ABOUT AMY VAN DRUNEN

Amy Van Drunen is a journalist and documentary filmmaker reporting on conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises.

Her work has covered famine-like conditions in South Sudan and Yemen, cross-border displacement along the Chad–Sudan and Syria–Iraq borders, and the long-term effects of conflict. She has documented how water scarcity in East and Southern Africa disproportionately affects the health, education, and daily survival of women and girls. Amy has sought to amplify the voices of vulnerable communities around the world and bring greater understanding to their experiences.

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Across these contexts, Amy focuses on the everyday experiences of individuals and families enduring the world’s gravest tragedies.

 

Her 2023 documentary, Reclaiming the Night, follows a Norwegian professor and his work addressing trauma-induced nightmares among war-affected children. Filmed in Lebanon, the project centers on a Syrian child struggling in the aftermath of fleeing Daesh’s violence with her family. Her story offers an intimate look at the persistence of trauma and innovative ways to resolve grief. The film has received several international festival awards.

 

Amy is currently researching the impact of deteriorating aid and its impact on first responders around the globe.

 

Her passion and commitment continue to inspire empathy and understanding for underrepresented communities and causes.