The Violence Paradox

Nominated for a 2020 Emmy

Despite the constant news of violence, from mass shootings to wars, psychologist Steven Pinker believes we may be living in one of the most peaceful periods in human existence. Could it be true that physical violence has been in decline for centuries? And can it be prevented—or is it simply part of human nature?

We directed and filmed the Iraq segment that is the longest segment in this documentary. Set in Qaraqosh, a largely Christian town in the Nineveh Plains, near Mosul, Salma Mousa of Stanford University studied contact theory as a way of reducing violence, in a town which had been targeted by ISIS in 2014. Under specific conditions, contact theory can work to increase empathy when a group shares a common goal and an equal playing field. Using soccer and creating mixed teams of Christians and Muslims, she brought people together to see if contact can reduce prejudice, helping to heal past wounds of violence and prevent violence from starting in the future.  We filmed with groups that had been targeted by ISIS and forced to flee their homes and are among the few of the targeted minorities to return to the Nineveh Plains.

Click the play button to see the Iraq segment that we directed.

View the full film on PBS Nova. 

Runtime: 1:53:22

Published: November 2019, PBS Nova