody Award, often referred to as television's equivalent of the Pulitzer, in 2002.
Miller's most renowned film, Death in Gaza (2004),won a BAFTA, but tragically, it was his last, as he was killed during the making of the film. He leaves behind his mother and father, his wife Sophie, and their two young children, Alexander, two, and Charlotte, five months old.
