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Gabriel Chaim
Chaim at the 2019 Nordiske Mediedager, in Norway
Born	1981 (1981) Oriximiná or Belém, Pará
Occupation(s)	Journalist, documentarist, photographer, camera operator
Children	2

Gabriel Chaim (1981 in Oriximiná or Belém, Pará) is a Brazilian journalist, documentarist, photographer and camera operator who usually works in conflict zones around the world, especially in the Middle East.

Initially working in gastronomy, Chaim wanted to photograph meals in refugee camps and became an expert in war and conflicts. He covered conflicts and refugee crises in Syria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine and had his contents published in outlets such as The Guardian, CNN, Der Spiegel and G1; footage captured by him with a drone in the city of Kobanî, at the border of Syria and Turkey, were displayed by Irish band U2 during their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour in 2015. He has interviewed subjects such asMahmoud Ahmadinejad (former president of Iran) and Volodymyr Zelensky (president of Ukraine). Some of his documentaries were nominated for the Emmy and the New York Festivals.

Carrer

Background, pre-coverage work and other activities

The first career Chaim considered was in Economy, which he applied for in a college in Belém. Afterwards, he went to Rio de Janeiro, to study Law, which he switched for Publicity and then Ciema. He moved to Goiânia, where he opened an ice cream shop with flavors from his native state of Pará, but it went bankrupt; he also opened a bar, which didn't succeed, either.

His next endeavor was studying gastronomy in São Paulo, in Anhembi Morumbi University. He left the course in its last semester to work in a restaurant in Spello, Italy, invited by a friend in 2011 or 2012. From there, he went to Dubai to work in a restaurant as book cook and photographer, the latter an activity he learned from his father. There, he had a better salary which allowed him to travel the world.

In the 2010s, Chaim ran the project Kitchen 4 Life with his pictures, financing it with his work in Dubai.

In 2022, he was preparing the book A Guerra de Gabriel Chaim (The War of Gabriel Chaim), with pictures he took in conflicts around the world and texts by Guga Chacra. It was expected to be released in August of that year. In 2024, he released the book Gabriel Chaim: 10 Anos de Guerras Sem Fim (Gabriel Chaim: 10 Years of Endless Wars) with previously unreleased images captioned in two languages. The work generated an homonymous exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound.

Wars and conflicts coverage

When on vacation from his photography course in Italy, he traveled to Iran and to refugee camps, initially willing to photograph what people were eating. The Niatak camp in Afghanistan sparked his interest for this reality. When operating in Egypt, he witnessed the fall of Mohamed Morsi in 2013, year in which he also made it to Aleppo (unlike most journalists back then) to cover the Syrian civil war. Such experiences propelled him into his new work field.

In 2014, he photographed a woman with acid burns in Guarulhos. The picture was displayed in London, featured in a The Guardian story and an organization paid for the victim's treatment. She later moved to Germany.

On 3 May 2015, he was detained at the Syrian-Turkey border when attempting to illegally gain entrance to Syria from Urfa. Two other photographers, one German and one Turkish, were also arrested with him. He was interrogated for several hours while deprived of food, water or sleep, and then locked up with 100 other inmates, including members of the ISIS. He was released on 12 May and subsequently deported; and returned to São Paulo the next morning.

In 2020, he spent the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic working in a hospital in Baghdad, generating material which would later become a BBC documentary.

In October 2023, while commenting live on Conexão GloboNews, he had to seek shelter in a kibbutz as the Israeli Iron Dome stepped in to protect the territory from explosives coming from Gaza.

Documentaries

On 12 December 2015, GloboNews aired his documentary Síria em Fuga (Runaway Syria), with stories of refugees of the Syrian civil war, including an interview with Alan Kurdi's father; Alan being a symbol of this humanitarian crisis. The effort won a silver medal at the New York Festivals.

In 2017, he debuted a documentary series on History Channel named Zona de Conflito (Conflict Zone), in which he narrates his work in Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

In 2019, GloboNews won the silver medal at the New York Festivals for his documentary Margens de uma Guerra: Heróis e Vítimas em Mossul (Margins of a War: Heroes and Victims in Mosul), which covers the efforts by the Iraqi Special Operations Forces to retake the city of Mosul from the ISIS and its consequences to the civilian population.

In 2022, he produced the documentary Abrigo — Inocentes sob Ataque (Shelter — Innocents under Attack), in which he tells stories of Ukrainian victims of Russian attacks as the former is invaded by the latter. The production debuted on GloboNews and was later made available onGloboplay. It won another silver medal at the New York Festivals.

By the end of 2023, also on GloboNews, he aired his documentary Evel, Hazin - Dias de Luto (Evel, Hazin - Mourning Days), with the effects of the Israel-Hamas war on the lifes of Palestinian civilians. It was nominated for the International Emmy Awards Current Affairs & News.

On Christmas 2024, GloboNews aired the documentary Salma: sobre raízes e perdas (Salma: About Roots and Losses), about the Israel-Hezbollah conflicts.

Exhibitions

Chaim had some of his works exhibited on different occasions. In January 2014, his pictures of refugees of the Syrian civil war were exhibited in Belém, and later in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In November 2015, other images of his taken in the Syrian war were exhibited at the Zipper Gallery in São Paulo, in a partnership with Human Rights Watch.

By the end of 2021, he had another exhibition, this time with images taken in Brazil, when he followed the Army and the Federal Police as they acted against illegal gold mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory between Roraima and Amazonas. One of his works, "Aldeia Roko", was auctioned in 2022 to help fund the film Jepotá.

Personal life

Chaim was born to Lebanese parents. He lives in São Paulo, is married and has two children who, in 2023, were 14 and 8 years old. He speaks English, Italian and some Arabic and Kurdish.

For safety reasons, Chaim avoids posting his personal life on social media and doesn't tell his family or friends where exactly he'll be working. When American fellow journalist Brent Renaud died in the Ukrainian war, Chaim claimed that "one death is no more important than another", criticizing the different approaches the media would use to treat different types of casualties of wars and conflicts.

In an interview om Conversa com Bial, Chaim said he struggles to go back to normality after returning from the front. He also believes seeing shocking things such as dead children through a camera lens helps alleviate the effect it could have if he saw all that directly.

References

1. "Biografia". Vento Leste Editora. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
2. ^ Cruz, Fabyo (4 June 2022). "Fotógrafo paraense Gabriel Chaim retrata a guerra na Ucrânia por meio de sua arte". O Liberal. Grupo Liberal. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
3. ^ Kogut, Patrícia (14 November 2023). "Quem é o documentarista brasileiro que acompanha in loco o conflito entre Israel e Hamas: 'Fiquei muitas vezes perto da morte e vi coisas chocantes'". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
4. ^ "Fotógrafo relata ataques, miséria e mortes em cidade devastada na Síria". G1. Grupo Globo. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
5. Jardim, Carolina (14 September 2013). "'Não vim fotografar a morte, vim fotografar a esperança', conta brasileiro na Síria". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
6. Benício, Jeff (31 March 2022). "Colaborador da Globo aproveita trégua em Kiev para se tatuar". Terra. Telefónica. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
7. ^ Fábio Trindade (2 February 2017). "Série registra a atuação do fotógrafo de guerra". Correio Popular. Rede Anhanguera de Comunicação. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
8. ^ Giacomelli, Felipe (4 February 2017). "Fotógrafo brasileiro vira série do History". Folha de S.Paulo. Grupo Folha.
9. ^ "Fotógrafo inaugura exposição com imagens de conflito na Síria". GZH. Grupo RBS. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
10. Fox, Kara; Munayyer, Waffa (1 May 2017). "Exclusive drone footage captures west Mosul in the throes of war". CNN. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
11. ^ Mantovani, Flávia (7 May 2015). "Fotógrafo brasileiro que cobria guerra da Síria é preso na Turquia". G1. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
12. ^ Barros, Luciana (17 November 2016). "'Vi bombas, tiros, ataques suicidas': os fotógrafos brasileiros que retratam batalha por Mossul". BBC Brasil. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
13. Chaim, Gabriel (16 October 2014). "The sons of war: Syria's refugees – in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
14. Chaim, Gabriel (19 October 2017). "Raqqa through the eyes of an embedded reporter". CNN World. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
15. ^ Grilo, Fernanda (22 June 2019). ""Um dia eu paro ou morro", diz Gabriel Chaim, fotógrafo de guerra brasileiro, que prepara DOC, exposição e novidades longe do front". Glamurama. Grupo Glamurama. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
16. Macedo, Letícia (8 September 2015). "U2 mostra em show imagens feitas com drone por brasileiro na Síria". G1. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
17. ^ "Gabriel Chaim conta como retratou refugiados na Síria". Santa Portal. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
18. ^ Chaim, Gabriel; Ávila, Leonardo (13 December 2023). "Gabriel Chaim: Israel e Hamas". GQ. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
19. ^ Leal, Jocélio (13 December 2017). "Gabriel Chaim: da cozinha para a guerra". O Povo. Grupo de Comunicação O Povo. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
20. Castro, Rodrigo (21 April 2024). "Gabriel Chaim lança livro com fotos inéditas de guerras em 10 anos de cobertura; veja imagens". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
21. "MIS apresenta exposições com Sebastião Salgado, Thereza Eugênia e Gabriel Chaim neste mês". TV Cultura. Fundação Padre Anchieta. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
22. ^ Granjeia, Julianna (13 May 2015). "'Fizeram sinal de que cortariam meu pescoço', diz fotógrafo brasileiro que dividiu cela com jihadistas". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
23. ^ Mantovani, Flávia (12 May 2015). "Dividi cela com membros do Estado Islâmico, diz brasileiro deportado". G1. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
24. "Fotógrafo brasileiro preso na Turquia volta ao Brasil". R7. Grupo Record. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
25. Fraguito, Giovanna (17 October 2023). "Documentarista foge de ataque em Israel ao vivo na GloboNews". Veja. Editora Abril. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
26. Grupo Globo, ed. (17 October 2023). "Vídeo: repórter brasileiro busca abrigo para se proteger de ataque aéreo enquanto mostrava destroços de kibutz destruído em Israel". G1. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
27. "Documentário 'Síria em Fuga' revela personagens impressionantes". G1. Grupo Globo. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
28. Giacomelli, Felipe (2 February 2017). "Série do History acompanha registros de Gabriel Chaim na Síria e no Iraque". Folha de S.Paulo. Grupo Folha. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
29. "Documentário da GloboNews recebe medalha de prata no New York Festivals". G1. Grupo Globo. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
30. ^ Natali, João Batista (8 December 2022). "Personagens de documentário brasileiro escancaram dia a dia sangrento da guerra da Ucrânia". Folha de S.Paulo. Grupo Folha. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
31. "Documentário da GloboNews mostra os impactos da guerra em Israel e na Cisjordânia". Jornal do Comércio. 27 December 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
32. "Globo recebe duas indicações ao Emmy Internacional de Jornalismo". Jornal Nacional. Grupo Globo. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
33. Neto, Nelson Lima (24 December 2024). "GloboNews exibe documentário sobre os conflitos no Líbano entre Israel e o Hezbollah". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
34. "Fotógrafo paraense retrata refugiados da guerra síria na Jordânia". G1. Grupo Globo. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
35. Boehm, Camila (2 December 2015). "Exposição em São Paulo apresenta fotos da guerra na Síria". Agência Brasil. Empresa Brasil de Comunicação. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
36. Jacob, Paula (5 November 2015). "Gabriel Chaim em nova individual na Zipper Galeria". Harper's Bazaar Brasil. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
37. Bergamo, Mônica (1 March 2022). "Obra do fotógrafo Gabriel Chaim será leiloada para financiar filme nacional". Folha de S.Paulo. Grupo Folha. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
38. Gabriel Chaim: A fotografia do ódio humano. Trip. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
39. Traiano, Heloísa (30 July 2017). "Fotógrafo brasileiro captura rotina cruel no coração da batalha em Mossul". Extra. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
40. "Chaim refuta tratamento de herói a jornalistas na Ucrânia". Terra. Telefónica. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
41. "Bial relembra seus tempos de correspondente de guerra e apresenta nova geração de fotógrafos". Gshow. Grupo Globo. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2025.

External links

• Gabriel Chaim on Instagram
• Gallery with images taken by Gabriel Chaim in Syria in 2014(G1)
• Gabriel Chaim participating in the podcast O Assunto and talking about his work in Lebanon during the Israel–Hezbollah war

• Brazilian people of Lebanese descent
• Anhembi Morumbi University alumni
• Brazilian documentary filmmakers
• 1981 births
• Living people
• Brazilian photographers
• People from Belém
• People from Oriximiná