SEEING IS BELIEVING

Handicams aren’t just for weddings and family vacations. The film explores the political and social uses of handicams and new technologies, from documenting police brutality to bringing war criminals to international court, and features the bravest human rights activists around the world who use cameras to document horrific violations against humanity. These are clandestine images of extra-judicial violence, Mafia-controlled people-smuggling, resistance movements deep in the jungle, forensic anthropologists unearthing mass graves, neo-Right videographers and progressive organizations arming themselves with the tools of the new visual revolution. What happens when front-line advocates pick up cameras to document what they see? What are the risks and responsibilities? And what is the wider impact on societies, audiences and journalism? Joey Lozano never parts with his handicam as he documents rights abuses in the Philippines. But does Joey’s camera prevent violence or jeopardize lives?