IAzmadeh Ghahvie             age:

Cinematography: A Medium in International Studies
- Film, International Law and Humanitarian Diplomacy

La cinematografía: Un medio en los estudios internacionales

- Cine, derecho internacional y diplomacia humanitaria

Abstract:

It is said that knowledge and education are key to an empowered
lifestyle. The article
presupposes that the
fundamentals of international law, human rights,
are the basis of contemporary enlightenment.
Knowledge and awareness of an individual’s rights are thus essential. The expansion of
digital learning and especially the
use of film as a learning tool in schools
and universities have become an effective teaching mechanism
and support for educators, particularly documentary style of film. Arguably,
the film industry’s potency, for better and for worse, illustrates how the major production corporations vie for cultural and societal influence demonstrating their quasi-hegemonic grip on Soft Power. Soft Power can be both an advocacy as well as a
pedagogical tool, but also a factor
shaping and polarizing politics through
social movements. This second article takes up the Trilogy’s thread
highlighting the role advocacy based
on international law and knowledge-creation for society and its applicability.

Keywords: Advocacy;
awareness; documentary film; education; humanitarian diplomacy;
international law.

Resumen:

Se afirma que el conocimiento y la educación son la clave para un estilo de vida empoderado.
El artículo asume que los fundamentos del derecho internacional, los derechos humanos, son la base
de la ilustración contemporánea.
Por lo tanto, el conocimiento y la conciencia de los derechos del individuo son
esenciales. La expansión del aprendizaje digital y, especialmente, el uso del cine como herramienta de aprendizaje en las
escuelas y universidades se han convertido en un mecanismo de enseñanza
eficaz y en un apoyo para los educadores,
en particular el estilo de cine documental. Podría decirse
que la potencia de la industria cinematográfica,
para bien o para mal, ilustra cómo las
principales corporaciones productoras compiten por la
influencia cultural y social demostrando su control casi hegemónico sobre el Poder Blando.
El Poder Blando
puede ser tanto una herramienta de promoción como una
herramienta pedagógica, pero también un factor que da forma y polariza la
política a través de los movimientos sociales. Este segundo
artículo retoma el hilo de la Trilogía destacando el papel de la defensa
basada en el derecho internacional y la creación de conocimiento para la sociedad
y su aplicabilidad.

Palabras claves: Abogacía; sensibilización; cine documental; educación; diplomacia humanitaria; derecho
internacional.

Summary. 1. Introduction. 2. International Law and Advocacy in the Pursuit of Justice. 3. Soft Power. 3.1 Soft Power and the Role of the Individual. 3.2 Influence of Film on Humanitarian Diplomacy; a Case Study of Two Influential Films.

4. The Soft Power of Film and its Impact on Society. 4.1 Film and its impact.
5. The Hegemony of the Film Industry.
6. Conclusion.

Como citar: El Khodr, C. Jain, N & Olcay, Y. (2022). Cinematography: A Medium in International Studies-Film, International Law and Humanitarian Diplomacy. Ñawi: arte diseño
comunicación, Vol. 6,
núm. 1, 161-177.

http://www.nawi.espol.edu.ec/ www.doi.org/10.37785/nw.v6n1.a8

This
work is under an international license Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0.

1.
Introduction

International law is one of the most all-encompassing and far-reaching forms of global regulation. The term itself is used to indicate legally
binding rules that are applicable at an international level. The primary goal of international law is the
facilitation of conditions to foster international peace and stability.

Humanitarian diplomacy is the
process of persuading decision makers and leaders to make decisions and take actions while always
keeping in mind the welfare of those most vulnerable and with the utmost respect for the fundamentals of humanitarian principles.

The process and the reach of
filmmaking can bridge the gap between international law and humanitarian diplomacy as it can assist in
delivering messages of advocacy and create awareness among a wider audience about current affairs
in international law and relative
to crises. The impact of film
can be a lot more tangible and intelligible for the average person; thus, film
can be wielded as a powerful tool for the promotion of international law, humanitarian diplomacy, and the promotion of peace, global
welfare, and the protection of human rights.

International law is not however, without
its limitations, and these restraints are not insignificant as they can be debilitating to its efficacy.
One of the main issues surrounding International Law is its lack of enforceability, as those who
are most vulnerable rarely have a tangible means of remedy. Acknowledgment alone cannot replace
active assistance and legal recourse.
Though its nature is one that should be all-inclusive, it is not accessible to everyone and evenly distributed to all persons,
many of whom lack access to
it; it is not easily comprehensible or even clear. International law promises a world where conflict can be simply
mitigated or even outright avoided through mere abidance and diplomatic negotiation. This, however,
is clearly not the case as many human rights
atrocities worsen and
magnify with each passing day and some are even buried by the powers that be in order to continue their
rampage of destruction and self-interest. As the majority of
common people do not have a comprehensive
understanding of international law and many of the rights enshrined within,
such as the Geneva Conventions or the UN Charter
of Human Rights are rendered
almost useless to those who do
not know of their existence, let alone be able to help those most vulnerable.
International Law is not taught nor
is it disseminated widely enough for its impact to be one that is palpable at
present, while humanitarian diplomacy relies on the good intentions of those who have the power to enact any sort of change and rendering of assistance and protection. Film, however, does allow for the melting
of these areas and allows for the further dissemination and broadcasting
of information of both law and humanitarian crises, which can extend its reach and add to its understanding whilst alleviating the barriers of education and accessibility.

2.
International Law and Advocacy
in the Pursuit of Justice

International Law to a large extent,
is developed out of international customary law, and establishes the foundation of international relations. The rules of international customary law derive

out of state practice and have crystallized over time,
many of them eventually being codified in conventions and treaties of international law.

International Human Rights Law was
established to protect the rights of every human being to make sure that everyone is
able to live a dignified life and to combat discrimination and
inequality. Not only does it establish rights
but also obligations for the states
to obey. The citizens’ knowledge
of their rights helps them feel empowered
and leads them to be able to advocate for themselves, as well as stand up for others in the face of
injustice. If we take climate change, for instance; the civil action taken by Greta Thunberg when she began
protesting for climate change that later developed into a movement of young students who organized
school strikes in order to call on their governments
to take action. The advocacy effort
of the movement made vital information about the consequences of the inactions
of the governments evident, therefore
convincing more and more people to join her fight for the cause. Without the sharing
of knowledge regarding climate change the outcome of the reach would likely have been different. As climate change is
only possible to tackle using a global approach, no positive actions
of one country alone can have a significant impact.
Thanks to the huge platforms where she had the opportunity
to address the issue in front of the key players her protest has transformed into advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy on an international level. Given what is at stake it is essential
that all citizens
are aware of the obligations of the state to hold them accountable in the event of a violation. The actions we take today will
have consequences on the livelihood of future generations.

A
successful climate-related case was one of private
law action for damages against
the Netherlands, brought
forward by Urgenda
and aimed at reducing national
CO2 emissions.

Urgenda is a foundation based in the
Netherlands that aims to prevent climate change and to promote the transition to a more sustainable society.
Urgenda’s statutes state that the foundation will prepare a vision for a sustainable Netherlands in 2050, which will serve as inspiration and motivation for everyone who works with sustainability.

In December 2013, Urgenda brought a
private law action in The Hague District Court, Rechtbank Den Haag. Urgenda requested that the
Court order the Netherlands to limit its greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, or at least 25%, compared to 1990 emission
levels. The legal bases for the action were
numerous and were based on Dutch law, EU law and international law. As regards
the former, Urgenda relied on Article 21 of the Dutch Constitution, which entails that the State must protect
and improve the environment. On the one hand, Urgenda
argued that the state has a private
liability for breaches of
provisions in environmental law and a private law-based duty of care, which
means that the state must protect the
public from harmful pollution. The UNFCCC, the ECHR, and the ‘no- harm’ principle of international law
were further invoked as grounds for the Dutch government’s responsibility to reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions. Urgenda argued that the right to life (Article 2 ECHR)
as interpreted by the European
Court of Human Rights gives rise to a positive
obligation to take

the necessary measures
to prevent such a threat
to human life as climate
change poses and of which
the State is aware. Urgenda further argued that the right to private and
family life (Article 8 ECHR) gives rise to a positive obligation for the state to protect
citizens from environmental pollution, even when
these are not life threatening. Referring to the case law of the European Court
of Human Rights,
Urgenda argued that it is irrelevant that climate change affects large sections of the Dutch population. Nevertheless, the rights of the
individual under Articles 2 and 8 ECHR may be considered infringed. According to Urgenda, the measures taken by the Dutch State to curb climate change
were insufficient to ensure the right to life and respect
for private and family life. Rechtbank Den Haag allowed the action on the basis of private law. According
to the district court, the state had breached its duty of care, which it found gave rise to an
obligation to prevent dangerous climate change by reducing Dutch greenhouse gas emissions. Following
an appeal by the State, the Court of Appeal upheld the District Court’s decision. The Court of Appeal however,
based its judgment on Articles 2 and 8 of the
ECHR. According to the Court of Appeal
the state has an obligation to take precautionary measures to prevent
future violations of human rights
to life and privacy. Following an appeal by the government, the Supreme Court finally pointed to previous case law from the
European Court of Human Rights which shows that the state has a positive
obligation on the basis of
the two articles
of the Convention and the precautionary principle to take appropriate measures, including preventative ones, to protect
individuals from damage to their environment, even when there is an uncertainty as to the extent of these
damages. This obligation, the court continued, exists not only in relation to
individuals but to the population or society as a whole. Thus, according to the Supreme
Court, the state has an obligation to take positive
action in the form of emission limits to prevent
climate change.

As the above legal process shows,
change in the international sphere is not always brought about by governmental interests or those of the powerful
lobbies. In some cases, Soft power, which definition will be explored more in depth
in the following section, can prove effective when applying political pressure on public officials and governments.

3.
Soft Power

Soft power is a concept originally proposed by Joseph
Nye as a strategy to grow influence in order to fix the diminishing reputation and
economy of the United States following the Cold War, with the main premise being that in the modern,
interconnected world it is no longer a military force, but in addition, the influence of culture, trade,
and tourism that continues to rise; ‘’proof of power lies not in resources but in the ability to change the behavior of states.’’

A country’s branding or
reputation is a crucial factor in the ease with which it can negotiate to further interests while the opposite is also true; and according
to the Nation Brands Index maintained by Simon Anholt, national images of
countries do not have the tendency to change easily, and it has taken decades of business, technology, and hard work for nations
such as Germany and Japan to earn their stellar
reputation following the aftermath of World War II. This is thought to be due to human

nature and its tendency to adhere to stereotypes (Fearn,
Welsh, 2008). «The Cold War saw the end
of one world; globalization and the associated communications revolution
has heralded the start of another.
Recognising these rapid changes, David Ronfeldt and John Arquilla called for a
‘revolution in diplomatic affairs’. Their concept of Noopolitik emphasised the
importance of engaging with non- state
actors in a way which focused on cooperation, shared interests and common goals”(Fearn, Welsh, 2008).

3.1
Soft Power and the Role of the Individual

Today, due to the changing nature of the world
and diplomacy, clear-cut
distinctions and boundaries are no longer present between
the diplomatic corps and the citizens; the international arena is more dynamic, issues are more interdependent, and there is an increase in the influence of an individual can have, whether it is
as part of a lobbying group, or as a well-known personality active on social media as the case of Greta Thunberg
illustrates. As mentioned
earlier, climate change
gradually became another thematic diplomacy topic with mounting
importance and urgency, and key
individuals such as Nicholas Stern, who published the Stern Review on the
Economics of Climate Change in 2006,
in addition to the popularity and impact of Al Gore’s film
‘’An Inconvenient Truth’’, created the impetus
for the international community to speed up attempts
to address climate
change beyond the Kyoto
Protocol (Fearn, Welsh, 2005). Since
the age and advancement of the internet and
social media, a large component of what comprises diplomacy has now also now
become digital diplomacy; the
internet and social media have changed diplomacy into a two-way street, with
active dialogue between
the consumers of influential media,
and the creators
of this media,
and with those
under the sphere
of influence of the consumers of the messages.

3.2
Influence of Film on Humanitarian Diplomacy; a Case Study of Two Influential Films.

Film: Zero Dark
Thirty
Introduction

The following paragraphs present an analysis of the 2012 film, Zero Dark Thirty from humanitarian diplomacy and international law perspective. The film is directed by Kathryn Bigelow
and stars Jessica
Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, and Jason Clarke in leading roles.
The film depicts a fictionalized account of (including events
leading up to) the covert
operation to capture
and kill Al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden. There
are various aspects
of international law and humanitarian diplomacy that the film
touches upon, including but not limited to, the use of torture, the treatment
of prisoners of war (POW), and the subversion of international laws in the so-called War on Terror (WoT). The film will be examined
in light of
these important considerations.

Revisiting Zero Dark Thirty: A Brief Background

Before moving on to discuss the pertinent international law related issues
in the film, it is first important
to revisit some aspects of the script itself. The story revolves
around Maya (Jessica

Chastain), a CIA operative obsessed with capturing or
killing Osama bin Laden. The film depicts CIA’s pursuit of Bin Laden through Maya’s eyes, starting from
the time right after the 9/11 attacks till his
eventual killing in May of 2011. The first half of the movie depicts
Maya immersed in the unlawful world of interrogations - largely conducted
through torture and enhanced interrogation techniques

- to gather leads and information with regards to Bin
Laden’s whereabouts. The second half involves Maya fighting bureaucracy within the CIA itself to make a case
for expediting investigative work to capture Bin Laden. Eventually, the uncovering of the identity
of Bin Laden’s key courier
by Maya leads the CIA Special Forces
to Bin Laden’s bunker in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he is captured and killed.

Zero Dark Thirty: International Law and Humanitarian Diplomacy

The nature of the WoT, waged under
the leadership of the U.S, has been such that some international laws have been broken. Torture at U.S ‘black sites’, for example, at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre
and Abu Gharib
has been a frequent feature
of, at least, the initial
years of the war. The movie does not shy away from the depiction of such practices, and shows torture
techniques such as waterboarding, stress positioning, insult slaps, and shaking.

Based on the aforementioned
points, an important consideration comes to mind. The movie assumes that the information collected
through torture was important in eventually finding the bunker of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. In this regard, there
is an undertone of the notions of ‘self-defense’
and ‘the responsibility to protect’ throughout the film. In that
the U.S is a victim of the 9/11 attacks,
and that the country acted in self-defense to not only protect itself
from terrorist activity
but the larger international world as well. Article 51 of the United
Nations Charter gives sovereign nations
the right to act in self-defense and was also one of the pertinent reasons
given by the Bush administration to wage the WoT (Badescu,
2007). Responsibility to Protect (R2P), on the other hand, is also a United Nations’
doctrine that stipulates, that nations have a collective responsibility towards
each other in order to stop (among others)
crimes against humanity
(Badescu, 2007). Thus, the premise of the film, to a
certain extent, is positioned within these ideals and principles of international law.

Despite these undertones, the movie could have done a better job of depicting international law. There were very
few mentions of rules and stipulations that govern the treatment of captives
and prisoners, such as those, for
example, codified in the Geneva Conventions. One major inclusion of opposition to torture was shown in the
shape of Barack Obama’s interview in the backdrop of a CIA meeting, in which Obama asserts that
“America does not torture” (Joyce & Simm, 2014). But such inferences of international law were not a
frequent part of the film. With respect to this, Joyce and Simm (2014) write “What is unsettling about Zero Dark Thirty is that targeted
killing and torture
are presented as the subject of mass entertainment, without the director
appearing to take a moral position or
engaging in any form of debate surrounding the international legality of such
actions; international law is largely
surplus to requirements.”

As far as humanitarian diplomacy is
concerned, the film was largely silent on this particular subject matter. Understandably, the movie was largely concerned with showcasing the events leading
up to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and in that regard, humanitarian
diplomacy did not fit into this investigative/ war drama. However, it is felt that the WoT created a huge humanitarian crisis in various
countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The pursuit of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists by the U.S in the WoT came at the expense of thousands of
innocent civilians that were displaced from
their homes, or even killed. The trials and tribulations of these civilians,
and the humanitarian effort
that later ensued, conducted largely by the U.S as well,
could have become
a feasible part of the movie. However,
this was not the case.

Findings

Zero Dark Thirty was undoubtedly a
very important film. It was also one of the very first movies to depict the covert operation that led to
the killing of Osama bin Laden. Understandably, the initial phases of the WoT included aspects where
the U.S did not fully align with international law. Laws were broken with regards to (among others) interventions,
extra-judicial killings, and torture; the larger justification being self-defense and responsibility to protect. The movie was quite honest
in the depiction of these bleak aspects
of the WoT. However, it is also felt that aspects of international law, such as rules stipulated in Geneva Conventions, could have played
a more solid role in the script of the movie. Similarly, the movie also could have been more accurate if it had placed the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden in the scope of the larger
humanitarian crisis and the ensuing humanitarian diplomatic efforts. All in all, Zero Dark Thirty is
by no means a complete examination of the various rules and stipulations that states have to follow in times of war, although it does increase
viewers’ awareness about some aspects of international law; especially in the muddled
context of WoT.

Film: Hotel Rwanda Introduction

This section places the multiple Academy
Award nominee, Hotel Rwanda, in its political
and social context to ascertain its impact on
humanitarian diplomacy and issues pertaining to international law. The 2004 film was directed by Terry George
and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo
as Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel
manager at Hotel des Mille Collines and his wife, Tatiana, respectively. The film depicts
the 1994 Rwandan
Genocide through the eyes of Paul Rusesabagina as he scrambles
to protect the lives of his own family and those of approximately 1300
other refugees, by giving them
shelter at the hotel. The film explores genocide in great
detail, along with other issues such as
political corruption, humanitarian activism, and international political silence. The rest of the analysis
that follows will be situated within the context of these overarching
issues, with a special focus on humanitarian diplomacy
and international law.

Hotel Rwanda and the Rwandan Genocide

The film Hotel Rwanda is set during
the Rwandan Genocide, which occurred during the spring and summer of 1994 in Rwanda. In order to
understand the issues dealt with by the movie, it is first important to consider the actual genocide
itself. The genocide was the culmination of long-standing differences between the Hutu population,
the ethnic majority in Rwanda, and the Tutsi population, an ethnic minority in Rwanda (Carnegie Council, 2008). The
genocide started when the Rwandan government controlled by the Hutus ordered the armed forces and several militias
to cleanse the Tutsi ethnic
minority and moderate
Hutus in the backdrop of the assassination of Rwandan Hutu president, Juvenal Habyarimana. An estimate of 800,000 to 1.1 million
people, largely the Tutsis, died during the Rwandan Genocide
(Carnegie Council, 2008).

It is in this context that the Hotel
Rwanda plays out. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu himself has to save not only his wife (who is a Tutsi)
but also scores of other people that eventually seek refuge at the Hotel he manages.
What ensues is fear, manipulation, and corruption, on one hand, and courage,
resilience, and bravery,
on the other. There is a depiction of international silence
with regards to the humanitarian crisis
on the official level, but at the same time,
various humanitarian groups,
extending aid to the victims,
are shown throughout the film. Eventually, as in reality, Paul Rusesabagina is successful in protecting his family and
all the people camped at the hotel, who then are able to
flee to Belgium.

Hotel Rwanda: The Depiction
of Humanitarian Efforts and International Law

This section analyses the depiction
of humanitarian efforts and international law in the film, starting with the former. Humanitarian
efforts are seen throughout the film. The premise of the movie itself, with Paul Rusesabagina protecting his family and other people, predominantly Tutsis, is based
around the ideals of humanity. Apart from that, United Nations peacekeeping
forces and refugee camps are shown to be on the scene in various parts of the film.
As in reality, the peacekeeping forces
and the UN mandate were already present in Rwanda when the genocide started, to
enforce the Arusha Accords of
1993. The United Nations in the film is represented by Colonel Oliver, the head
of the peacekeeping forces based on the real-life UN General, Romeo Dallaire. The character of Colonel Oliver shows the extent to which the UN peacekeeping forces were helpless,
with the Colonel at one point, saying that “we are here as peace-keepers, not as peacemakers’’ (Tunzelmann, 2014). The refugee
camps such as those run by the UN Red Cross, as in reality, were shown to be
overflowed with people and
were depicted to have scarce basic living essentials. This overflooding of
people at the United Nations
Red Cross at one point forces Paul to accept
more refugees at the hotel.

Having said this, this depiction of humanitarian efforts
should not be confused with ‘humanitarian diplomacy’, with the latter referring to systemic efforts
to persuade decision
makers and warring
parties to act in the
interest of civilians. In this regard, the movie is silent and does not add to
the viewers’ awareness
about the concept itself. However, this lack of discourse on humanitarian diplomacy
is only

accurate in the context of what actually
transpired during the Rwandan Genocide. The international world turned its back on Rwanda and allowed
the atrocities to go on with impunity.
The movie depicts
this in a powerful scene
in which Colonel
Oliver tells Paul Rusesabagina that the world
is only silent on the genocide because
Rwanda is an African country.

Additionally, the world of Hotel Rwanda understands the realm of international law. The characters at various points
lament the inability of the international world to act in order to stop the genocide. While there is little mention
of past humanitarian interventions, such as those conducted by the
UN and the U.S in Somalia, the movie does explicitly make it clear that those
same international laws (vis-à-vis humanitarian interventions) were not applied
in the case of Rwanda.

Lastly, it must be mentioned that
the film portrays Paul Rusesabagina as a hero who protected and saved the lives of over a thousand
people by giving them refuge at the hotel. However, recent accounts of people present in the hotel
have disputed the one-sided portrayal of Rusesabagina. For example, Tunzelmann (2014) writes
“some survivors have alleged that he [Rusesabagina] extorted money from them, or that he refused to let some people in who did not have means, or that he forced them to vacate their rooms if they
couldn’t pay.” His portrayal as a hero has also taken a hit
recently when he was arrested
in Kigali, Rwanda,
and later tried
on nine charges pertaining to his involvement with the National Liberation Front (FLN), that killed at least
nine people in a terrorist attack in 2018 (The
BBC). Rusesabagina was later convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 25
years in jail (The BBC). While some
people have welcomed the judgment, the international community, by and large, has called the trial a sham and the
judgment as an exercise of political vendetta by Rwandan president Paul Kagame.

Findings

Hotel Rwanda is an excellent portrayal
of the brutality that the Tutsi ethnic
minority and moderate
Hutus had to face at the hand of extremist Hutu militias. The movie does
not only establish this brutality but
also highlights the silence with which the international world approached the
Rwandan Genocide. Here, the movie
depicts the scant humanitarian efforts that were being conducted by the already present UN mandate but makes it clear that these efforts were not enough.
The sheer scale
of killings and ethnic
cleansing required strict international humanitarian and political response,
but no country was willing
to take up such a responsibility. In the end, Rwandan people had to themselves look after one another,
which is exemplified by the efforts
of Paul Rusesabagina. Additionally, the film also laments
the absence of coherent international laws vis-à-vis humanitarian
interventions to prevent ethnic
cleansing and mass murder. After the release of the movie in 2004, it was
pleasing to see the UN adopting the
R2P doctrine in 2005, which makes it a collective responsibility of the
international community to act in
times of humanitarian need. Collectively, Hotel Rwanda is a heart wrenching depiction of the Rwandan Genocide, which
makes succinct points with regards to international laws and humanitarian diplomacy.

4.
The Soft Power of Film and its Impact
on Society

Technological advancement and the
advent of the internet has made the world a much smaller place than it used to be. This innovation has been a catalyst in
not only changing the trajectory of film and cinema, but our understanding of the world in general.
Only two decades
ago, it was almost inconceivable that the world’s
population would have access to information on important events and current affairs in real-time. As most
of the world’s population continued to be oblivious to what was happening around the world. The
transmission of information was slow, controlled, and scarce and the advent of the internet changed
that. Cassettes and CDs have been rendered as relics of the past as the internet has made films from
across the world available at one’s fingertips, completely revolutionising the reach and the impact cinema has on individuals.

The growth of streaming platforms in the past decade has added another
dimension to the overall impact of cinema. Online streaming
platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc. have made content more accessible. As of 2019,
4.66 billion or 59.5% of the world’s total population has access to the internet
(Johnson, 2021) and 4.33 billion
or 55.1% of the world’s total population are active social
media users (Kemp, 2021). People today
can access films and content from around the world, regardless of
the language barrier,
as advanced translation software work tirelessly to provide optimum
viewing experience in multiple languages. This enhanced accessibility has allowed for people across
countries and industries to be connected
in ways that would have been seen as impossible, before.

One
such industry that has massively
benefitted from the Internet is E-Learning. Studies
highlight that the retention
rate with E-Learning is 25-60% higher (Chernev, 2021). By 2025, the worldwide E-Learning market is projected to be worth
up to $325 Billion (Chernev, 2021). And the investment in the digital learning space has just been exasperated by the
sudden emergence of COVID-19. The sudden
disruption in education due to the mandatory lockdowns enforced due to the
pandemic has forced countries to increase their investments in digital learning.

The
expansion of digital
learning has also witnessed a sharp growth
in using film as a learning tool in schools
and universities across the globe. Film, even though often
dramatized, has been an effective teaching tool for educators, particularly the documentary style
of film. This trend will continue soaring, as the entire
world warms up to the concept of digital learning.

4.1
Film and its impact

Many film enthusiasts argue that
film as an art form, in itself, is worth studying.
Film, removed from its messaging, still continues to have an aesthetic and an entertainment value for society.
Movies have a high tendency
of capturing one’s imagination, reshaping the sense of reality and truth.
Seen as the route to escapism in the
past, film has come a long way to propagating social change through creating
awareness and mobilising the youth to think critically, ask questions and participate in making change. Over time, cinema has evolved into a platform
for expression, enabling
the exchange of ideas, culture,
and values, while simultaneously challenging archaic traditions and societal norms. Film

allows us to revisit historical events from multiple
lenses, enabling learning
from history. It sometimes acts as a bridge between
truth and political
agenda. Something that most history
textbooks fail to do.

The subliminal impact of film on an
individual or a society as a whole cannot be ignored. Films can
directly influence our personalities, lifestyle, sexuality, ideology, social
and consumer behaviour, language,
etc. It is widely argued that they also affect our relationship with tourism,
family, health, education, and the nation.
Their socio-cultural impact
on the world is undeniable as they continue
to shape our perception of distant lands,
diverse cultures, and the world as a whole.

Another major aspect of cinema, and one which is dangerously influential, is the celebrity
culture. Popular artists and
celebrities directly contribute to shaping people’s personalities. From
purchasing decisions to fashion and
grooming choices, masses have followed their favourite celebrities through their lifetimes. Celebrities also influence the way we interact with each other.
They are the trend setters
and massively influence the slang or the popular language of the time.
This phenomenon is far from new. However,
the advent of Social Media and the growth of the accessibility to a mobile phone have amplified
the influence of celebrities over our society. The culture of oversharing and
the constant need to scroll
through our phones have enabled celebrities and their agents
to directly influence
every aspect of an individual’s life. From what to wear, where to eat,
what to buy, every decision made by an average young person today,
has footprints of influencer marketing.

This section aims at shedding light
on the different film industries around the world and their influence
over the masses.

The Soft Power of Bollywood

The Bombay film industry or more
popularly known as Bollywood, began in 1896 (Kaushik, 2005). In its nascent stages, Bollywood imported and exhibited
foreign films, soon diversifying into producing
its own feature films. The journey of Bollywood started with Romance and
Adventure, evolving into social
realism, in the post-independence era (1947). The industry then, was believed
to reflect the Nehruvian state
social reformist agenda (Kaushik, 2005). By the 1970s Bollywood moved away from its reformist template and
developed into its own unique blend of genres like romance, social activism, adventure, action, comedy,
etc. with the dominance of music. The author of “Global Bollywood” (2008) exclaimed, “On
one level they are utterly
commercial, but they also probe themes

... that are incredibly resonant in societies battling
between tradition and modernity – themes such as class, family,
and inter-religious conflict.
These films often take up the question
of how to live with people who are different from you.”

This paved the way for
Bollywood’s dominant presence across all continents, selling an average of 2.6 billion tickets across the world (McCarthy, 2014). As of 2014, Bollywood
has an estimated worth of $2.28 billion, producing an average of
over 1000 films per year (Statistica, 2021), making it one of the biggest film industries in the world.
In the 1990s, film transcended beyond just being a means
for entertainment and gave rise to the international tourism industry in India, encouraging travel amongst the middle class and setting
trends for the next favourite
destination for Indians
to vacation in.

Bollywood’s highest-ever
grossing film Dangal made $277
million worldwide (Statistica, 2021), while
simultaneously advocating for women’s rights and shedding light on the
condition of national sportspersons in India. The past decade has seen a
rise in the trend of films commenting on the current social issues and predicaments of society. This has increased
awareness about the persistent evils deep-rooted
in the society, amongst the masses. Some Bollywood movies have managed to spark protests,
as the people stormed the streets, advocating for women’s safety and other issues in India. Shashi
Tharoor, an Indian Member of the Parliament and author expressed, “It is
not the side with the bigger
army, but the side with the better story, that wins. India is already the ‘land of the better
story.’ As a pluralist
society with a free and thriving
mass media, creative
energies that express
themselves in a variety of appealing ways, and a democratic system
that promotes and protects diversity, India has an extraordinary ability
to tell stories that are more persuasive and attractive than those of its rivals.”

The Soft Power of Hollywood

American culture, through Hollywood, has invaded other
cultures for a long time now. Hollywood has successfully facilitated a global culture, while slowly
invading the national identity, culture, and
tradition of countries around the world. This phenomenon is popularly known as the Americanisation of the world. Since the early 1900s,
Hollywood has shaped and exported American culture. And as predicted, it will continue to dominate
the global community. As Thomas Friedman wrote, “today’s era is dominated by American power, American
culture, the American
dollar, and the American navy”.

Hollywood generates $2.09 billion in
box office revenue (Watson, 2020), practically reaching every country in the world. Hollywood continues to be a leading
film industry of the world, breaking barriers
not only through revenue and numbers, but technology and innovation as well.
Hollywood remains unchallenged as the
global leader and trendsetter, amongst all film industries in the world. Films like Zero Dark Thirty,
The Great Hack, Dark Waters,
Vice, Spotlight, Selma,
BlacKkKlansman, Just Mercy,
etc. (Khal, Daria, Roland, Herrera,
2021) highlight the problems within the society
effortlessly, inspiring the population to ask difficult
questions and advocate
for important causes.

The Soft Power of Nollywood

The Nigerian film industry produces
an average of 2,500 films
annually. It produces
movies in English,
Hausa, Yoruba, and other Nigerian
languages. Nollywood movies are a household norm, not only in East Africa, but the entire African
continent and by extension, the entire African Diaspora. By 2013, Nollywood reported revenue of $11 billion
(Vota, 2019) and this number
has only increased
since.

Nollywood, as a matter of policy,
aims at reshaping the behaviour
of African society.
Examples of this include
the use of African musicians
to promote family planning, the use of soap operas to promote
women’s rights, etc. African politicians also recognise the impact of Nollywood on the community and often use it to promote social
change and the empowerment of genders and communities.

The Soft Power of Hallyuwood

The Korean wave (Hallyu) first began
in the 1980s in China, with the rise in popularity for the cultural products of South Korea. This
soon turned into a global trend, offering Hallyuwood its first global boom. The industry
currently reports revenue
of 1.05 trillion
KRW, with an export value
of $54 million (Statistica 2021), with a massive presence in Asia,
Europe, Middle East, Latin America, and North America.

Music has always played a massive
role in the success of Hallyuwood. South Korean films and shows have found unmatched popularity amongst younger women
and girls across
the world. Unlike
the other film industries, the Hallyuwood target audience is very
defined. The popularity of this industry
has drastically increased, since South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s
Parasite, was the first ever non-English film to win the Best Picture in Academy Awards.
Parasite was a metaphorical display
of differences between the classes and the condition of the lower class
of South Korea. This movie, with its social messaging
and restrained artistry,
won hearts across the world.

The Soft Power of Yesilçam

The Turkish film industry has
witnessed multiple rises and falls in the past hundred years. The 1950s through 1970s mark the golden age of
Turkish cinema. Named after the Yesilçam street in Istanbul, the industry became the fifth
largest producer of films worldwide by the 1960s, leaving its neighbours in the Middle
East and the Balkans far behind in the race.

This changed in the post -
Yesilçam era in the 1980s and early 1990s, as political instability
grew, and the Turkish economy rapidly declined. The early 1990s saw two-three
films a year, compared to the Yesilçam
era, when Turkey produced over 300 films a year (Culture Trip, 2017). The
mid-1990s witnessed a
surprising rise in the box office as Turkish art films began to receive
international recognition and accolades.
1996 is considered the year of the revival of Turkish cinema. Both the
commercial films and the art films
have consciously returned to a more nationalistic, inward-looking approach,
talking about themes
like identity and belonging.

Today, the Turkish Ditzi, makes the second most international sales and global
views, in worldwide
TV distribution, only after the U.S. Turkey produces an average of 150 films (Navarro, 2021), marking the sale of 70.4 million movie tickets in 2018, Turkey confirmed its spot as the 7th largest
film industry in Europe, capturing 63% of all admissions in 2018 (Republic of Turkey Ministry
of Culture and Tourism, 2021).

5.
The Hegemony of the Film Industry

The global film industries are
arguably one of the most influential sectors of modern society. Every audio-visual piece of content has the ability to transform opinions, shape behaviours, and rewrite
history. It is no wonder
it is being used as a tool for various
objectives, including advocacy
for international human rights. A good film can educate,
inspire, and entertain
people. Movies can give

rise to inspired and creative
thought processes. They can inspire us to be more compassionate and can motivate us to help other people and aspire
for change. Films
provide a platform
to peacefully coexist.
As popularly believed,
film imitates life and life imitates film. This circle of influence
can lead to many positive
changes for humanity.
However, it can also taint our reality
through propaganda and political motives.

Unlike the entertainment industry,
documentary films have proven different when it comes to their objective and impact. Documentaries are mainly produced
with a purpose to adhere to the truth
and to shed light on an important and often ignored issue of public interest.
The research- and knowledge-based
factual depths presented in a documentary can often achieve a wider informative and certainly a more educational spread to
the public in comparison to the media, especially in unfortunate events and situations that are underreported or
twisted by biased media. One of the most recent documentaries that have raised many questions is the investigation of the disaster
of the Estonia ferry that mysteriously sank in 1994. The acclaimed
documentary has sparked
a debate and a hope for
justice and discovery of the reason behind the disaster of the sunken ship, as
the governments of Sweden,
Estonia, and Finland
reopened the investigation due to the new findings
presented in the documentary.

The power of cinema has been
manifested and exploited socially, economically, and politically throughout the history of film. Political
figures such as Adolf Hitler used film to propagate the Nazi messaging and ideology, before and during
World War II. Leaders such as Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong Un, use film to completely wash away the reality, painting
a very rosy picture of North Korea,
for their population. The Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) in China, also often uses film as means to reiterate the CCP policy changes, amongst the masses.
The recent example
of this being their brand
new “Three Child
Policy”.

The
hegemonic nature of these industries often suppresses the individual filmmakers and supports the big-budget, big production house films. It is a financial-industrial complex,
and it is in the nature
of film industries to sell the film and make money. However, this
phenomenon often silences the unique
voices in cinema and continues supporting the films and talents that tow the
social and political lines. This
often results in the dramatisation or diminishment of historical events, to
suit the current political narrative, changing one’s perception and memory
of the event.

Most big production houses around the world
have fallen into a comfortable template of fraternising with the political
class, converting them into ideology
pushers. Massive film conglomerates often adhere to national political
agenda, coercing and manipulating important events, struggles of the society, and thus eventually, our perception of reality.

6.
Conclusion

This study posed its core, inherent
research question at the base of all its arguments wanting to know how Society,
International Law and Soft Power related advocacy
or Humanitarian Diplomacy

have been influenced by film making. The article focused
on the hegemonic forces released by international film producing corporations forming culture and societal change
via the internet, social media, and general influence
on world discourses. The article examines
the ways in which film can be at the same time the messenger and the message
for change, not always for altruistic reasons,
as was demonstrated.

It
is argued that although these
corporations play a huge role in shaping
global discourse, it is Soft Power
and its understated influence that impacts democratic processes through social
movements, empowering people
unlike anything seen throughout history.

Humanitarian diplomacy is
exemplified as a tool in the process of persuading decision makers and political leaders to take action, keeping in mind the welfare of those who
elected them. The accountability
towards those most vulnerable and in need of the full respect for and
applicability of the fundamentals of humanitarian principles is monitored by the individuals making use of their Soft Power instrument based on the information highway.

Filmmaking, it is argued,
can bridge the gap between
international law and humanitarian diplomacy
as it is the messenger and knowledge creator
of awareness among a wider
audience about current
affairs linked also to international law and its relation to crises. The impact of film can be a lot more tangible and intelligible for the
average person; film can be wielded as a powerful tool for the promotion of international law, humanitarian diplomacy, and the promotion of peace, global
welfare, and the protection of human rights.

This article follows the thread from
the first article in the current Trilogy “The Genesis of a Documentary” where the origins
of a film are uncovered to better understand how a film comes into being. This article shows how, once a film is born, it takes on a greater meaning and becomes a carrier of a message or multiple messages. These,
however, do not stand in a void, as has been depicted, and need to fit into context. The context is a largely
hegemonic industry, but with big gaps for Soft Power
to continuously penetrate.

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