From Witness to Action: Film and Journalism in Defense of Democracy – Social Practice of Human Rights Conference on Creative Resistance: Artivism, Technology, and the Right to Dissent
As repression of dissent and the spread of disinformation deepen worldwide, documentary filmmakers and investigative journalists are playing an increasingly vital role in safeguarding democracy and defending civic space. From Witness to Action brings together filmmakers and human rights practitioners from Donkeysaddle Projects and Just Vision for a film-integrated conversation and screening that explores how creative storytelling can resist censorship, challenge repression, and mobilize communities toward justice.
The session will feature Jen Marlowe (Founder, Donkeysaddle Projects; Consulting Producer, Just Vision), Fadi Abushammalah (Outreach Associate, Just Vision), and Daniel Nerenberg (Education and Communications Specialist, Just Vision), who collectively bring decades of experience in storytelling, journalism, and community engagement across Israel-Palestine and the United States. The program will include a screening of the 25-minute short film "Severed"—directed by Jen Marlowe—which follows a young man from Gaza navigating loss, exile, and the enduring strength of his community—and a film clip from Just Vision’s award-winning documentary Boycott, which examines the criminalization of political expression in the United States and its chilling impact on free speech. Drawing on these works, alongside Just Vision’s journalism platforms—the Palestine Reporting Lab and Local Call—the session will illuminate how creative resistance through film and investigative storytelling can counteract state repression, media manipulation, and the militarization of public discourse, while inspiring collective action and defending civic space.
Ultimately, From Witness to Action invites participants to consider how art and journalism serve as democratic tools—preserving collective memory, shaping public discourse, and empowering movements that defend the human right to protest and dissent.