Filmmaking and Social Justice: How Film Can Change Reality
Martin Fazeli
In May, documentary filmmaker Hossein talked to HAI members about how cinema can help transform the world. Born in Iran, Martin is a survivor of the Iranian Revolution of 1979, during which he lost family members to firing squads. “I became a sociopolitical animal very early in my life,” he said.
Documentarians are not happy with the status quo and hope to inspire action through their work. Documentaries can provide an antidote to feeling powerless over global problems. “Our job is creating a feeling of agency. The documentary genre has the power to do that if you do it right – to promote agency in the viewer.”
His 2007 film
The Tale of Two Nazanins, is an example of this. It is the story of an Iranian teenage girl who killed her attacker and ended up on death row. The film, made hastily in the 3 months between her original trial and retrial, was broadcast on international networks such as the BBC and CNN. The film ignited an international campaign that led to her acquittal, saving the girl’s life.
Martin highlighted other examples of documentaries that have caused positive social change, including Blackfish, about the tragic consequences of keeping orca whales in captivity. No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, was the true story of war crimes committed at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. Most of the footage in that film was recorded by witnesses on low-quality mobile phone cameras.
Social Justice
“It brings me back to my view that, when it comes to social justice documentary filmmaking, I don’t think of it as an elite art form. I think anybody should be able to make an impactful documentary film. The main two elements are passion and commitment,” Martin said.
Martin is in post-production on his next film, Phoolan, an inspiring story about an Indian woman who transformed herself from victim, to vigilante, to pacifist politician. The film will be released in late 2023 or early 2024. For more information, see fazelifilms.com.