Diario Films produces documentary and strategic media for international organizations, nonprofits, and mission-driven brands. Our work ranges from on-the-ground reporting in remote regions to carefully constructed briefing films used by institutions and policymakers. The throughline is clarity - translating complex realities into narratives that can be understood, carried forward, and acted on.
Freetown at a Crossroads - The Urban Crisis
Freetown at a Crossroads takes you inside three of the city’s most vulnerable communities: Susan’s Bay, Kroo Bay, and Dwarzak - informal settlements on the margins that are constantly under threat from floods, fires, and a total lack of sanitation infrastructure. For the people living there, every rainstorm is a potential emergency.
The film traces the evolution of Tzu Chi’s approach in Freetown - from providing emergency disaster relief to launching a groundbreaking grant competition that empowered local residents to design and pitch their own solutions. It also highlights a new partnership with Freetown City Hall, showing how humanitarian work can shift from reactive aid to collaborative, future-focused planning.
This is a story about crisis but also about agency, imagination, and what’s possible when local voices lead.
Directed by Michael R Mazur
MICHAEL R MAZUR is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and the founder of Diario Films, a studio dedicated to telling human stories with emotional depth and global perspective. His work spans more than 25 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, focusing on resilience, identity, and the people reshaping their communities from within.
In recent years, Michael has directed and produced a major documentary series in Sierra Leone, exploring local leadership and sustainable development in the aftermath of crisis.
From the mountains of Guatemala to the streets of Freetown, Diario Films tells stories wherever they need to be told.
Policy & Legislative Media