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“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock faces off against his arch-nemesis, McDonald

For some, social issues mean gun control or abortion. But for Morgan Spurlock, social issues include Big Macs and Ronald McDonald.

Spurlock’s new film, “Super Size Me,” tackles the weighty issue of obesity in America. It also represents a growing trend in popular film that seeks to discuss and examine social issues in the United States as well as the entire world.

In the film, Spurlock takes on fast food juggernaut McDonald’s, trying to draw a connection between the fast food chain’s global domination and the obesity problem that plagues many Americans today. The finished product won Spurlock the Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

“I couldn’t open up a magazine or turn on the TV without hearing something about the obesity epidemic in America,” Spurlock said. “When I found out about the less-than-forwardness that (McDonald’s) had about the manufacturing and ingredients of (its) food, there was definitely an argument there about the connection with obesity.”

Spurlock’s film is part of the growing wave of popular films and documentaries that have derived their subjects from social issues in the world. These films most notably include Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” and Errol Morris’ “Fog of War.”

Diaky Diaz, the founder of the First Annual Artivist Film Festival, which concluded on Wednesday, decided that with the growing popularity of these types of films, a festival that featured them would be a way for other new filmmakers like Spurlock to get their work recognized.

“Today, all Hollywood has really given us is fast cars, big booms, and no plot, which has desensitized a lot of people to the outside world,” he said. “I think that with the growing popularity of these films, it shows that people now want to see an accurate representation of what’s going on.”

The Artivist Film Festival, which opened with a screening of “Super Size Me,” also contained a collection of activist works from the worlds of visual art and music, but Diaz feels that the festival’s strength definitely lies in its films.

“Film gives a visual representation to the audience,” he said. “It gives a mirror image of what’s really happening in today’s society.”

Spurlock echoed Diaz’s feelings about the power of film as a tool to discuss social issues affecting the world today.

“Film is an incredibly powerful way of discussing social issues,” said Spurlock. “Documentary filmmaking is the one place where the only voice that matters is the filmmaker’s because that’s the one truth.”

Part of the power of “Super Size Me” comes from the visual documentation of Spurlock’s decline in health, as visual images can trigger emotional responses. Television programs around the world frequently employ the correlation.

Earlier this year on campus, the student group Bruins for Israel used a segment from a Palestinian Authority Television news program that depicted the de-gentrification of children. The segment turned out to be very controversial, causing great discussion among the student population.

“Film can be dangerous,” said Bruins for Israel President Ross Neihaus. “It sometimes can convey strong emotions but give very little information about its subject.”

While Neihaus claims that the film was not specifically intended for either a liberal or conservative audience, many filmmakers like Spurlock have used film as a way to take a definite stance on issues that they know will not sit well with everyone.

“The liberal audience will probably love my film,” said Spurlock. “With the conservative audience, it will probably depend on if they’re pro-commerce, which would make them a little more hostile, most likely.”

While many recent films like Spurlock’s have noticeably taken a liberal stance, Diaz still feels that it is important to show both sides of any issue.

“We have to realize that everyone has a point of view, and they all should be acknowledged,” said Diaz. “What we have to do is work away from pointing fingers, and film is one of the places that gives a filmmaker, whether liberal or conservative, a voice.”

But the conservative viewpoint has yet to make the big splash that liberal-minded films have made. While conservative documentaries do exist, they may not have the same appeal because they blend in with other programming.

“The reality is that our (society’s) programming is already pretty conservative,” said Diaz. “The point of our festival is to show different points of view.”

While Diaz does admit that the festival this year included more liberal viewpoints than conservative, she hopes that next year’s festival will have more conservative-minded films.

“Things are not just in black and white,” said Diaz. “It’s an old saying, but ignoring a problem will never make it go away; it will just continue to grow.”

Spurlock, whose film has already received glowing reviews and is set to make a big impact on American audiences when it opens nationwide on May 7, hopes “Super Size Me” will open people’s eyes to how corporations can influence opinions.