Chasing Ice—And Audience Action: How Top Docs Galvanize Causes Online

The makers of docs in contention for Oscar nominations talk about activating audiences after they leave the theater. Documentaries historically excel at making viewers care about outrageous misfortune, stupidity, injustice, and prejudice. Building on previous campaigns sparked by films like The Cove, many top doc makers short-listed this year for Academy Award consideration are using the web to convert audience members from observers into participants in their cause. Director Eugene Jarecki, for example, eviscerates the War on Drugs in his documentary The House I Live In. The film’s companion site played a role in the successful election-year campaigns to decriminalize pot in Washington and Colorado. "What used to happen when you left the theater is that all your passion would kind of vanish into the night air on your way to dinner or to your car," Jarecki says. By directing ...