Award-winning filmmaker shares experiences at NU-Q

Julia Leeb, a filmmaker and photographer who has worked in some of themost dangerous and remote places in the world, has shared herexperiences at a Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) CommunityMeeting.The only way to know the truth is to see it with your own eyes; this iswhat Leeb shared with a roomful of media and communication students,along with faculty and staff from NU-Q, during the meeting.From documenting political upheaval in the Democratic Republic of theCongo, Egypt, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan to capturing everyday life inNorth Korea and Sudan, Leeb says she has “lived her life discoveringothers”. “Ms Leeb’s work is both courageous and inspiring,” said Everette EDennis, dean and CEO, NU-Q. “Her projects are examples of how film andphotography can be a window into an entirely new world and consequentlybring positive change to people’s lives, which is what many of ourstudents plan to achieve.” Leeb also produces virtual reality and 360-degree content about remoteregions, including Transnistria in Moldova and the Nuba Mountains inSudan. In 2014, the photographs from her visits to North Korea werepublished in her book, North Korea: Anonymous Country. “What I love most about my work is the power it has to give back,” Leebsaid. “By capturing the struggles and hardship of others, I am making adifference by raising awareness about important, untouched issues, whichcan drive people to take action and help those in need.“Never underestimate the power of a picture.”On choosing her stories and news angles, Leeb says she stays away fromsensational news and chooses to cover undocumented stories that giveviewers a real taste of how people live their daily lives. This, shesays, makes her projects unique and her stories effective.  “I identify stories that are not trending,” explained Leeb. “I go toplaces where media coverage is low or non-existent and where most peoplewould be scared to go. And now, through 360-degree technology, I canbring other people’s reality to life so anyone around the world can seewhat it is like, without being manipulated.”During a question-and-answer period, students asked about the challengesshe faced as a woman in hostile environments and as an outsider tryingto connect with complete strangers. “Despite all the challenges, it’s an extremely rewarding job because Iget to meet with and learn from so many wonderful people,” said Leeb.“They are my motivation, and their strength and perseverance is whatkeeps me going and wanting to explore more.” Leeb advised students to “create various forms of your story. Usedifferent mediums to create a better picture, and always be astransparent and honest as you can.”During her visit to NU-Q, Leeb also attended classes to discuss contentcreation and innovation, as well as share some of her personalexperiences and what she has learned travelling the world, and screenedsome of her films. Elle magazine had listed Leeb as one of the top 80 internationalcharacters and Refinery29 named her as one of the most inspiring womenin Germany.