We Came From Fire

• Prize
  Gold in Book/Documentary, 1st Place winner in Book
• Photographer
  Joey L., United States

(powerHouse books, 2019. 12.5 x 9.82 inches, 240 pages): Since March 2015, photographer and author Joey L. has gained unprecedented access to armed Kurdish organizations fighting against ISIS, embedding himself into the chaos of the Iraq and Syrian Civil War on three separate trips. Three components meld to create an extraordinarily brave and important documentation: his medium format portrait photography, a written study of the history of the turmoil that led to the rise of Kurdish militias, and intimate journal notes of vivid personal experiences while working as a photographer in the war.