Preservation Through Filmmaking in “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story”: How and Why Documentaries Take Time in Telling Lasting Stories

Written by GOOD DOCS intern Isabel Hahn

In the present day, it has become easier than ever to fall victim to bite-sized, to-go forms of content. New viral trends spread like wildfire every other week, and die down before you can figure out a way to contribute to them. TV seasons spark heated online debates while they’re on air, but people soon abandon their characters and plotlines once the next hottest title hits streaming services. Movies utilize guerilla marketing schemes to drive up shock and anticipation, only for audiences to pay for theater tickets and leave with not much fulfilled besides their curiosity. It’s difficult to come to terms with how much the landscape of modern media has changed in the past few years, for acknowledging the rise of short-lived media forces us to admit that we as audiences have started to prioritize instantaneous entertainment over slower, analytical works with deeper meaning.  

Despite being passionate about films for years, documentaries have only recently grown larger on my radar. While the creative storytelling and captivating filmmaking techniques of fictional movies has always excited me, I have gained a newfound appreciation for the journalistic quality of documentaries, as well as how they serve to inform audiences in addition to keeping them engaged with relevant global issues. Above all, I feel that what I’ve come to admire most about documentaries is how they align themselves with the intention of long-term preservation more than immediate mental stimulation, a value that stands unwavering against the ephemeral nature of modern visual media. Documentaries utilize the visual medium of film to record real life moments and causes with care and detail — rather than dilute and compress them for easy mass consumption. Directors of documentaries aim for their work to remain with viewers long after the credits roll, a feat that requires far more than an intriguing plot line or flashy editing.  

A film that helped open my eyes to the ways in which documentaries promote preservation through artistic media was “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” a biographical documentary that depicts photographer Corky Lee’s lifelong mission to capture historical moments from Asian American communities in New York City. In addition to following Lee and his personal experiences photographing Asian American culture for decades, the film also spotlights the stories behind many of Lee’s impactful photographs, ranging from protests against police brutality to New Year festivities within different ethnic communities in NYC. In this way, “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story” chronicles numerous everyday biographies within the greater biography of Corky Lee’s life and career. By exhibiting Lee’s photographs and including testimonials to accompany the images, the film pays homage to Lee's wish to immortalize the pursuits of his community within his work. Reflective of its own subject matter, the film encompasses the theme of documentation and the memorialization of artistic pieces that persist long after their completion dates. 

Learning about Corky Lee’s story also allowed me to reflect on how in modern media, works of art tend to become separated from the real people that helped shape and inspire them. “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” as well as many other documentaries like it, counter this phenomenon by creating spaces for individuals to take the time to share their experiences. In the documentary, Lee explains that in photographing cultural events around his city, he is not just simply snapping photos, but also “networking” and “maintaining contact” with the Asian American community. With his consistent attendance of cultural events and the meticulous detail he puts into his craft, Lee makes clear in the film that his photos have always centered around the people that are behind historical events; without them, his art would have no true purpose. Using his camera as his “superpower,” he prevents those who have created meaningful change in their communities from going forgotten in time. 

I found that this goal of Lee’s was extremely relevant to the attentive quality of documentary filmmaking overall. At their core, social documentaries aim to encompass the human experience — how humans fight for what they care for and what their efforts mean for our world. To tell these impactful stories, documentaries zone in on individual experiences, stretching out and detailing first-person accounts instead of briefly glossing over them. Viewers are shown the ups and downs of people’s lives, as well as how numerous everyday efforts are pieced together to form a more central movement. Documentaries try to have audiences care not only about certain causes, but more importantly about the people behind such causes as well. Rather than superficial shock factor or fast-paced action, the most effective documentaries draw viewers in through empathy, allowing them to gradually understand the world through underrepresented perspectives.   

This emphasized ability to deeply see and feel for others in social documentaries is what I’ve realized makes their slower style of filmmaking so effective and why it is important that audiences engage with them. With people-centered storytelling, documentaries counter the solely dopamine-boosting function of short-form media. As a result, the effects of watching documentaries go much farther than a few seconds of intrigue; their presence matters because they encourage people to think beyond their own bubbles, involve themselves in underrepresented humanitarian causes, and ultimately incite meaningful change in the real world. Learning from documentaries, viewers can go from passive observers to active, conscientious members of ongoing movements. For instance, the sprawling display of Corky Lee’s career in “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story”— in addition to spotlighting Lee’s art — seeks to move viewers to genuinely care about equal representation of minorities in American history. By getting to know Lee and his work, audiences are driven to attend to marginalized voices in history, causing their world view to ultimately shift in a wider and more inclusive direction. Translating such calls to substantial action from the screen to reality is only possible with the steady approach that documentary filmmaking takes in reporting on social issues. 

Of the thousands of photographs Corky Lee took in his lifetime, none were ever taken without a greater, overarching story to be told about them. Although all of his most influential shots were taken within mere milliseconds, their capacity to inform the public and shed light on the Asian American movement have outlived their circulation in newspapers,their display in art galleries, and even Corky Lee himself. Documentaries take the preservation of history a step further by being thorough and conscientious in their storytelling, and as a result grow audiences’ empathy and their capacity to care and act upon ongoing global issues. Acting as moving time capsules, they are able to eternalize the smaller voices and memories behind worldwide social causes, creating a solidified platform for those whose tireless efforts are often overlooked in an era where media coverage has grown transient and short-lived. In a time where things only seem to be speeding up, documentaries are here to remind us to take the time to see and hear others with compassion, as well as inspire us to critically think of ways we can continue the chain in making lasting, sustainable impacts on our world.