CAE Public Seminar | Can You Tell My Story? Exploring Ethical Storytelling in Documentary Film Making

Speaker: Viveka Melki, Melki Films

Documentary filmmaking has the power to shape public understanding, influence policy, and transform how societies perceive people and communities. Yet with this influence comes profound ethical responsibility. How can filmmakers move beyond simply telling stories about people to creating stories with them? What does it mean to practice ethical storywork when narratives emerge from experiences of trauma, marginalization, and systemic injustice?

Join award-winning filmmaker Viveka Melki, founder of Melki Films and CAE Ethics Fellow Larissa Maxwell for a thought-provoking conversation exploring the evolving ethics of second-person storywork and documentary filmmaking. Drawing from decades of experience documenting complex social issues – including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, financial crime, prisoners of war, queer communities, and older adults – we will reflect on how trauma-informed practice, lived experience inclusion, and collaborative storytelling ground her approach to filmmaking. This talk will examine emerging questions surrounding the evolution of consent from a one-time transaction to an ongoing relationship, the ethical sharing of narrative power, representation of marginalized, racialized, and equity-deserving communities, and the importance of fair and holistic compensation for those whose lived experiences make these stories possible. This talk will also provide space for audience interaction.