Mikel Konate (Spain, 1982) is an award-winning independent video-journalist and filmmaker currently based in Madrid and working worldwide.
Konate has been involved in the media industry for 20 years and began working as a video-journalist in 2005 for local Spanish outlets covering political issues, social movements, and breaking news. In 2014 Konate began working internationally for news agencies, media, NGO’s and audiovisual production companies.
He has been awarded the Rory Peck Trust Award for News in 2018 for his coverage in the Central Mediterranean and was nominated again in 2019 for his coverage in Northern Syria.
In 2018 Konate collaborated with Santi Palacios in his first short documentary film, Coming Ashore, telling the harassing journey of the nearly one million people that risked their lives by crossing the Mediterranean in 2015 aboard precarious plastic or wooden boats to reach Europe, have been awarded with the Best Documentary Short Film from Short of the Year Festival, National Category winner from the ICortOS Festival, and Honourable Mention in the POY Latam, Pictures of the Year.
The work produced throughout these years has had tangible impact on our society. Konate’s footage has been used in a criminal case tried in the European Court for Human Rights on push-backs and abuses faced by refugees and migrants attempting to cross into Spain. His footage also has been used as evidence on another trial in the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The latter led to the CRC finding Spain to be in violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and forced Spain to amend the special legal regime authorizing automatic expulsions in Ceuta and Melilla; the first decision of its kind by the CRC.
Konates’ footage has been used in numerous documentaries and investigations, particularly those related to migratory issues and conflicts including two investigations with Forensic Architecture, the documentary “Frágil Equilibrio”, which won best Documentary at the Goya Awards, or “Confronting ISIS” from Frontline (PBS), among others.
Konate has worked worldwide with Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN, BBC, Euronews, ABC, The Independent, UNHCR, MSF and CEAR (selected) and his work has been broadcasted with The New York Times, CBS, NBC, The Guardian, Channel 4, Arte, France 24, Al-Jazeera (selected).