After working on the first round of the Democracy Video Challenge, I’m excited to see the next round taking shape. Spending my time helping make the Challenge a reality was a wonderful experience, not just to see all the stunning videos everyone produced but also because it gave me a chance to meet some remarkable people who live and breathe democracy and film every day.
One such person is Sheril Antonio, Associate Dean of Film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Following a web chat with Colombian students, we had a conversation about how film and democracy are closely intertwined, with each supporting the other.
The main theme of our discussion was how film is essentially a dialog, not just between the filmmaker and the viewer, but also as a conversation in a wider culture. One important way films contribute to this wider conversation is through the integration of minorities in a way that also helps to preserve their unique and individual voice. She highlighted the example of African Americans in the United States. At first, films often demeaned their place in American society, depicting them as inferior to other races. That depiction gradually changed toward the 1960s as more African-American artists gained widespread appeal and their separate artistic culture became more mainstream. More minority actors and directors earned widespread appeal, bringing their own unique perspectives to the conversation taking place through film.
One question inquired if filmmakers have to choose between commercial success and making a powerful impact. Dean Antonio said both are possible, a filmmaker simply needs to find where his or her “voice” is and what sort of dialog should take place. For her, making an important point is not incompatible with being popular. She highlighted the example of Inside Man, a film by noted independent filmmaker Spike Lee. While more commercially focused than many of his other films, Lee included several scenes intended to deliver a very clear messages about racism, violence in video games and other serious topics. In one such scene, a turbaned Sikh protests racist treatment by New York police authorities.
While these are a handful of scenes in a single film - and not likely to make a significant widespread impact - when you take many films across several decades, you can start to see how filmmaking can further social change. This point is important for Dean Antonio. In a democratic society change happens one person at a time over many years. Films don’t change cultures, they change people. The United States didn’t move instantly from slavery to electing President Obama, the nation’s first African-American president. Instead, it took lifetimes of civil rights advocacy. In film, this started in the 1910s with protests against The Birth of a Nation, a controversial film notorious for promoting the idea of white-supremacy. More recently, positive depictions of black presidents in movies like Deep Impact helped set the stage for President Obama’s election last year.
What made this shift possible was a strong democratic landscape that encouraged a public dialog. For Dean Antonio, art is essentially curious, it is focused on asking questions. A strong nation is one that can tolerate these questions, and, indeed, even encourage such questions through protection of personal freedoms. It is this unfettered conversation that allows filmmakers to create powerful statements about the environment in which they work. Just as a single voice will find it hard to move society forward, a single film may make only a marginal difference. However, taken together, many voices - and many films - can, and do, change the world.
The second round of the Democracy Video Challenge starts today! Enter your video and win a trip to the United States. More information is available on the Democracy Video Challenge Web site.
To get ready for their trip, we have spent the summer featuring a different winning video each week. First up was the winner from the 
To get ready for their trip, we’re featuring a different winning video each week for the rest of the summer. First up was the winner from the 
In a few short weeks, the six winners of the 
In just a few short weeks, the six winners of the 
To get ready for their trip, we’re featuring a different winning video each week for the rest of the summer. First up was the 
To get ready for their trip, we’ll be featuring a different winning video each week for the rest of the summer. First up is the Philippines and filmmaker Aissa Peñafiel’s video, ”Long Live the Fearless Man.”
After practicing law for a number of years, Michael Jay Friedman returned to school and earned a doctorate in U.S. political and diplomatic history. 
Michelle Austein Brooks is a U.S. government and politics writer who has covered three national elections for America.gov. 
Peggy B. Hu defied Asian-American stereotypes in college by studying comparative literature and international relations rather than math and science. 
Stephen Kaufman is an experienced writer who has covered the White House and the State Department, and continues to report on international and democracy issues, including press freedom. 
Tanya Brothen is a blogging enthusiast who began writing for the web on a whim. Now it’s her job.