Communicating Justice in Film: The Limitations of an Unlimited Field

• In Event: Visual Epistemologies and Human Rights

Abstract

International tribunals can serve as platforms for the shaping of visual human rights initiatives. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), for example, has wrestled with the implications of encouragement and sponsorship of visual production as part of the court’s work. As a Head of Communications at the ICTY, I reflect on the genesis of and challenges with documentary filmmaking under the auspices of this court. ICTY established an in-house documentary film unit to help in the understanding of the court’s work, a departure from a trope that judgments must speak for themselves. Seeking to reach audiences beyond the limited number of individuals who follow its work professionally, the ICTY initiated this unit as part of its Outreach Programme to educate people about the court’s findings and rulings as well as to reduce misinformation and the likelihood of denial. Showing short documentaries and various clips, I discuss how the ICTY uses documentary filmmaking for mnemonic and legitimizing purposes.

Author

• Nenad Golcevski, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia