Announcing the 2009 Content + Intent Documentary Institute Participants

We are excited to announce the 8 film projects selected to be part of the 2009 Content + Intent Documentary Institute, Working Films’ Residency at MASS MoCA. We reviewed a number of extraordinary projects and faced a difficult decision narrowing it down to the 8 films that will be part of the residency, which takes place March 11-15th in North Adams, MA. Of the many amazing entries we selected those projects that we believe have the greatest potential to benefit from a collaborative workshop focused on creating intentional and strategic…

Filmmaker reflects on MASS MoCA 2008

As we begin taking applications for the 2009 Content + Intent Documentary Institute, Working Films’ Residency at MASS MoCA we wanted to give you a sense of what the experience was like for other filmmakers. In March of 2008 Sean Flynn joined 10 other documentarians for our 5 day workshop in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. The following are reflections on the residency that Sean so graciously agreed to share with us. If Sean’s experience sparks your interest in the Institute click here for more info and download the…

Think Your Film Can Change the World?

We do. Ingrid Kopp, Director of the US Office of Shooting People and a key staffer at the recent BritDoc Fest, recently wrote an illuminating piece for Movie Scope. She reveals how documentary filmmakers in the UK are discovering new models of funding and distribution through tapping in to the social impact potential of their films. Read Your Film Can Change the World.

Out of Your Seats and Into the Streets

This week ABCNews.com featured a story on a passionate crop of documentarians touring city-to-city with their films – taking it to the streets and to the right audiences. It’s about niche marketing, identifying strategic partners, taking the film to its most interested audience,’ Robert West of Working Films told ABCNews.com. Read the full article to learn more about the change that we can make, one film at a time!

Working Films @ MASS MoCA

Anayansi Prado and Terri Evans at the Content + Intent Documentary Institute at MASS MoCA. Last week Working Films hosted the 2008 Content + Intent Documentary Institute at MASS MoCA. For five days, filmmakers at various stages in the production of their films came together to develop strategic plans for outreach and impact. Participants included Julianna Brannum (LaDonna Harris: Indian 101), Nicholas Bruckman (La Americana), Liz Canner (Orgasm Inc.), Arwen Curry (Global Moms: Iran [working title]), Sean Flynn (Beyond Belief), Terri Evans (The Pact), Jolene Pinder and Sara Zaman (Bismallah:…

Working Films Profile

By Kathie deNobriga Arts & Democracy Project Center for Civic Participation Fall 2007 In my work as a curator, I was excited that 200 people could sit in a dark room, see a film, be moved, and ask, ‘what can we do?’ I began to think about how to be more deliberate in getting the right people in the room. And I realized we needed good answers to that question about “what to do”, and that many of the best answers were going to be local answers. So then, Judith…