Linfield to show documentary on Afghan photojournalism

Linfield College will present an acclaimed film documenting four Afghan photojournalists Tuesday, Jan. 5, with a discussion by the film’s director afterward.

“Frame by Frame” will show at 7 p.m. in Ice Auditorium, located inside Melrose Hall on campus. Admission is free.

The film depicts part of Afghanistan’s rebuilding after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. It also includes film shot in secret when the country was under Taliban rule.

Before the fall, merely taking a photograph was a crime, said the director, Mo Scarpelli. Afterward, she said, photojournalists such as the film’s subjects had to negotiate the new rules of conduct for media as the nation emerged from war and civil strife.

Scarpelli, who also produced and served as a cinematographer on the project, will discuss the making of the film and the issues it raises. Kate McMahon, a Linfield alumna and producer for PBS’ “Frontline,” will moderate the discussion.

In addition to the rise of a free press and its role in a democracy, other themes in the film include the role of women in society and teaching a new generation of photojournalists. 

“Photojournalism … has a capacity to humanize news events,” Scarpelli said in an interview in 2013, when the 90-minute film was in production. “Photographs can make you feel the gravity or the irony or the beauty of the lives behind the issue or event. This can make an image  —  and therefore an issue or story -- unforgettable.”

More information about the film is at www.framebyframethefilm.com.

This event is sponsored by Linfield’s January term programming team and the Department of Mass Communication.