On August 28th, I attended the screening of the documentary Honeyland. Honeyland is a documentary that details the life of Hatidze Muratova, a woman living secluded with her mother in the mountains of Macedonia. The film was shown as a part of the International Film Series being put on by the OSU Global Engagement Program and meets the social and academic requirements of an event. International Affairs requires that a person works in ways that interact with or effects people in many parts of the world. In order to successfully work with those of different background and cultures, it’s essential that a person works to develop understandings of the people that their work affects and on a personal level. Two major draws in terms of career prospects for me are film and public service. These are two very different fields but this film provided me with such confirmation as to the good that both fields can do in helping others. We often take for granted the movies that come flooding into theaters around the holidays that are often action-based, comedic, or romantic, but with filmmaking, a person can capture another person’s story as it occurs. Honeyland wasn’t a retelling of a woman’s life, but depicted her everyday activities, struggles, and traditions. I was completely unfamiliar with a life as this woman and many of the other people within the documentary led, and it was a heavy reminder as to how significantly parts of the world differ beyond climates and traditions. In filmmaking, there is such power in bringing others to know someone on a personal level in ways that they would never have the capability or even think to do. I believe that it’s fair to say that most people tend to categorize documentaries and nonfiction films as more boring genres of moving pictures, but when one is produced that captures the subject so that they appear as a holistically human person rather than an on-screen character, it excites me in thinking about the possibilities of film as well as drives me to learn about who else’s life story I’m missing out on.