(L-R) Sam Brusven, Sofia Petrov and Eric Kiekeben at the Tribeca Film Festival

By Benjamin Miller

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Aug. 6, 2024) — Three Missouri School of Journalism students were invited to this summer’s Tribeca Film Festival after winning the collegiate section of the Robert F. Kennedy Speak Truth to Power Contest. The contest encourages K-12 and college students across the country to engage themselves with human rights issues through visual storytelling.

At the festival, rising junior Eric Kiekeben and rising sophomores Sofia Petrov and Sam Brusven — who plan to study at the School’s Murray Center for Documentary Journalism — were celebrated for their creative achievements in telling a human rights story.

“It’s all really surreal,” Petrov said. “We got word that we won the RFK competition two weeks before we were supposed to be in New York for the film festival. I was shaking, personally. It felt very rewarding.”

As part of their award, the winning students got to screen their short documentary film, “I Would Have,” in front of industry professionals and human rights advocates at the festival in New York City.

The award winning short film follows Rasha Abousalem, a humanitarian aid worker based in mid-Missouri, and her message to the local protestors of the Israeli-Palestine conflict. The title comes from what people think to themselves when reflecting on past tragedies.

Pro-Palestinian protests have occurred in Columbia since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7 of last year. While in production, the student filmmakers said they aimed to avoid controversy while amplifying the voices of local activism.

Sebastián Martínez, supervising producer for the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism, said that the best thing journalism students can take from the group is their enterprising attitude.

Eric, Sam and Sofia’s achievement reflects the emphasis the journalism school puts on hands-on learning. The Missouri Method is all about learning by doing impactful, real-world journalism of the kind these students produced, which was deservedly recognized by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Sebastián Martínez, supervising producer for the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism

“They undertook this project because they were passionate about it, and about making documentaries. The importance of making things, outside of the classroom, is something I try to emphasize to all students who meet with me about the documentary program,” Martínez said. “I think that’s one of the best ways to learn, and the access students have to excellent gear, as well as mentorship, is unique to the journalism school.”

Brusven said that part of the reason the group achieved success with the project is because they allowed their sources to speak for themselves.

“As journalists and filmmakers, we find it important to highlight the state of the world around us. The story we told is important and impactful because it’s real, it’s the story you see when you stop for a minute and look at society around you,” Brusven said. “The voices of the people have been speaking, and we simply handed them the microphone.”

While working in the multimedia section of Mizzou’s student-run newspaper, The Maneater, Brusven met Petrov and Kiekeben. They decided to make the short film after Brusven discovered the competition via the midweek opportunities page of the Canvas advising dashboard for journalism students.

“We chose this topic to highlight the hard work and important awareness that the people on our very own campus are showing up for,” Petrov said. “We wanted to act as a mirror for the environment surrounding Columbia and to highlight the support that the Palestinian people have from across the globe.”

The three student filmmakers shared roles while in production, such as directing, producing and shooting b-roll for the film on top of collecting on screen interviews. Brusven created the background music for the short film.

“Eric, Sam and Sofia’s achievement reflects the emphasis the journalism school puts on hands-on learning,” Martínez said. “The Missouri Method is all about learning by doing impactful, real-world journalism of the kind these students produced, which was deservedly recognized by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.”

As the filmmakers progress throughout their academic careers, they’ve credited the School of Journalism with teaching them the skills to tell important stories.

“I have learned a lot from the J-School about persevering through a piece that covers a tough or sensitive matter,” Kiekeben said. “Through the curriculum at the J-School relating to cross-cultural coverage and ethical journalistic practices, I felt prepared for the production of this short film.”

Updated: August 6, 2024