Canberra studio takes out award for ISIS victims documentary

The World Health Organisation and United Nations commissioned Aspen Medical to establish and manage the hospitals in the war-torn region from March 2017 until June this year.

During the two year mission, the company treated nearly 50,000 patients and helped deliver 3000 babies.

Newcast managing director Damien Maher said the fighting and instability meant the documentary had been a challenge to produce.

Mr Maher said the film crew had to be "whisked in and out" of the city by armed guards as ISIS had been highly active at the time of production.

"The threat to safety was very real; people were putting their lives at risk by simply appearing in the documentary, with the local doctors forced to hide their identities for fear of reprisals by ISIS," he said.

"At times the footage is confronting, with the savagery of ISIS and the battle for Mosul on full display.

"But the rewards have outweighed the risks thanks to receiving this award; a story about the people of Mosul and their basic requirement for healthcare they so desperately needed."

The annual Cannes awards recognise the world's best corporate films, online media productions and documentaries in one of the world’s most important film centres.

The awards ceremony was held in September in the French city, however the award arrived in Canberra this week.

Mr Maher said the award showed what Canberra companies could achieve and was further proof of the "depth of creative talent" locally.

"I can't emphasise enough how proud our team is to work alongside Aspen Medical, a Canberra company on the front line of the world’s humanitarian efforts," he said.

"Aspen Medical's marketing and communications team truly understand the power of video in telling stories and this award is thanks to their efforts in getting the project off the ground in the first place."