Films have always served as a vehicle for inspiring societal change, reaching audiences across cultural, political, and social barriers.

In some cases, film has acted as a force for good, raising awareness and inspiring change on topics ranging from societal issues to environmentalism. Still, film can also be used as a force for evil, spreading harmful stereotypes and even violence.

Take the example of the 1975 movie that changed the world’s perception of sharks: ‘Jaws’. This film introduced a new villain in our oceans —the shark —whose population quickly declined after its release. Before the movie, the most feared marine animal in the area where it was shot was the whale. This was due to similar reasons; the novel ‘Moby Dick’ brought stories of sailors coming back dead from whale expeditions. The ‘Jaws Effect’ created an irrational fear of a species that was previously quite irrelevant, leading to its near extinction.

However, the opposite thing happened with Walt Disney’s film ‘Bambi’. A rather childish film that expressed opposition to the killing of animals.  The film helped show that hunting is unnecessary and cruel, even in a time when it was necessary. Still, the film helped people realize the ‘Bambi Effect’, which means the objection to killing an animal only when it’s considered cute, while less desirable animals are killed.

Now, take a moment and think of a film and how it may have created social change. Did it act as a force of good or as a force of bad? That’s for you to decide.

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