NYC Life, New York City’s Lifestyle Channel, had been searching for a documentary series produced by locals. When the channel came into contact with NYU’s Arthur L Carter Journalism Institute, a collaboration was born. Inside Lens features eight student documentaries that are aired weekly on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 4:30 a.m.; Fridays at 11:30 p.m.; and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m.

Each of these documentaries are capstone projects filmed by alumni of the NewsDoc program. Filmmaker Kristen Kiraly featured the issue of unaddressed post-traumatic stress disorder in Military Working Dogs. Her film, “Dog of War,” incorporates both a first hand view of the MWD training facilities and a personal account of the relationship between a military veterinarian and her retired MWD. It focuses mainly on the life of a Brix D141, a german shepherd facing retirement as a result of PTSD. The film asks powerful questions about the way the U.S. military treats these animals.

Professor Marcia Rock, director of the Institutes’s news and documentary program, notes how closely the filmmakers work with the Institutes’s teaching staff in producing these films.

“We work very closely with our NewsDoc students throughout their time with us, but particularly in that last semester when they’re editing their films that they shoot over the summer,” Rock said.

Students in the program shoot and edit everything on their own, making the experience particularly rewarding.

“It is a transforming experience always say that they come back in the fall as different people,” Rock said. “They are more mature and much more knowledgeable. It is an assignment that stretches more than even they could imagine.”

The documentaries to be aired on Inside Lens focus on a wide array of topics, ranging from children using human growth hormones to the difficulties female farmers face in America. Yet by addressing prominent social issues, all of the documentaries challenge viewers to look beyond than their own lives. Each filmmaker chose an issue perceived as problematic in his or her own lives, using films as a medium to impact others — an impact that can now be distributed across NYC Life’s broadcast platform.

This impact has already reached many NYU students who watch the show. Tisch freshman Andrew Kanatani said he was impressed by “Dogs of War.”

“It was well-shot and made a small but noticeable difference in [my] life,” Kanatani said. 

Others, such as Stern freshman Zoe Seward, said the documentary highlighted an important issue.

“The film is something that challenges perceived notions about working animals and inspires to make positive changes in the world,” Seward said.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, March 23 print edition. Email Benjamin Mok at [email protected].