🎥Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (2025) – A Lens That Never Looked Away: Documentary Cast, Story, Release Date & Where to Watch 📸

The HBO Original documentary short “Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud” is a deeply moving tribute to the late war journalist Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed in Ukraine. Directed by his brother Craig Renaud, the film premieres on October 21 on HBO and streaming on HBO Max.

🕊️ A Tribute Etched in Courage

“The way you hold that camera, you’re doing it from your heart.”That single line captures the essence of Brent Renaud, a filmmaker whose work transcended borders and politics — revealing humanity’s most fragile truths.

In “Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud,” director Craig Renaud takes audiences on an emotional journey through the eyes and memories of his late brother — a man who believed the camera wasn’t just a tool but a weapon of empathy.

Premiering October 21 on HBO and HBO Max, this short documentary delivers both a haunting elegy and a rallying cry for those who still dare to tell the truth when the world turns violent.

🎬 The Final Assignment — A Story from the Frontlines

On March 13, 2022, Brent Renaud was killed by Russian soldiers while reporting in Ukraine. He became the first American journalist to die in that war. What followed was a journey of grief and remembrance as his brother, Craig, traveled to recover both Brent’s body and his final recordings.

Through these recovered fragments — raw, unfiltered, and human — Craig pieces together a story that spans decades of fearless journalism. From the Iraq War to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, from Somalia to Honduras, Brent’s lens captured the struggles of people living through chaos yet clinging to hope.

In one particularly stirring moment from the documentary, a local man tells Brent,

“You listen. You don’t just film. You make us seen.”

That compassion, that humility — it’s what made Brent Renaud more than a reporter. He was a storyteller of the unheard.

🌍 A Legacy Built in Conflict and Compassion

The vérité-style film uses real footage from Brent and Craig’s years of fieldwork — showcasing the emotional and physical toll of documenting war, migration, and survival. Despite the harrowing imagery, the film radiates with love: for truth, for people, and for the brotherly bond that shaped their storytelling.

From “Dope Sick Love” to “Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later,” the Renaud Brothers have built a reputation for fearless, empathetic filmmaking. This final collaboration, however, is unlike any other — because one of them didn’t make it home.

As Craig Renaud reflects, every frame of this documentary is both a farewell and a continuation:

“He carried that camera like a flag — for every story that mattered.”

🏆 From SXSW to HBO — A Documentary That Resonates

Premiering at the SXSW Film Festival, Armed Only With A Camera received the Audience Award in the Documentary Short competition — a testament to how Brent’s story continues to touch hearts across the world.

Now, as it debuts on HBO and HBO Max, audiences everywhere can experience the life, death, and unwavering courage of a man who believed that bearing witness was an act of love.

💡 A Final Frame — The Power of Bearing Witness

🎞️ Title: Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

Director: Craig Renaud

Producers: Craig Renaud, Brent Renaud, Juan Arredondo

Executive Producers (HBO): Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen

Runtime: 40 minutes

Genre: Documentary, Short

Premiere: October 21, 2025, on HBO & HBO Max

“Armed Only With A Camera” isn’t just about Brent Renaud. It’s about every journalist who stands in the path of danger so others can see the truth. It’s about humanity’s desperate need for storytellers who run toward the fire when everyone else runs away.

Through Craig Renaud’s intimate direction, Brent’s story becomes a universal portrait — a call to remember that truth still matters, even when it costs everything.