“Stephen Gerard Kelly’s work as Director of Photography has an extraordinary quality. Stephen shoots with a master painter’s understanding of natural light,
and a documentarian’s innate sense of humanity. Any project that brings Stephen on board will be the richer for it.”

“Stephen is a hugely talented cinematographer, storyteller and someone who has stuck his neck on the line for something he believes in. I came across Stephen’s work for the first time in 2020 when he shared material he had shot in the Sabra & Shatila neighbourhoods of Beirut, a city Stephen had been living in for 5 years at that point.
I was struck immediately by the beauty and intimacy of the material, and as a documentary filmmaker of longstanding, I realised the footage was unique, both in how it was secured and captured.

Winning the trust of individuals to participate in documentaries which may be seen widely across the world is one thing. Repaying that trust with a respect and honesty befitting of that trust is a burdensome responsibility that is all too often met with failure. Not, of course, in this instance.

After viewing the original material I embarked on a journey with Stephen and Lebanese production collaborators to try and bring Stephen’s vision of life on the margins of this rich, yet deeply troubled city to the world. Stephen was driven as much by his desire to shine a light on the many forgotten lives being lived in the shadow of Beirut’s decades long political and economic struggles as he was to make his first film. Families who were struggling on the margins of society to provide for themselves, who had been born and lived their whole lives in Beirut, but who could still not secure citizenship on account their parents were not born in Lebanon, with the denial of basic services like education and basic healthcare that follows this technically stateless status.

Along with his co-director, they have created a remarkable piece of cinematic storytelling which plunge resilient experiences felt far away deep into our souls.

This was no drop in, drop out exploration. It was an ‘all in’ expedition of four years, travelling into a neighbourhood every day that most citizens of Beirut have never been themselves, either out of choice or an inability to gain entry to what is a heavily armed, insecure area. This requires skill, dedication and perseverance.

Stephen is also a realist. He knows what the school or hard knocks feels like and his own resilience in taking on this very challenging film, alongside his many adventurous video assignments, speaks volumes of his own character.”

“His passion, attention to detail and visual storytelling skills are what make Stephen a leading professional in this field. When you add his exceptional skills behind a camera and a drive to understand issues ever deeper, it’s always a pleasure to work with him.”

“Stephen has given the ICRC some of our most powerful imagery ever in Lebanon. His professionalism and quick understanding of every new situation makes working with him an absolute pleasure. Stephen has become the ICRC’s go-to photographer in Lebanon.”

“Working with Stephen really is a wonderful experience. Highly professional while determined to achieve a perfect end result, he thinks ahead and is always looking for unique perspectives and compositions. And all this comes with his very warm yet professional character.  We are always in good hands!  The consistent quality of his work speaks for itself.”

“Stephen has a unique ability to combine impeccable storytelling skills, years of photography expertise and professional editing knowledge to produce outstanding video content.  Managing to connect and appropriately engage with people from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds while delivering high-quality video from beginning to end makes Stephen an invaluable part of Search’s communications, conflict resolution awareness campaigns and fund-raising strategy.  Delivering the highest quality video Search has ever received, we hope to continue collaborating with Stephen.”

“Stephen is a DP who consistently achieves beautiful compositions, which he excels at, but more importantly in the documentary filmmaking world, he also cares immensely about the people in front of the camera. In Stephen’s work you get truth, honesty and heartfelt humanity. That’s what separates him from other DPs. Stephen carries a personal responsibility to visually tell a narrative that honors the people in the story.”