Our recent release on the Guardian Documentary strand is This Body, a film about a young woman called Sydney Hall who has decided to go against the skeptics and participate in a Covid vaccine trial. A veterinary student, her trust in science and the medical industry is not one shared with most of her community, especially in the echoes of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment alongside contemporary medical inequalities that continue towards Black America to this day.

The director, Zac Manuel, is a New Orleans-based film-maker who hopes that telling stories about the Black southern experience and Black legacy through his work will encourage change in society. We asked him a few questions about his latest film.

What was the genesis of this project?

After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the news in New Orleans repeatedly told us that the Black community was being disproportionately affected. This troubling message set me on the path of making a series of short documentaries to explore the reasons why – was it lack of access to healthcare, poor living conditions, unsafe working conditions, skepticism? When vaccine trials were announced I could see many reasons for the Black community here to be skeptical in participating, not least the historic abuses we have suffered in the past like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, for example. I wanted to make a film that would honour those willing to participate in the vaccine trials like Sydney, but also those who didn’t feel they could. I was given the opportunity to pitch this idea to the Hindsight committee, and they quickly responded with support for the project.

Why is it important to understand the relationship between Black America and the medical industry in more detail?

Our truth, our history is often kept hidden away from others in order to protect those in power from accountability for their actions, and the injustices facing the Black community. When you start to unpack that history you begin to understand the reasons behind widespread distrust in our government and medical industry as a whole, and even in the medical community. Questions are raised about who is there to protect us and our community. Seeing someone willing to challenge these fears and instincts to participate in a vaccine trial gave me an opportunity to unveil the truth behind the trial itself, and explore ideas like how safe they are.

Are there particular themes or stories that you typically engage with, or are keen to continue exploring in your work?

I’m interested in countering mainstream narratives by showing multiple truths in my work. In This Body, you can’t, say, generalise and present the idea that all Black people are brave and willing to take the vaccine, or that all Black people are distrusting of the government, or that we all have had bad experiences with the medical industry. I want to reinforce the idea that there is a spectrum of truth in the community and we aren’t any one thing alone …

I’m currently in post-production on a feature documentary called Bloodthicker, which I’ve been working on since 2016. The project explores the legacy of three young rappers whose fathers were famous New Orleans performers. Each character has their own unique journey, which I explore with the intention of reinforcing this idea that every person is nuanced, has their own personal experiences and histories, and their own unique outlooks on life.

What do you hope the impact of this film will be?

Although This Body touches on some of the historical medical injustices that have greatly impacted Black communities in the United States in the past, it also highlights the fact that this problem is not only something that exists looking backwards, it also exists facing forwards. Most of the people who are hesitant towards having the coronavirus vaccine have had direct personal or familial experiences that inform their worry and hesitancy. I want the people in power to understand that until errors in the past and present day are recognised and apologised for, and taken into consideration when approaching topics like vaccination, then fear and skepticism will go on.

Who did you collaborate with to make this film?

This film is part of HINDSIGHT, a collection of films by and from diverse communities across the American south and Puerto Rico supported by Firelight Media, Reel South, CAAM and the WORLD Channel. This Body was fortunate enough to be chosen as one of six projects to be supported by wonderful producers from these places, and additionally I was paired with Lyric Cabral who supplied invaluable guidance in the early stages of my production. Without the resources and guidance of Hindsight and Lyric, this film would not have happened.

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