Reading Response: Sparking Difficult Dialogues: Sam Feder and Dean Spade on Trans Documentaries

After reading Sparking Difficult Dialogues: Sam Feder and Dean Spade on Trans Documentaries, I feel that creating a documentary that addresses an issue is a difficult task. One thing in particular that Spade pointed out was that the documentary makers, Feder included, were not focusing on the “right” questions. This to me addresses one of the limitations of documentary film that is in need of adjustment. As a film, documentary work is limited to the past and therefore not capable of a continuos dialogue on a particular issue. While it can present certain facts or beliefs it is inherently limited and therefore not necessarily a tool that should be used in discussion of such controversial topics. 

Adding on to the idea that Feder was not asking the right questions, I think that if a documentary wishes to touch on subjects of controversy it must first find opposing sides and ask those sides what they think the questions are. Then the documentary can aggregate these views and present a more holistic approach to the topic. Not an argument for or against but simply the tools for people to form their own opinions on a topic. 

In my own experience I have seen many documentaries about climate change and environmental issues, most fail to acknowledge the other side as being valid in any way. While the goal of an individual might be to convince people to support a cause, it is my belief that for a documentary to have any real influence it must be unbiased and all encompassing in its views.