As we gear up for the Content + Intent Documentary Institute, Working Films Residency at MASS MoCA for 2009 I have been in touch with alumni of the residency to see what they are up to and find out about ways the residency has influenced their audience engagement efforts. I was very excited when I received an email from ’06 Mass MoCA alum Paula Consolini sharing with me a new educational website that she has built using clips from her film Breaking the Mold.

When Paula was at the MASS MoCA residency we brainstormed with her about how to freshen up her material and help it make a real educational impact by using an online distribution platform. Now she has made that happen.The site, www.breakingthemold.org, is billed as a study in workplace democracy.

For those new to this idea, Breakingthemold.org defines workplace democracy as “the application of democratic practices, such as voting, debate and participatory decision-making systems, to the workplace.” That may sound abstract to folks unfamiliar with what this might look like on the job, so the site uses clips from the film to illustrate the power of workplace democracy in action in a mold making factory in Western Massachusetts.

Designed for students at Williams College and others interested in Workplace Democracy the site also has discussion questions and background information on the topic.

Be sure to check out Breaking the Mold online and if you are a filmmaker who wants work to create your own creative and impactful audience engagement tools please considering applying to the 2009 Content + Intent Documentary Institute at MASS MoCA. For more information and an application click here.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.