I Made a Film! Here’s the Story Behind “Can ODR Change the World?
For the past year of my life, I ventured into filmmaking. Here’s a teaser of the finished film soon to appear on LMIPodcast.com/FILM and the YouTube Channel. Thank you to all those who made this project possible, including the volunteer mediators at the DRC – Montgomery County, expert guests, and editors.
I love storytelling, and I believe film is the most powerful method we have to convey information. My passion for helping people address life’s challenges through conflict resolution led me, almost naturally, to launch a documentary. Today I’m proud to announce that Can ODR Change the World? The Story and Promise of Online Dispute Resolution is complete.
The story most people never heard
Most people assume online dispute resolution started when the world went into lockdown and discovered Zoom. The truth is more interesting. A small handful of individuals imagined, long before it was possible at scale, something that only the internet could make real. They were building and arguing for ODR back in the 1990s. While COVID popularized it, respect is owed to the people who were talking about it long before the pandemic made it fashionable.
What the film is about
At its heart, the documentary asks everyone in it one question: can ODR change the world? I took that question across continents and put it to the pioneers, scholars, and practitioners who shaped this field. Their answers became the spine of the film, which traces ODR from a quiet idea to a global movement and looks ahead to what comes next.
Here is what I have come to believe. The combination of the internet, AI, and multilingual ODR platforms now has the ability to promote world peace in a way humans have never imagined.
What I learned along the way
Writing a screenplay is actually kind of hard. Getting buy in, and helping others see your vision before the thing exists, is its own challenge. But here is the encouraging part: with the right tools, a few good cameras, microphones, a modest budget, and some assistant editors, you too can create something good.
This is bigger than one film
Earlier this year I set a goal and wrote that 2026 would be the year ODR goes mainstream. (You can read that piece here.) The missing ingredient is not law or technology, both of which already exist, but awareness. “Let’s visit an online mediator” is not yet a social phenomenon the way “I’m calling a lawyer” is. This film is my contribution to changing that.
Watch the trailer
Can ODR Change the World? premieres on YouTube on June 10, 2026, and at ODR2026 at Harvard University.
▶️ Trailer: https://youtu.be/isev7BZFDgw See REEL below.
🎬 More at LMIPodcast.com/film
If this story resonates with you, share it. Let’s make 2026 the year everyone hears about ODR.
