Brent Renaud

Biography

Brent Anthony Renaud was an acclaimed American documentarian and photojournalist who spent two decades capturing the human cost of global conflict and urban crisis alongside his brother and creative partner, Craig Renaud. Known for a cinema vérité style that prioritized raw, empathetic storytelling, he covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, drug addiction in America, and the refugee crisis in Central America. In 2026, Renaud’s legacy is being honored on the world’s biggest stage. The documentary short "Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud"—directed by his brother Craig, has been nominated for the 2026 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. Released on HBO in October 2025, the film utilizes Brent's own archival footage and his final recordings to reconstruct his career and his tragic death. Renaud was killed on March 13, 2022, in Irpin, Ukraine, when Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle while he was documenting the evacuation of civilians during the early weeks of the invasion. He was the first American journalist killed in the Ukraine war. His death sparked a global outcry regarding the safety of press in conflict zones. Prior to his death, Renaud won a Peabody Award for the Vice series Last Chance High (2015) and two DuPont-Columbia Awards. His body of work remains a benchmark for immersive journalism, often highlighting the resilience of youth in dangerous environments.