This paper explores how ideological framing and media narratives shape cultural memory and ethical accountability during times of crisis. Referencing case studies such as Russians at War (2024) and The Antique(2024), as well as soviet period propaganda cinema like Soy Cuba (1964), the research interrogates the ethics of representation in visual storytelling. This paper examines how films and digital content not only reflect cultural trauma but also participate in contemporary forms of epistemic violence by distorting or erasing marginalized histories. The paper introduces the concept of “reversed witnessing,” where visual media appear to testify to traumatic events and at the same time control victim-perpetrator dynamics, especially through emotional manipulation and narrative selectivity. Referring to Spivak’s notion of subalternity and Henschke’s analysis of cognitive warfare, this research attempts to criticize cultural production within the broader framework of digital defamation and geopolitical revisionism. This research calls for better culturally sensitive ways to assess the impact of stories when they are influenced by political powers. Sharing knowledge helps support justice, not just for the communities affected, but also for how we remember and understand the past.

Authors:
Teona Yamanidze, The University of Melbourne, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
Teona Yamanidze is a PhD candidate and RTP scholar in Visual Arts at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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