I absolutely loved Taksler’s film. Immediately after the credits ended, I turned to the people around me and started raving about how much the film moved me. Some of them did the same; it was a wonderful experience to share. I was so glad I had others around me who had just seen what I had seen. On my way back up to campus I texted my family group chat, telling all of them they just had to watch it. I still find my thoughts are often focused on Youssef’s battle.

Political satire itself is a nonnviolent act, and yet Youssef was met with violence; he told jokes, while others spoke of his death threats. Satire where Youssef worked requires much more courage than the same does in other countries. This bravery is seen not only in Youssef but in his coworkers, his team. I admired them so much throughout the film- they came together to try something new and wild and revolutionary.

The power of the emotion that I felt through this film experience is a testament not only to Youssef and his crew but also to Taksler’s storytelling ability. She conveyed the subjects’ will and sadness and thoughtfulness so clearly, I felt as though I was there experiencing these things with them. I was empathetic the entire time- when they were celebrating, I was celebrating. When they suffered a loss, I felt as though I did as well. Being able to elicit empathy from the audience is something I can only aspire to do in my own small projects now.

On Wednesday night, Devin, Emily and I went to the Delaware River Shad Fishermen’s Association monthly meeting in Bethlehem. We sat in for the board meeting, shot some b-roll, and subsequently interviewed interested members of the board and organization.Throughout the meeting, all of the fishermen were so excited to have young people there. We asked at the end of the meeting that anyone interested in an interview stay for a while afterwards, or let us know if they would prefer to meet at a different time; hands shot up. I was so excited that a lot of people wanted to talk to us. Throughout the interviews, I realized as these people were talking that they really had so much to say: they have a story to tell, they have things they want known. They wanted to speak up. As I had been worried about the specific direction of our film, I was happy at this time of realization: I thought they had a story to tell.

We are all so lucky to have Ana around. She goes absolutely above and beyond in everything that she does. I hope that in discussing her job description and responsibilities during her interview, this shines through. Her devotion to the students in the department is obvious. Lafayette geology is a very unique department; I feel as though they are one of my families on campus, and this would not be true without Ana. I’m so lucky she agreed to be interviewed! Fortunately, all of my equipment was functional for the interview. I did find that I wanted to keep asking her questions, to delve deeper into everything she discussed.

Having attended various Jewish schools for all my life until high school, I have been exposed to the events of the Holocaust extensively. Relatives of friends experienced it, I took a course on it in eighth grade, I read books such as Night and heard Elie Wiesel speak about it. Throughout high school, my participation in Hillel allowed me to stay close to the subject. Recently, however, I have not engaged in any activities directly causing me to think about the Holocaust. The acute emotional nature of Night and Fog did just this. On a purely personal note, I am so glad to have been assigned to watch this film for this reason. One of the most important things we must learn from the events of the Holocaust is to remember, so that history does not repeat itself. It is a terrifying thought for humanity to forget this genocide, and it’s scary when a period of time goes by in which I do not think about it to an extent of more than just a few minutes.

It is easy while watching this film to be so focused on the content itself that you ignore the documentarian. You watch the film and are so shocked and horrified by what you are seeing that you barely think of the person who actually put it together, who had to go through that footage over and over again. And not only that, he travelled to those places. Pieced together exactly what had happened at each bed, in each building, where he stepped. If the film can have such a capability to influence viewers, it is hard to imagine the emotional toll it could have taken on the filmmaker. This shows a similar kind of bravery to that of Kim Snyder, and how far it is sometimes necessary to go for telling truth and teaching morality.

Being from Connecticut and knowing the events that unfolded in Newtown, I anticipated that Kim Snyder’s film would be difficult to watch. But like so many of the best documentaries, being hard to watch means it was all the more thoughtful, powerful, and above all, necessary. I have often been simply considering that the best documentarians are those who best seek out and bring to light the unbiased truth. Kim Snyder taught me that the best documentarians also require yet another intangible thing: courage. The best documentarians try to not only educate the world but to teach people bravery, to teach people morals and what should or should not be done in specific situations.

This can happen through three ways that directly come to mind. First, the documentarian educates through the subject of the film. What will the viewer directly learn? This includes information: the story, the actual events that unfolded, names involved, dates that things occurred. The second method of viewer education is less direct, and beautifully done by Snyder: she teaches through what she allows to be seen on screen. Her conscious choices artistically and ethically (sometimes overlapping) teach the viewer how to handle certain situations. Of course, this is technically debatable and cannot always be known; while I love and praise the way Snyder made her film, others may say she did not handle both art and ethics as well as she could have. I think, however, that she set an example for how to approach telling these types of stories. Thirdly, the viewer is taught through content once again but less obviously than in terms of just the story. Yes, you learned the facts already, but a good documentarian will teach through their film why the issue in the film is right/wrong/important/biased/etc. In the case of Newtown, for instance, Snyder teaches people about gun control.

I would like to elaborate on one point specifically: ethics. As I sat down for the film, I was apprehensive about how Snyder could possibly have handled ethics well. How can an outsider, someone not from Newtown, possibly just invade and make a film about such a sensitive issue? As I watched the film, however, I quickly understood and my wonder for Snyder skyrocketed. She was absolutely incredible- she was sensitive to the people of Newtown, to the families of these children, and made it so clear to them that she wanted to help. It truly amazes me that she was so wonderfully capable and brilliant.

Great filmography. All of your shots are smooth and artfully constructed. This is a difficult subject to tackle with imagery, and we appreciate that you found ways of communicating the emotion of the opioid crisis with shots of the lehigh river for exposition and the ambulance. We love the focusing shots, and the placement and symbolism of the rope over water and the quote on the stone wall. It’s like what Kim Snyder spoke to us about last night when she said sometimes the absence of graphic depictions of horrible things can make the mental image more powerful. She extended that as far as facial expressions in Newtown. However, we do think some shots more relevant to the story should maybe be shown earlier on, so that the viewers understand earlier; you could maybe get more b-roll of health clinics and hospitals if the releases work out? We feel as though b-roll will be easier for you once you have your interviews as well. Then you can tailor the graphics and imagery to what people are willing to share with you. The music you used underneath your footage was powerful as well.

-Devin, Anna, Emily