Documentaries that deal with human rights and political issues are booming, and films about dramatic individual fates in particular often reach an audience of millions in the age of streaming services.

Such films can be an opportunity for the people in front of the camera to share their stories with a broad public. They can voice their political concerns and, perhaps for the first time in their lives, experience self-empowerment by being recognised as active shapers of their own lives and able to initiate significant (political and social) change.

One of the most common means of keeping the necessary viewer interest high is strong emotionalisation, which works through identification with the central protagonists of a film. However, this raises fundamental ethical questions about the responsibility of filmmakers: Does the urge to tell stories with the greatest possible audience appeal outweigh consideration for the protagonists and the consequences that their portrayal in front of an audience of millions can have?

The effects of acclaimed documentary films on the people who appear in front of the camera can be very complex. What wounds can be torn when people are confronted with their old traumas every time a film is released? And how can the safety of protagonists who speak out against the political conditions in their home country be guaranteed?

And how can you deal with such films in the classroom? What if the topic and ‘message’ are exactly right, but the treatment of the people in front of the camera is questionable on closer inspection? This media ethics issue is intended to strengthen media skills.

The documentary SUBJECT (USA 2022, 93 min., original English version with German subtitles, directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall) also poses precisely these fundamental questions based on a number of successful documentary film productions. The focus is on the people in front of the camera, who talk about their lives after and with ‘their’ films.