View in browser

Featured This Week:

Exclusive Q&A with the No Ordinary Life director.

Meet the five fearless journalists who captured images from war zones.

Plus, a Diana marathon airs this week on CNN.

Q&A with the director of No Ordinary Life 

The new documentary, No Ordinary Life, explores the trailblazing work of five female photojournalists who worked on the front lines of wars. The CNN veterans share the adrenaline-pumping hazards of reporting under fire and the tremendous cost to their personal lives living from war zone to war zone. 

Director Heather O'Neill wanted to introduce the world to the women risking it all behind the camera. 

"I wanted to make a film that allowed the audience to be immersed in the experience of being behind the camera. The sounds, the signs, the reading of faces, the split-second decisions, and their sense of what was about to unfold," said O'Neill. 

CNN spoke with O'Neill about the film:

Q: How did you select the five camerawomen you profiled in the film?

As a former CNN producer, I knew of their work and legendary careers. After meeting Mary Rogers in Baghdad many years ago, and being struck by her fierceness, I knew then that I wanted to tell their story.

Q: In the film, photojournalist Maria Fleet says, “People often said that our images looked different, that they could tell that there was something different about the images that we as women made.” Is that something you observed while making the film?

Yes. After going through hundreds of hours of their footage, I began to see that they all focused in on the people affected by wars and catastrophes. Very often it’s the most vulnerable people are the most impacted, and capturing those images was clearly important to them.

Q: While reviewing these women’s decades-long careers, what did you uncover that surprised you?

Their sheer commitment to their work. Being a cameraperson is a tough job, it’s physical and mentally demanding. On top of that, they went from war zone to war zone, spending months on the road, year after year. They were 100% in, no matter the circumstance.

Q: Camerawomen Cynde Strand says in the film that “In the early 80’s you just didn’t see that many female photojournalists.” Are there more female photojournalists today? Have you heard from aspiring camerawomen who have been inspired by the film?

I think the field is growing, but CNN as a news organization was unique to this day, to have five camerawomen working around the world. One of the reasons I made the film was to inspire other women to pick up a camera, and I have heard from one young woman who wants to follow in their footsteps, which is wonderful.

Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from the film?

Mary, Jane, Cynde, Margaret and Maria defined history for their generation. 

The audience has seen their work across CNN for decades, but don’t know that it was these trailblazing women behind the camera.

Don't miss the premiere of the CNN Film No Ordinary Life on CNN Monday, September 5, at 10 p.m. ET

Meet the five camerawomen who defined history 

In a field dominated by men, five pioneering camerawomen were on the frontlines of war zones capturing vivid images for the world.

“These camerawomen blazed a trail they didn’t even know they were blazing at the time. They were incredibly brave and incredibly resourceful,” said CNN's chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour.

Here are the five women profiled in No Ordinary Life:

MARIA FLEET

She started her career at CNN in 1981. Maria has covered the rise and fall of presidents, the break-up of nations, the birth of democracies, the death throes of political ideologies and everything in between. She captured images from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf War, Somalia (for which she earned an Emmy) and al Qaeda (which won her a Peabody Award).

JANE EVANS

Since 1981, Evans covered world events in over 100 countries. She's won multiple Emmy Awards, documenting scenes from the civil war in Lebanon, the Iran-Iraq War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Velvet Revolution, Gulf Wars, Rwanda, Yugoslav Wars, Somalia and famine in Africa. After being based in Beirut, Rome and London, Evans retired in 2003.

CYNDE STRAND

For more than 20 years, Strand traveled the world as a CNN cameraperson and producer assigned to bureaus in Beirut, Beijing, Nicosia, London and Johannesburg. She covered the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown, the first Gulf War, the first free and democratic election in South Africa, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and famine in Somalia. 

MARY ROGERS

Rogers grew up captivated by the photography in her parents’ National Geographic magazine and knew at a young age she wanted to see the world. For the past 40 years, she has covered history up close, as a multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning photojournalist. From the first and second Gulf Wars, to the fall of the Soviet Union, to wars in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Syria, the election of Nelson Mandela, the rise and fall of the Islamic State, Rogers was there. 

MARGARET MOTH

Originally from New Zealand, Moth traveled the world for CNN, covering war zones and major stories for nearly two decades. She was known by her colleagues as a gutsy and fearless camerawoman, who never turned down an assignment. During the 1992 war in Sarajevo, she was shot in the face by a sniper while on assignment.  Remarkably, she survived and after dozens of surgeries, Margaret insisted on going back to work. Where? Sarajevo.

WATCH: The shocking noise that erupted after Diana's death

Diana documentary series airs ahead of the 25th anniversary of the princess' death

Next Wednesday marks 25 years since the death of Princess Diana. The car crash in Paris that claimed her life left the world stunned in 1997.

To reflect on the anniversary, CNN is airing the six-part docuseries, Diana. The CNN Original Series reveals the person behind the princess with rarely seen footage and new interviews. It explores her strength and flaws, and shows her complicated legacy as an aristocratic rebel, fashion icon, humanitarian hero, hopeless romantic and dedicated mother.

If you're interested in more royal content, check out:

• PODCAST: When Diana Met... podcast, hosted by Aminatou Sowakes, takes listeners inside Diana’s most notable meetings with public figures, politicians, dignitaries and celebrities.
• FASHION: How would Diana dress today? CNN Style looks at her most iconic looks and talks to experts about how her look may have evolved. 
• RULE BREAKING: From changing her vows to how she educated her sons, CNN looks back at five times Diana broke royal protocol.
• ROYAL NEWS: For an exclusive inside look at the British Royal Family, sign up for our weekly newsletter, Royal News. 
• GALLERY: This photo gallery shows Diana's life in pictures. 

The Diana marathon airs this Sunday starting at 9 p.m. ET. 

HLN’s How It Really Happened with Jesse L. Martin relaunches this Sunday

The acclaimed actor Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order, RENT, The Flash) joins as host of HLN’s longest-running crime and investigative series, How It Really Happened. It delves into some of the most notorious crimes, mysteries and trials of our time.

Season seven kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday by examining the baffling disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Kate and Gerry McCann were at a Portuguese resort when the unthinkable occurred: their three-year-old daughter vanished from her bed. Once the McCanns realized their daughter was abducted, they courted the media and enlisted celebrities to publicize the case. Fifteen years later, after unpeeling one dark layer after another, investigators have a new suspect in the unsolved case.

The series airs at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays on HLN. Click here to learn more about the rest of the season.