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Sky Arte documentary revisits Tony Vaccaro's WWII photography

other · 2026-04-27

Sky Arte will air the documentary 'Underfire – Tony Vaccaro, un fotografo in guerra' on Saturday, July 18, directed by Max Lewkowicz. The film traces the story of Tony Vaccaro (born Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro), who as a young soldier in the 83rd Infantry Division during 1944-1945 smuggled a $47 Argus C3 camera to take about 8,000 photographs of daily soldier life in Europe. His images were only presented to the public in the mid-1990s because Vaccaro wanted to leave the horrors of war behind. Now in his nineties, he is a committed pacifist horrified by human violence. The documentary includes interviews with Vaccaro and testimonies from Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks, Lynsey Addario (also a Pulitzer and MacArthur Fellow), Anne Wilkes Tucker (curator of 'WAR / PHOTOGRAPHY'), James Estrin (Senior Photographer and editor of Times's Lens blog), and John G. Morris (photo editor of Life Magazine during WWII and editor of Robert Capa).

Key facts

  • Tony Vaccaro's real name is Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro.
  • He served in the 83rd Infantry Division in Europe in 1944-1945.
  • He used a $47 Argus C3 camera to take about 8,000 photographs.
  • His photos were only presented to the public in the mid-1990s.
  • The documentary 'Underfire – Tony Vaccaro, un fotografo in guerra' airs on Sky Arte on Saturday, July 18.
  • The film is directed by Max Lewkowicz.
  • Interviewees include Tyler Hicks, Lynsey Addario, Anne Wilkes Tucker, James Estrin, and John G. Morris.
  • Vaccaro is now a pacifist in his nineties.

Entities

Artists

  • Tony Vaccaro
  • Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro
  • Max Lewkowicz
  • Tyler Hicks
  • Lynsey Addario
  • Anne Wilkes Tucker
  • James Estrin
  • John G. Morris
  • Robert Capa

Institutions

  • Sky Arte
  • New York Times
  • Life Magazine
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Europe

Sources