A new documentary, The Stringer, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has ignited a heated debate over the authorship of one of the most iconic photographs in history: the “Napalm Girl.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning image of nine-year-old Kim Phuc fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War has long been credited to Associated Press (AP) photographer Nick Ut, but the film alleges that the image was taken by a little-known Vietnamese freelance photographer, Nguyen Thanh Nghe.
The Associated Press and Nick Ut have vehemently denied the claims, with the AP releasing a detailed investigation last week that found “nothing that proves Nick Ut did not take the photo.”
However, the filmmakers behind The Stringer argue that their evidence, including eyewitness accounts and forensic analysis, raises serious questions about the photo’s true authorship.
Captured on June 8, 1972, the “Napalm Girl” photo depicts Kim Phuc running naked and screaming in pain after a napalm attack on the village of Trang Bang.
The image, with its raw depiction of the horrors of war, became a symbol of the anti-war movement and earned Nick Ut a Pulitzer Prize. Ut has always maintained that he took the photo and later helped save Kim Phuc’s life by rushing her to a hospital.
But The Stringer challenges this narrative, claiming that the photograph was actually taken by Nghe, a Vietnamese stringer working for NBC at the time.
According to the film, Nghe submitted his undeveloped film to the AP’s Saigon bureau, where the photo was allegedly credited to Ut by Horst Faas, the AP’s chief of photography in Saigon.
The Allegations
The controversy began when Carl Robinson, the AP photo editor on duty in Saigon the day the image was captured, came forward with claims that Faas instructed him to credit the photo to Ut. In the film, Robinson recalls being told, “Make it Nick Ut. Make it staff.”
Robinson says he kept quiet for decades out of fear for his job and only began speaking out after learning Nghe’s name years later.
The filmmakers tracked down Nghe, now 86, who claims in the documentary, “That photo was mine.” Nghe’s family also corroborates his long-standing belief that he was the rightful author of the image, with his daughters recounting how he often expressed regret over losing credit for the photo.
To bolster their case, the filmmakers hired INDEX, a France-based nonprofit specializing in forensic investigations, which concluded that it was “highly unlikely” Ut was in the right position to take the photo.
The AP’s Response
The Associated Press has strongly defended Ut’s authorship, releasing a 22-page report that includes testimony from seven witnesses who were present that day or worked in the Saigon bureau.
Among them is photojournalist David Burnett, who was at the scene and recalls seeing Ut sprint ahead to take the photo. Burnett also remembers Ut emerging from the darkroom with a wet print of the image, which he showed to colleagues.
The AP’s investigation also examined smoke and wind patterns in the “Napalm Girl” photo, as well as its darkroom labeling system, concluding that there is no evidence to support the filmmakers’ claims. “In the absence of new, convincing evidence to the contrary, the AP has no reason to believe anyone other than Ut took the photo,” the report states.
Ut himself has declined to participate in the documentary but has called the allegations “outrageous and false.” His lawyer, James Hornstein, has announced plans to file a defamation lawsuit against the filmmakers, describing Robinson as a man with a “50-year vendetta” against Ut and the AP.
A Battle Over Truth and Power
The filmmakers, led by director Bao Nguyen and executive producer Gary Knight, argue that their investigation is about more than just a photo credit. “The photograph in question is one of the most important photographs of anything ever made, certainly of war,” Knight told AFP. “It was always important for us as a film team to share this story with the world.”
However, critics of the film argue that it risks undermining the credibility of photojournalism at a time when the industry is already under siege from misinformation and AI-generated content. Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Hume Kennerly called the allegations “ridiculous,” while others have questioned why Nghe and Robinson waited so long to come forward.
The AP has also criticized the filmmakers for not sharing their evidence, including the INDEX report, and for allegedly requiring the AP to sign a non-disclosure agreement before viewing the film. The filmmakers deny this, saying they only requested an embargo until the film’s release.
