I am just back from the hills of Sheffield UK and their exuberant Doc Fest. Five days of high energy started as soon as I stepped off the train; most of the festival venues were right by the station and crowds were already milling. The sold out opening night film was Moving to Mars, a film we supported this past summer through the Good Pitch and a strategy summit. Out of these efforts, the film developed a community engagement campaign that takes them on the road with refugee supporters and…
By Lewis Beale StarNews Correspondent Robert West was working as a film programmer at Charlotte’s Mint Museum when he became increasingly interested in documentaries with a social context – films about race, health care, women’s and gay rights – because “they seemed to be the most powerful stories. I would watch 200 people in a room be collectively moved by a story.” But West noticed something else. After the lights went up, and the q&a session with the filmmaker began, the first question often would be “What can I do?”…
Are you a grassroots activist or a community organizer interested in using films for social change? Working Films is accepting applications for audience and community engagement coordinators, with possible openings starting in early 2010. These will be either full or part time positions connected to a number of new projects and campaigns that are in the development phase at Working Films. Engagement coordinators will manage national community engagement campaigns for social and environmental issue documentaries. Read more on our website.
As the weather on the balmy North Carolina coast hits 85º here today (hello climate change!), I am packing for London and then on to five intense days at the Sheffield Doc Fest. Starting 4 November, this international festival “celebrates the art and business of documentary filmmaking” and includes industry sessions, a marketplace, pitching opportunities, discussion panels and in-depth filmmaker master classes, as well as a wealth of inspirational documentary films from across the globe. On Thursday, 5 November join me and other panel members at The Chapel for “Working…
Reposted from Isthmus: The Daily Page By David Medaris Tuesday 10/27/2009 Gregg Mitman thought Tales from Planet Earth would be a one-shot deal. The UW-Madison history of science professor and interim director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies was a principal organizer of the 2007 environmental film festival. “Opening night, there was a line two blocks long waiting to get into the Orpheum,” he remembers. He had anticipated 500 people might show up that first night. Instead, more than twice that number turned out. By the end of the…
We just wrapped up Day 1 of the Real Girls, Reel Change, a collaborative workshop between Working Films, The Fledgling Fund and Chicken & Egg Pictures. The first day has been high energy and really productive. Each filmmaker was asked to share what impact they want their film to have. There were some great ideas that came from the discussion and we were able to narrow down some broad concepts to concrete and realistic goals. From there, we explored the targeted audiences of each film and different ways to plug the films into those groups. The…
Working Films is proud to announce the films and filmmakers that have been selected for our Real Girls, Reel Change workshop. Real Girls, Reel Change is an innovative new platform that will nurture the work of filmmakers, non-profit organizations, and funders that are focused on supporting the physical, emotional, and social well being of girls and young women. We understand that real impact takes time and strategic use of many types of resources, and we’ve developed Real Girls, Reel Change in order to explore the idea that it takes more…
Working Films is excited to continue our collaboration with the Good Pitch. In North America, the Good Pitch is a partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP), generously supported by the Fledgling Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Tides Foundation and anonymous donors. From nearly 200 applications, eight filmmaking teams have been selected to pitch their films and outreach campaigns to an invited audience, in order to amplify the impact of their social-issue documentary projects. A unique feature of the program is an…
The Good Pitch is returning to the UK on September 7th and 8th. It is hosted by Amnesty International at their East London auditorium and is held in association with One World Media. Eight extraordinary projects have been selected to pitch on September 8th with the following filmmakers: Antony Butts (After the Apocalypse), Lesley Katon (A Very Dangerous Man), Dan Edelstyn (How to Re-Establish a Vodka Empire), Hannan Majid & Richard York (Mass e Bhat), Rosa Rogers (Casablanca Calling), Mat Whitecross (Moving to Mars), Morgan Matthews (Seventeen) and Jerry Rothwell…
The Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, NC announces that they are accepting submissions for the Works-in-Progress program in the annual film festival. The Works-in-Progress Category offers filmmakers at all stages of production an opportunity to showcase their films in a workshop-style setting. Films focused on social issues and justice are especially encouraged to apply. The workshop is intended to foster dialogue between filmmakers and target audiences, thereby providing critical feedback for final editing decisions. This will be an invaluable opportunity for those hoping to eventually screen their finished film in…
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