Pep Bonet
Bio
Pep Bonet (Spain) is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer who has travelled extensively capturing profound moments that represent the unbalanced world in which we live.
His longer-term projects focus on African issues, with his most well known project being “Faith in Chaos”, a photo essay on the aftermath of the war in Sierra Leone. Pep’s ongoing work around the globe on HIV/Aids and identity has led to several photography books and many exhibitions worldwide.
He is also known for a long-term reportage on the rock ‘n roll band Motörhead. Pep spent many years (2008-2015) on the road with Lemmy Kilmister, the legendary singer of the band and created an exceptional visual document of the many hours spent on the road with Motörhead.
Pep crafted himself into shooting documentaries. This resulted in several short and long documentary films, amongst which the award winning ‘Into the Shadows’. Pep’s work has been recognized with many industry awards. It started in 2002 when he was selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass with his work “Faith in Chaos”. That same year he was nominated “one of the top 30 to watch” by Photo District News.
Pep won the Kodak Young Photographer of the Year in 2003 at the festival Visa pour l`image, and the Luchetta Foundation in Trieste awarded him the best press photographer of the year in 2004. He was a recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Humanistic Grant in Photography in 2005 and in 2007 won the second prize in the World Press Photo contest in the Sports category for his work on the amputees’ football league in Sierra Leone.
In 2009 Pep won a second World Press Photo Award for his work “Forced Identity”, portraying the lives of transsexuals in Honduras. In 2013, Pep won his third World Press Photo Award winning in the category Multimedia for Into the Shadows.
In 2015 Pep has been the recipient of the Horbach Award. His list of publications include “Generacion Perdida” (2010), “Remarkable South Africans”(2009), “Photobolsillo”, a new Photobolsillo from La Fabrica with a collection of Spanish photographers, “One Goal” (2007) and “Somalia: The Invisible Trace” (2007), “Quadern de Bitacola”, a text book written by Carles Domenec and “POSITHIV+” (2005), “Watching in Silence” (2011), “17 milagroso” (2009), 217A; a NOOR book (2008), “We the people of Wacken” (2014) UDR, “Röadkill, Motörhead” (2013).
Pep is a photographer, a filmmaker and a DP, he works on personal projects, mostly directing documentary films, and on assignments for clients and NGO’s.
He frequently lectures on photography, multimedia and film, and conducts workshops.
Selected Stories
Hellbangers: Botswana’s Underground
Metal Culture
Spared by civil wars and dictatorships, Botswana stands as the quiet child of a tumultuous African continent. Nonetheless, the country hosts a strange kind of freedom fighters and independent souls. It is a tattooed community, all leather dressed, heavy-metal fans.
Welcome to Motswana! Ten years ago, one group existed. Today there are more than ten. Pep Bonet documented the ins and out of this growing community, from the performance in the African bush to the stages of world reknown metal festival Wacken.
Röadkill
Over a decade, Pep Bonet captures the soul of one of the best rock and roll bands in the world.
Forced: Child Labor & Exploitation in Bangladesh
Pep Bonet documents child labour and exploitation in Bangladesh for little or no pay at all.
One Goal
Pep Bonet documented the Sierra Leone’s amputee’s soccer team. Many of them were victim of amputation.
Selected Portraits
News, Education & Exhibition
