For University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus and documentary filmmaker Jason Cohen, the power of his work lies in “real people, telling real stories in an impactful, meaningful way.”
Earlier this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized the compelling nature of Cohen’s work, nominating his film “Facing Fear” for an Oscar in the Best Documentary–Short Subject category.
The 1994 UW-Madison graduate’s 23 minute documentary tells the story of a violent encounter between a homeless gay teenager and his neo-Nazi aggressor, their chance meeting 25 years later and their mutual journey toward tolerance and compassion, according to the director.
“It’s a documentary about forgiveness,” Cohen said.
“Facing Fear”, which took approximately a year and a half to complete, carried a set of challenges characteristic of its sensitive topic, though the director said the subjects were fairly receptive.
“It was just sort of building up a bit of a trust with them to really open up and share all their true, innermost emotions and thoughts on camera,” he said.
Cohen added that the message of “Facing Fear” is transferrable, although most people have not faced the sort of horrific attack portrayed in the film.
“You can still apply some of the things in it to your own life about forgiveness and how it relates to you in relationships and just human nature in general,” he said.
“Facing Fear” is part of a much larger project Cohen shot around the world and includes a feature-length documentary called “Four Women, One World.”
Cohen, who majored in broadcast journalism and communication arts and wrote for The Daily Cardinal’s sports page during his time on campus, credits UW-Madison for giving him the base he needed to launch his work.
“[One] thing I learned was certainly to think outside the box a little bit and take a different approach,” he said. “[I learned to] maybe tell a different story than most people are expecting and to think differently.”
Cohen also spoke of the connections he made during his time as a Badger.
“I think I learned about real friendship to be perfectly honest,” he said. “Those are my lifelong friends and always will be.”
For more information about Cohen and “Facing Fear”, visit www.facingfearmovie.com.
