To Hum is Human

Beyond the Divide: Documentary Film as a Bridge Across Cultures

Donnabelle Casis Season 2 Episode 52

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 38:16

What if the greatest divide between us isn't our differences, but our unwillingness to truly listen?

In this episode, I sit down with Jim Ault, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, author, and sociologist educated at Harvard and Brandeis whose life's work has been devoted to helping us better understand one another through storytelling.

Jim's acclaimed documentary Born Again and his award-winning book Spirit and Flesh offered an intimate look inside a fundamentalist Baptist church at a time of deep cultural division. Since then, his work has taken him around the world, documenting faith communities in Ghana and Zimbabwe and exploring how culture, spirituality, and lived experience shape the way we see ourselves and others.

Our conversation isn't about politics or religion as much as it is about something deeper: the courage to be curious. Jim shares how moving frequently as a child sparked his fascination with different cultures, why building trust is the foundation of every meaningful documentary, and how listening with genuine openness can dissolve assumptions we didn't even realize we carried.

One of my favorite takeaways is Jim's reminder that understanding doesn't begin by convincing someone they're wrong. It begins by taking the time to truly see and listen to them. That simple shift has the power to transform not only our relationships but the communities we live in.

If you've ever wondered how we begin healing the divisions in our world, I think you'll find hope in this conversation.

You can also view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SonorousLight

Follow me on Instagram: @sonorous.light555 @tohumishuman @thisisdbc

Website: www.sonorouslight.com