The impact of documentary filmmaking

Half the Sky being a documentary film allows the audience to have an inside look at the rising problems of third world countries. The exposure and information is momentous, it really allows your eyes to be opened to a problem that is widespread and important to recognize. I only have one real problem with documentary filmmaking, which is that it tends to be biased and one-sided. As I watch documentary's I feel that the issue being covered is receiving coverage and attention, but I wonder if the attention is only to what the filmmaker wants? The Half the Sky documentary included very intense and emotional footage....this artistic choice is purposeful and it does the job. I see this documentary as a positive usage of the sometimes flawed attempt of a documentary. It is easy to get caught up in TV and films, but the best thing to remember is that a documentary film is coming from a real place. Even though the material can be one-sided if the coverage is important and worthwhile then this is the the thing that matters the most.