Finding Ethical Ground in Documentary Storytelling: Lessons from Minding Shadows
- So Fare Films
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Written by Andy Sirianni, Fall 2025 So Fare Films Production Team Intern
What happens when a filmmaker realizes they may not be the right person to tell a story? So Fare Films intern Andy Sirianni reflects on a documentary project he abandoned—and the ethical lessons he discovered while working on Minding Shadows.
When a Film Raises Ethical Questions
Last year, I made a documentary that will never see the light of day. Like many filmmakers, I’m familiar with critiques, rejection, and the struggle to realize a vision. But this time, the challenge was deeper. I wrestled with fundamental questions: What is the purpose of this film? What unique impact does it have? Am I the right person to tell this story?
This last question, a question of ethical responsibility, is often overlooked in documentary filmmaking. Is passion and curiosity enough if you simply include a disclaimer?
The Moment the Project Fell Apart
The film I’d hoped to make started out as an experimental student testimonial on the protests on my campus at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. With the time frame expected of me and critiques of my initial proposal taken too personally, I ended up scripting, filming, and beginning post production about a local organization in Minneapolis, called Communities United Against Police Brutality. Realizing I didn’t have enough of the right b roll, a common issue in documentaries, I went out to George Floyd Square to get some footage of the pieces of art that commemorate Floyd, his family, and other Black victims of police brutality. While walking around, framing my next shot, I was approached by a kind man who asked for some of my time. I agreed and we had a deep conversation about why people visit George Floyd Square. Some people see it like a tourist attraction, as something to check off their list, and many others see it as a way to say sorry, overridden with guilt or confusion on how they can help communities vulnerable to police brutality and systemic racism. This man presented me with my first crisis on the quarry of ethical documentary filmmaking. Why was I the one telling this story, and why is the organization’s president who I had interviewed, a white person? Why was she the only person I interviewed for my film? Whose story did I want to tell? And so, naturally, I dropped the project. I felt guilty and confused for taking on this project and needed to take a step back.
The crisis I faced was knowing the facts of the issue but not truly knowing the people whose stories I sought to tell. Having subject-matter expertise does not automatically make a documentary ethical or insightful. So, what makes a documentary ethical?
Meeting the Story of Minding Shadows--and seeing Trust at the Heart of Ethical Filmmaking
The answer came through the making of Minding Shadows, directed by Dr. Jenn Lindsay — a feature documentary following genocide survivor Olivier Biraro as he rebuilds his life and develops a philosophy of healing and reconciliation.
Jenn and Olivier Biraro met in 2016 at an interreligious dialogue seminar in Vienna. Jenn’s deep engagement after reading Olivier’s book A Drop of Dhamma and their ensuing conversations about canalizing anger laid the foundation for the documentary. Jenn possessed both the academic rigor, with her PhD in Religious Studies, and more importantly, the genuine human connection. She knew her subject, not just the facts.
As an intern for Jenn at So Fare Films, I was tasked with interviewing Olivier. Because of the negative repercussions of the initial filming of Minding Shadows, I was very curious about ethics and whether he regretted giving his consent to film him during his time as a monk. He said no without hesitation, noting he was always comfortable with Jenn as the one to tell his story.
“Before, I was somewhat timid. I wanted the message to be told in a way that is almost impersonal, without me being the center of it, but the message itself. That is what I still wish. But over the time, because the message will be better received if I involve myself more actively, I feel more confident to speak in front of the camera.”
An ethical documentary demands this kind of professional relationship. Beyond consent forms and research, it requires trust: a mutual vulnerability and respect which Jenn and Olivier demonstrated profoundly. Olivier’s story became inseparable from the filmmaking process itself. Jenn was not just behind the camera; she was immersed as an active participant, a “karmic sister” walking alongside Olivier through his journey of healing, survival, and growth.
The ethics of documentary filmmaking, as outlined by experts, center on principles of informed consent, respect, transparency, and prioritizing the well-being of subjects. It is an ongoing dialogue, not a one-time permission slip. Jenn embodied this by breaking conventional filmmaking rules; when Olivier faced statelessness and isolation, she could not simply yell “cut.” Instead, she intervened to help, illustrating how ethical filmmakers must balance their roles as observers and caretakers. This honest acknowledgment challenges the notion of the detached filmmaker and proposes a new model, one of empathy and shared humanity.
When Personal Stories Become Universal
When I asked Olivier about what it was like to have such deeply personal parts of his life become a documentary, he answered in a way that made me confident this documentary is ethical. He said,
“Are these personal? Have we not all gone through the same pain in one way or another? The tears we have cried through loss, betrayal, injustice, rejection, humiliation and abandonment are greater than the four great oceans. Yes, there is the name ‘Olivier Biraro’ and Sangharakkhita, but it is the suffering of each of us, because we all have something in common: suffering and the aspiration to end that suffering.”
Making an ethical documentary is not just about telling someone’s story. It is about knowing your subject personally, honoring their boundaries, and embracing the responsibility that comes with sharing their truths. It is about forming authentic relationships that allow for trust and collaborative storytelling.
“[The making of Minding Shadows] has shown me that dreams come true. What we think, say and do are seeds that we plant into the universe. When the right time comes, the fruits are there. When I wrote my first book in my mother tongue about forgiveness, not only did I lose a lot of money and time, but also, it brought me a lot of trouble. I was imprisoned. I was angry against the universe. But then, meeting Jenn, who was ready to bring the message into the world, made me realize that the seeds that I planted through tears were not wasted. So my unasked advice: always do good, you never know where you will harvest.”
Rethinking My Own Filmmaking
I dig through my files of many projects I’ve thrown on the back burner until I’ve found the one I promised myself I would never look at again. Sucking up to the second hand embarrassment, I watch. I realize I need different perspectives, but that I don’t need to scrap what I already have. As I end my internship with So Fare Films, I’m beginning to reach out to a few different organizations and get involved with the intention of learning instead of filming a prewritten narrative.
My future as a documentary filmmaker as a result of this process is bright. I know what I need to do: to approach my films as acts of listening before storytelling. The lesson of Minding Shadows is that ethical filmmaking begins not with equipment or editing software, but with humility, the willingness to see others fully, and to share authorship of their stories. My earlier mistakes no longer feel like failures, but early drafts of an evolving moral compass. Documentary filmmaking, at its best, is not about control but connection. It thrives in the space between witness and participant, between empathy and accountability.
In rediscovering that unfinished project, I’m reminded that ethical storytelling is never complete. It’s a lifelong dialogue between filmmaker, subject, and audience. The shadows I once feared in my own practice are no longer obstacles to avoid, they are reminders of where light can enter.
An Invitation to Watch and to Listen
We hope you enjoyed this taste of the So Fare Films educational mission for emerging mediamakers! Whether you can pledge financial backing or not, we want you to be part of this story. Please watch the Minding Shadows pitch video below!
Comments