Kirsten Johnson on the importance of questioning images
In an age of media saturation, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson encourages us to question images.
Kirsten Johnson on the ethics of documentary filmmaking
Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson explores responsibility and power dynamics in documentary film.
Classroom Clip: Lost Children
This clip starts at 19:34 min. with Kang Gye-Yeol bathing her husband and ends at 23:58 min. with a view of the river.
Cameraperson: Competence Required?
Johnson is shooting footage of her mother, who is identified as being in early stages of Alzheimer's. When Johnson asks her mother if it's okay to film, her mother seems lost in another reality and never actually gives an answer. If this was a courtroom, her mother would likely be judged not competent enough to stand trial.
Cameraperson: Government Control
Johnson's driver informs her that journalists need a permit to shoot video of the prison – a permit they don't have. So they plan to say they are making an movie for entertainment, which doesn't need a permit. But their subterfuge raises the suspicion of soldiers and we're left to wonder if the driver is arrested.
Cameraperson: Ask the Family
Prosecuting attorney, Guy James Gray, describes evidence he prepared in the James Byrd case. Byrd, a Black man in Jasper, TX, was chained to a pick-up truck and dragged to death by two white men. To avoid showing graphic photos in open court, Gray's team prepared a book of photos for the jury. In the clip, Gray describes some of the book's content.
Cameraperson: Preserving Dignity
Syrian dissident, Charif Kiwan, speaks to a university audience about the ethics of showing the violated, dead bodies of the victims of war or atrocities. When he asserts that showing graphic images is just about making money, a student challenges him with an example where a powerful image of a dead child turned the tide of public sentiment.
Classroom Clip: Afterlife
This clip starts with Kang collecting clothes and ends with Kang looking at the fire.
Classroom Clip: Stay Strong
This clip starts at 46:25 min. with a view of snowy fields and ends at 50:50 min. with Kang saying, "Stay strong, even if it gets a bit cold."
My Love, Don't Cross That River - Trailer
89-year-old Kang Gye-Yeol and 98-year-old Jo Byeong-Man are married and have lived together for 76 years. While Kang and Jo spend every day like a newlywed couple, they now must face the reality of their aging romance. My Love, Don't Cross that River captures the fleeting moments of their twilight days.
Motherland: Lerma
As a counterpoint to Lea's story, we meet Lerma, who has had seven children and who has chosen to undergo a tubal ligation to prevent future pregnancies. She jokes about being like a virgin again or being able to be promiscuous because she can't get pregnant. She also talks about having so many kids that she can't give love to them all.
Why is family planning important in the Philippines?
Filmmaker Ramona Diaz discusses the challenges of family planning education.
Why is whale hunting important to the Faroe Islanders?
Mike Day on the complexities of whale hunting & food sustainability in the Faroe Islands.
What challenges did you face while making your film?
Director Mike Day recounts filming in harsh conditions with complicated logistics.
How does an underfunded hospital care for premature babies?
Filmmaker Ramona Diaz on how Kangaroo Mother Care is used in a Filipino maternity ward.
How does climate change connect us to the Faroe Islands?
Director Mike Day discusses food contamination & the interconnectivity of climate change.
What's it like at the busiest maternity ward in the world?
Filmmaker Ramona Diaz explains what makes Fabella Hospital unique.
Mike Day on the local impact of global pollution
Director Mike Day discusses the dangers of being disconnected from nature.
Motherland: Dads
Visiting fathers hold their babies against their bodies, a method for keeping the premature infants warm because the hospital doesn't have incubators. They talk about the expenses of having a sick baby and their lack of basics at home, like electricity and running water.
Motherland: Family Planning Continued
A nurse tries to convince a resistant teen mother to get an IUD. The clip also touches on the issue of domestic violence.
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