In each of the documentaries she creates, Ellen Spiro, an award-winning filmmaker, presents examples of morally courageous people who work through difficulties to improve their lives and the lives of their communities.

On Thursday, March 5, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Spiro concluded the Department of Humanities’ “Voices to be Heard” Speaker Series with her lecture on her documentaries, including her most recent, Body of War. More than 120 people attended this event in the Cline Library Auditorium.

Spiro’s Emmy Award-winning Body of War (2008) is about a man named Thomas Young from Fort Campbell, Kent., who signed up for the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, thinking he would serve in Afghanistan. Instead, he was sent to Iraq where he was shot and paralyzed within a week of his arrival. His mother was not only put under the pressure of having this happen to her oldest son, but her youngest son had also joined the army. The film documents his departure as well.

Spiro said Thomas’ mother was a hero and saved Thomas with her bravery. She also said the film gave Thomas a reason to live.

“He was looking for a greater purpose out there, and this was it,” Spiro said.

Barbara Veltri, a professor in the College of Education and Social Studies Methods, said she wanted to get a copy of the event on video because the presentation was so personable.

“(Spiro) is really down to Earth,” Veltri said. “She really had the chronological history down over the last 16 years.”

Spiro’s first film, Diana’s Hair Ego,  (1990) presented a story about AIDS and one woman’s efforts to educate her small community in South Carolina by information, games, and awareness distributed through her hair salon. Many of Spiro’s films were all shot herself, as Diana’s Hair Ego was.

“My mother forgot to teach me not to talk to strangers, and in this case I met this woman, this hair-dresser,” Spiro said.

Spiro said the underlying theme in each film she creates is moral courage.

Her 1993 film, Greetings from Out Here, featured a middle-aged gay man who came out on national television. Spiro said acts such as this show the strength in her stories.

“Just being who you are can be a courageous act in itself,” Spiro said.

Shawn Skabelund, a lecturer at the School of Art, said it was a pleasure having Spiro at NAU.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Skabelund said. “What I do is much like (what she does); it’s amazing how we work in the same way.”

During the question and answer conclusion, Spiro replied to a question about her development as a filmmaker and how she thought it was best to keep persevering through whatever she was shooting. 

“Product is one thing, but process is so much more,” Spiro said. “Just make sure you’re having a good time and take creative risks when you do it.” 

Other films by Spiro include, Are the Kids Alright? (2003), Troop 1500 (2005) and Atomic Ed and the Black Hole (2002).