Episode 41 - Jennifer Crystal Chien, Anne Schroeter, & Dr. Lauren Walsh - “Revolution”

Asian-American FilmmakerNonbinary FilmmakerFilm OrganizationsEducatorsimpact producingEuropean Organizations

Jul 1

July 1, 2025

In this episode, I speak with Jennifer Crystal Chien, Anne Schroeter, and Dr. Lauren Walsh. Together, we dive deep into the urgent conversation around ethical accountability in nonfiction visual media—whether documentary, photography, or video journalism. We explore the origins of the “Cause No Harm” initiative, the gaps in current industry standards, and their collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive guide to protect participants’ rights and dignity. From informed consent and trauma-informed practices to the broader application of human rights law, this discussion is a call to action and a blueprint for change. The spirit of this episode is captured in our song of the week: “Revolution” by Arrested Development—a reminder that transformation is not only necessary, but possible.”

About Cause No Harm: A Human Rights-Based Accountability Initiative for Non-Fiction Visual Media Creators

Cause No Harm is a human rights-based initiative advocating ethical, trauma-informed practices in nonfiction visual storytelling. The project calls for industry-wide accountability, centering the rights, agency, and safety of those who appear on camera. Through workshops, publications, and a forthcoming Field Guide and Toolkit, we offer tools to help nonfiction filmmakers and media creators uphold informed consent and prevent extraction and exploitation. The toolkit will provide a standard where ethics are not optional, because participant rights are human rights.

About Jennifer Crystal Chien

Jennifer Crystal Chien is a documentary filmmaker focusing on personal storytelling from immigrants and people of color. In 2017, she co-founded Re-Present Media, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for personal storytelling in documentary film and nonfiction media. In addition to presenting films with community dialogues by established filmmakers, Re-Present Media also offers professional development for emerging filmmakers and coordinates field-wide advocacy campaigns to recognize and elevate voices from underrepresented communities.

About Re-Present Media

Re-Present Media’s mission is to center personal storytelling from marginalized communities within documentary film and nonfiction media, to advance social and economic equity. This includes voices from diverse racial, ethnic, religious, LGBTQ+, generational (youth and senior), rural, and other underrepresented backgrounds—communities that are often absent or misrepresented in mainstream media. Re-Present Media focuses on personal stories that explore the lived experiences of individuals, families, and communities. While broader social issues may be present, these narratives are rooted in the personal rather than framed primarily as social issue content. Re-Present Media believes in the transformative power of communities telling their own stories with deep authenticity.

About Anne Schroeter

Since 2019, Anne has led distribution, partnerships and programming efforts for ART WORKS Projects’ documentary films, The Prosecutors and Letter to My Child from Rape. Additionally, Anne develops AWP’s impact and program evaluation efforts, supports grant writing and reporting activities, and liaises on AWP’s European programming. In the past, she has worked with other NGOs in analytical and legal positions on accountability for international crimes, evidentiary analysis, and transitional justice. Anne is based in Berlin, Germany, and holds an LL.M. in International Law from Glasgow University’s School of Law, UK, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Universität Potsdam, Germany, with a minor in public law.

About ART WORKS Projects

ART WORKS Projects (AWP) is a Chicago and The Hague-based visual arts non-profit dedicated to advancing social justice and human rights through documentary film and photography. Founded in 2006, AWP’s projects have been presented on five continents, in 35+ countries, with 225 partners, and in collaboration with more than 200 artists to produce visual advocacy tools that produce action at the grassroots, media, and policy levels.

About Dr. Lauren Walsh

Walsh teaches at New York University, where she is the Founder and Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive. She is also the Director of Lost Rolls America, a national archive of photography and memory, and in 2023 was named a Fulbright Specialist in Photography and Ethics. Walsh’s newest book is Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter (2022). Her other books include Conversations on Conflict Photography (2019) and Shadow of Memory (2021, co-author). She is co-editor of The Future of Text and Image: Collected Essays on Literary and Visual Conjunctures (2012) and The Millennium Villages Project (2016), and photo editor of Macondo: Memories of the Colombian Conflict (2017). She has published widely in mainstream and academic journals and anthologies. In addition to her appearances on CNN, Al Jazeera, and BBC, Walsh has appeared as an expert on photography in radio programs, podcasts, and documentary films, and sits on the Board of various photojournalism organizations. Walsh heads media literacy educational initiatives both in the US and abroad, and has led workshops and lectured globally, with an emphasis on ethics and photography, as well as safety and mental health concerns for journalists. She focuses particularly on photojournalism, with a specialty in conflict photography and peace journalism. Walsh was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award from NYU.

WUWD_Episode 41_Revolution/Causes No Harm Transcript