The time has never been better for policy-driven documentaries, non-fiction films that hope to inspire people to change their ways or to work towards a better world. The lines of communication between the U.S. and the rest of the world is, these days, unprecedented, allowing us a glimpse at a changing climate, a variety of unfortunate human rights issues and of late natural disasters that threaten millions of lives.

This kind of access allows the Western world the opportunity to see the effects of the violence against the people of Darfur, Sudan with unblinking clarity as well as hear the stories of the millions that have been forced from their homes and their land by a paramilitary group known as the Janjaweed. It is their stories that truly lie at the heart of the documentary Darfur Now , a film that hopes to educate and embolden viewers to seek out information and fight for changes in that embattled region.

The film, however, does not solely stay focused on the people of Darfur, but instead puts the camera on a wide swath of people, all of whom are hoping to make a difference in the lives of the Sudanese. They range from a field officer with the UN’s World Food Programme to a prosecutor with the International Crimes Commission to the head of an American non-profit.

The stories that linger most are those being told about the people within the country. One story follows a sheikh who lives in a vast displacement camp, mediating and trying to make the lives of the refugees a little more comfortable. He is also the one who wants to make sure that stories of hardship and abuse are heard – his town hall-style meeting where he encourages people to recount their experiences, all of them welling up with sadness and anger, is one of the most moving sequences to be seen on screen in at least 15 years.

The most chilling aspect of Darfur Now is when the focus of the film is on a woman who, after losing a son at the hands of the Janjaweed, becomes a member of the Sudanese Liberation Army. Her talking head interviews where she expresses, without emotion, how easy it was for her to learn how to shoot a gun and how willing she is to sacrifice herself for this cause is both chilling and strangely inspiring.

Like most documentaries of this kind, though, Darfur Now is not meant to leave you with a sense of joyous redemption. By the end, you should feel shaken, angry, sad, and hopefully ready to do something on behalf of the millions of people suffering in Sudan. It is an encapsulation of the power of the moving picture and one that should not be shied away from.

Purchase Darfur Now on Amazon.com (only $4.99!)