In a gripping new documentary, Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless makes her directorial debut to shine a light on the extraordinary life of Margaret Moth – a fearless CNN camerawoman who captured some of the most harrowing war footage of the late 20th century. Never Look Away pulls no punches in chronicling Moth’s wild journey from small-town New Zealand to the front lines of global conflicts, where she dodged bullets and stared down death to document the human toll of war.
The Untold Story of a Warrior Journalist
Born Margaret Wilson in 1951, “Margs” transformed herself into Margaret Moth – dyeing her hair jet black, taking her name from her greatest fear, and fighting legal battles to obtain a voluntary sterilization. “I’m not a breeder,” the defiantly unconventional Moth declared. Her uncompromising spirit led her to become New Zealand’s first female news cameraperson in the 1970s before decamping for the US to join CNN, where her courage and drive to document the truth quickly earned her legendary status.
She was a bad girl who walked on the side of the angels.
Lucy Lawless on Margaret Moth
Tragedy and Triumph
In 1992, while filming in Sarajevo, Moth suffered a devastating injury when a sniper’s bullet shattered her jaw. Doctors doubted she would survive, but Moth’s indomitable spirit prevailed. Drooling and slurring her words, she returned to the fray with renewed determination, continuing to document the horrors of war. “She didn’t do less war after she was shot. She did more,” a colleague recalls in the film. “She doubled down on danger.”
The Making of a Maverick
Weaving together interviews with Moth’s siblings, colleagues, and a much-younger ex-lover, Never Look Away paints a complex portrait of a woman shaped by a turbulent, often abusive upbringing. “What there was in that family was this relentless dearth of love,” Lawless observes. “And it was this that became Margaret’s superpower.” Moth channeled her pain into a relentless drive to bear witness to the suffering of innocents caught in war’s crossfire.
An Urgent Tribute
With attacks on the free press escalating around the globe, Lawless felt compelled to bring Moth’s story to light. “I want it to bring honour back to the profession of news-gathering,” the director says, hoping the film will inspire audiences to “reach a little higher” in pursuit of their boldest dreams and deepest purpose, as Moth herself did. In a world that often looks away from uncomfortable truths, Never Look Away is an unflinching tribute to those with the courage to stare them down and press “record.”
