Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per

"Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second." These powerful words by Jean-Luc Godard call us to reflect on the intimate relationship between art, truth, and perception. Godard, a master of the cinematic craft, suggests that both photography and film hold within them an undeniable truth: they capture the moment, the real, the raw essence of existence, in a way that no other medium can. Photography, with its ability to freeze time, holds a singular truth—what is before the lens at that exact moment. However, cinema, with its continuous flow of images, presents truth in motion, revealing a deeper layer of reality. Godard elevates the art of filmmaking, suggesting that through the cinematic experience, we are granted access to the truth of the world, not as a static image, but as a living, breathing force unfolding before us.

In the ancient world, truth was not something easily captured or understood. Plato, in his Allegory of the Cave, explored the nature of truth and reality. He suggested that what we perceive with our senses is but a shadow of the true reality, hidden from view, far beyond our limited perceptions. To reach the truth, one must escape the chains of illusion and see the world as it truly is—something that requires effort, insight, and illumination. Godard’s words bring this ancient teaching into the modern era. Photography and cinema are tools that, through their power to capture and present, help us to unveil truth, offering glimpses of the world in its purest form, even if only for a moment or in motion.

Consider the work of Ansel Adams, the legendary photographer whose images of the American West captured more than just landscapes—they revealed the soul of nature itself. Adams used his camera to portray truths about the land, its vastness, its beauty, and its fragility. Each photograph he took was a slice of truth, freezing an ephemeral moment in time. Adams’ work reminds us that photography, like a paused moment in time, can reveal the truth of an instant. However, cinema, as Godard suggests, carries us further. It allows truth to unfold before us with the same relentless passage of time that governs our own lives. In this way, cinema takes us deeper into the world, offering truths that evolve, revealing the flow of life rather than a singular snapshot.

Think of the profound influence of documentary filmmaking throughout history, which reveals truths that are not just personal but universal. Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man is a perfect example. Through cinema, Herzog not only captures the life of Timothy Treadwell, who sought to live among bears, but also explores the deeper truths of human nature, obsession, and the wilderness. The medium of film allows for complexity—truth is not simply presented as a frozen image but as an unfolding narrative, a sequence of events, each frame adding to the richness and depth of the truth being presented. Through the lens of cinema, we see not just what is, but how truth develops, how it interacts with the world and the people within it.

Consider the camera's role in documenting history. The powerful images captured during the Civil Rights Movement, such as those taken during the march from Selma to Montgomery, served as undeniable records of the truth of racial inequality in America. These photographs, frozen in time, made truth tangible, immediate, and undeniable. Yet, film, with its moving images, provides a deeper layer of engagement. The famous footage of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in front of crowds, the marchers' faces filled with determination and hope, does more than show us what was—it carries us through the emotions, the struggles, and the perseverance of those moments. Godard reminds us that film, with its continuous flow, makes truth dynamic, giving it the power to affect us in ways that a still image alone cannot.

The lesson in Godard's words is one of vigilance and reflection. The art of cinema, like photography, calls us to witness truth—to observe the world around us not as passive spectators, but as active participants in a living, breathing narrative. Truth is not merely something to be seen, but something to be felt, experienced, and understood. Through the lens of film, we are called to engage with the world in its fullness, to understand the complexity of life’s unfolding. In the same way that Godard transforms film into a tool for truth, we, too, must learn to see the truth in the everyday motions of our lives. We must allow ourselves to be moved by the truths that pass before us, not simply to observe but to allow them to shape us.

As we move forward in our own lives, let us take a lesson from Godard’s insight and from the masters of cinema and photography: truth is not something static or easily captured, but something we must engage with continuously. Photography offers us glimpses, frozen in time, while cinema carries us through the unfolding story of truth. Both are essential, both are powerful, but it is through engagement with both that we can begin to see the truth in its full, dynamic form. Let us remember, then, to witness life with the openness and attentiveness of the camera’s lens—always seeking truth, allowing it to move us, to reveal the world in its full complexity and beauty.