John Grierson, a pioneering British director and documentary filmmaker, revolutionized the art of non-fiction cinema with his innovative approach to storytelling. His commitment to social realism and his belief in the power of film as a tool for social change have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema, inspiring generations of filmmakers to use their craft to shine a light on pressing social issues.
"When quick results are imperative, the manipulation of the masses through symbols may be the only quick way of having a critical thing done."
"Such manifestations I account as representing the creative leadership of the new forces of thought and appreciation which attend changes in technological pattern and therefore of the pattern of human relationships in society."
"Beware the ends of the earth and the exotic: the drama is on your doorstep wherever the slums; are, wherever there is malnutrition, wherever there is exploitation and cruelty."
"And, consequently, the art of propaganda or public information becomes one of the most powerful forms of directive statesmanship."
"The cultivation of sensibility on purely personal lines may, in fact, be the very worst training for a world where only the corporate and the cooperative will matter."
"For three hundred years we have had our focus on the individual. We have distinguished him from the objective world as the Middle Ages did not think of doing. We have given him the world and the universe as a playground for exploration and discovery."
"Political conflicts distort and disturb a people's sense of distinction between matters of importance and matters of urgency. What is vital is disguised by what is merely a matter of well being."
"Some of us learned in a school of philosophy which taught that all was for the common good and nothing for oneself and have never, in any case, regarded the pursuit of happiness as anything other than an aberration of the human spirit."