We're proud to kick off our Sundance podcast coverage this year with an incredibly important (and timely) discussion on how documentary film can be utilized as a powerful call to action. These are the films that inspire you to delve further into their causes and get active after you leave the theater.

Whose Streets? picks up moments after the murder of unarmed black teen Michael Brown at the hands of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Through a harrowing collage of guerrilla-style filmmaking and archival footage,  Co-directors Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis place us at the epicenter of the Ferguson community as racial tensions in the city reach their boiling point.

17461-3-1100Photo Credit: Sundance Institute

The directors, however, don’t focus on the forensics reports or harsh statistics associated with institutionalized racism. You can find those on the internet. Instead, they sifted through nearly 400 hours of footage to deliver their message through the pain and heartbreak of the city’s residents.

What we get is a stark contrast to a narrative the media presented back in 2014. And while it might be uncomfortable for some, the truth is made clear as we watch the intimate stories of the men and women who rallied together to push through injustice as the protests unfolded.

On this episode, activist Brittany FarrelL joins Folayan and Davis as we dig deep into the potential of documentary film as a tool for change.  Regardless of your political affiliation, giving voice to the voices that usually go unheard is an objective every documentarian should seek to achieve.

For more, see our complete coverage of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

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No Film School's video and editorial coverage of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival is sponsored by RODE Microphones.

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