Netflix has released the trailer for a powerful new documentary titled "The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo," which dives deep into the authorship of the iconic Vietnam War image known as "The Terror of War" or the "Napalm Girl" photo, originally published by the New York Times in 1972. This film unearths a 52-year-old secret as a former Saigon photo editor finally reveals doubts about the official story behind the photo—a moment that set off a gripping two-year international investigation led by conflict photographer Gary Knight and a team of journalists. The group attempts to unravel whether it was not Nick Ut, the officially credited Associated Press photographer, but rather a local Vietnamese stringer named Nguyen Thanh Nghe who captured this era-defining image.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, the documentary has already made waves in the photography and journalism communities since its festival premiere, with critics describing its evidence as compelling, if not entirely incontrovertible. The film features interviews, investigative reenactments, and archival research that raise difficult questions about recognition, exploitation, and justice for local journalists who risked their lives on the front lines of the Vietnam War.
The Associated Press, after an internal review, has stood by its original attribution to Nick Ut, citing a lack of conclusive evidence to reassign credit, but acknowledging the contesting claims brought forward by the documentary. "The Stringer" not only questions who pressed the shutter at that critical moment but, more broadly, asks who gets to write—and own—history through the lens.
The documentary is set to stream worldwide on Netflix starting November 28, 2025, promising to spark debate and reflection about the legacy and ethics of war photography.
Check Out The Trailerr:-