For the final newsletter of this roller coaster of a year, we turned to US friends and colleagues and asked them, ‘what is bringing you solace and strength in these days post-election? What are the writings you are returning to - the poetry, a piece of music?’ These were just some of the replies: 

 

‘A new billboard by Glenn Ligon, adjacent to the High Line at 18th Street and 10th Avenue offers much food for thought, especially considering that the first version - without the crossed-out letters - was created to celebrate the hope and optimism of Obama's election. Fear of the "other" and individualism (on many levels) are, to me, the big winners of this recent cycle.’

João Talocchi (him/his)

Network Director - Americas

Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC)

 

‘I have been immersing myself in the transformative power of the Haitian literature I lost touch with over the years - compelled by the Trump attacks to be enveloped in the richness of my culture and its creativity. I am happy to make recommendations of the books I have been reading this past month, by Frankétienne, Ready To Burst. I couldn't put it down. He is one of the fathers of the Spiralism literary movement of the Caribbean, and his surrealist Zombi novel - Dezafi. And, of course, the recent book of essays by Edwidge Danticat, We Are Alone. It's a beautiful braiding of personal experience, history and environmental crises of our day.’

Michèle Delgado Stephenson (She/Her/Hers)

Director/Producer, Rada Studio & Rada Collaborative

 

‘Being an undocumented immigrant living in the US, I find myself sleepless lately – my mind anticipating horrors that could happen against me and my loved ones with the incoming administration. In spite of my anxiety at night, I wake up every morning resolute, convinced I'm at the center of where I'm supposed to be. Knowing that my purpose in this moment is to love harder on my family (immediate and chosen) and to protect everything sacred I know. Who knows if it's strength or solace, but like adrienne marie brown said in a recent prayer: 'let our moves save all the people we can save.’

Set Hernandez (they/she/he)

Director/Producer

Co-Founder, Undocumented Filmmakers Collective

 

‘I believe in living, I believe in birth, I believe in the sweat of love and in the fire of truth and I believe that a lost ship, steered by tired, sea sick sailors, can still be guided home to port. ~ Assata Shakur.’ 

Twiggy Pucci Garcon (she/her/hers & they/them/theirs)

Director, Producer, Writer

 

‘My moment is tied up deeply in the local. Connecting with loved ones, friends, and people in my neighborhood. It's the practice of small acts every day that are moving me right now. I'm cooking a lot, knitting, sewing and mending. I told my husband that it feels like I'm nesting for the coming Trump years. He's doing much of the same in his workshop. Setting up his tools, fixing a long ignored switch. This isn't exciting, urgent or bold. I wish I had a battle cry to ignite activism and movement. But what I am doing instead is nesting. Perhaps there is truth to the idea that rest is revolution. I am hoping for me, with this nesting period, my body replenishes itself and remembers what to do to steady me for what comes, so that I am able to jump back into the hard parts again soon.’

Sara Archambault

Director, Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative

Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School

 

‘What is grounding me in the face of what will very much be another difficult season in the US, is that I have doubled down on my creative side. So as there are enormous human rights battles to be fought, I am leaning into composing music and released my latest single before the election and am working on a full length album, which I hope to release in 2025.  In my time doing this work, it’s become clear to me that manifesting justice in a world that resists it is a full-body experience. If you don’t attend to the full self, the risks are higher than you think.’

Vince Warren (he/him)

Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights

 

‘In no particular order: remembering that the world is far bigger than the U.S. and that bad American actors can be held accountable in other countries too; the new Kendrick Lamar album; everything Doechii does, but esp her Late Night appearance and Tiny Desk concert (hers and Kendrick's work combined have renewed my faith that creativity can survive late-stage capitalism and AI bullshit); reading about large-scale social change throughout history -- for a compendium, Dana Fisher's Saving Ourselves is very handy; thinking about Beth Sawin's approach to "multisolving"; the ICJ hearing and climate justice getting its day in court; the wonderful blend of politics and creativity and humor in the work of Journal Rappé in Senegal and Politically Aweh in South Africa; re-watching Reservation Dogs; following the amazing moves Mexico's new president has been making; The video of the female South Korean MP grabbing the soldiers rifle and telling him he should be ashamed of himself.’

Amy Westervelt 

Executive Editor, DRILLED

 

'”Alright. We have a plan. Six stones, three teams, one shot. Five years ago we lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back. One round trip each, no mistakes, no do overs. Most of us going somewhere we know, that doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Lookout for each other. This is the fight of our lives and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes.” from The Avengers’

Anurima Bhargava

Founder & Director, Anthem of Us 

 

‘I have been reading One Week to Change the World by DW Gibson. On the 25th anniversary of the WTO Protests, the book offers a multi-perspective, oral history of the events and has so much to say about the movements that followed like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter and then the police response to protests in this country, then and now. The events were poorly understood and covered by the media then and perhaps because of that remembered even more poorly, today. I found hope and power in the reminder that a left-wing, grassroots coalition stood together against powerful interests in the WTO as they sought to improve the environment and the lives of the working class in America.’

Dominic Davis

Manager, Documentary Fund Sundance Institute 

 

‘Something that has brought me hope is re-reading a pocket sized book my dad bought me called, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. The prologue starts with the line “History does not repeat, it instructs.” And the book proceeds from there as a “listicle” of 20 applicable lessons. “Lesson 1: Do not obey in advance. … Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.” That refrain gives me courage every time someone says something like, it’s complex, to silence my righteous indignation. … “Lesson 20: be as courageous as you can.” “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.” — Antonio Gramsci. But it’s always darkest before the dawn. You got this.’

Michael Premo

Journalist, Filmmaker and Artist

Storyline

 

‘Visiting family here in New Mexico, reminds me of the four sacred obligations a person should try to develop: a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of others. These values are my guide and what brings me a sense of peace, especially in these times.’

Tracy Rector

Filmmaker and Intersectional Advocate

4th World Media

 

Friends, where you can, get some rest and recuperation. 2025 looks like it is going to be a big year wherever you are. From South Korea to Sudan, Syria to France, Georgia to Palestine - history is accelerating all around us. Let’s hold tight and steady ourselves for what comes next. 

 

As for tunes for the holidays? We are recommending Scissor Sisters. It is the 20th anniversary of the self-titled debut album whose audacious joy, unapologetic queerness and defiant sense of fun might just be perfect - once again - for this moment. 

 

Yours, team Doc Society 

 

CAN YOU HELP THIS TEAM REACH THEIR GOAL?

The team behind Blue Has No Borders (Jessi Gutch, Nikki Parrott and Charlie Phillips) are building some great momentum crowdfunding on Kickstarter to finish their documentary. Blue Has No Borders is the real community story behind the “stop the boats” message that’s plagued Britain in recent years, building up to this Summer’s racially-motivated far right riots in the UK.

Support them before Thursday December 12th here

 

ONE FOR YOUR READING LIST

Check out the ground breaking ITVS study that unpacks the filmmaker - participant relationship. We’re delighted to hear that the study found “89% of film participants responded YES, they would be part of their documentary again if given the chance”. What we’re even more delighted by is the amazing honesty within the specific examples straight from the field from filmmakers and participants about how trust is created, strengthened, eroded, healed - there’s always room to do better, be better. We recommend putting this one on your reading lists. 

CALLING ALL UK IMMERSIVE NON-FICTION PRODUCERS / CREATORS! 

BFI Doc Society, in collaboration with the BFI International Fund, are inviting applications for active projects in development to take part in a group attendance to CPH:DOX between 23 and 27 March 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

Selected delegates will be accredited to CPH:DOX, with travel and accommodation covered, and attendance will allow them to meet potential international funders and partners, to explore co-production opportunities, and to take part in the full range of industry programme activities, including the various networking events.

Come join us - applications are now open until Tuesday 7th January, 10am.

GET YOUR PROJECTS IN!

The JustFilms open call deadline is December 6, 2024. The fund supports artist-driven, feature-length documentary films that creatively intersect with the social justice issues that are central to the Ford Foundation’s mission. 

AND COMRADES, IT WAS BEYOND OUR WILDEST QUEER DREAMS. Thank you to the legendary Bev Ditsie and the ILGA World Conference who helped us convene nearly 40 queer filmmakers, activists, impact producers, community leaders, industry experts, and more in Cape Town at the gorgeous Bertha Retreat Space. We not only dove into the 5 film projects from Southern and Eastern Africa, but we explored narrative strategies globally and regionally in the face of the anti-gender movement, reimagined impact and distribution, and built a fiercely loving community - all through a queer African lens, asking ourselves what it means “to be seen” and how we can fully see each other, through our stories, through our films, and beyond.

 

We still have the words of  Professor Junot Diaz resonating in our minds/hearts: 

“If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.”

 

We thank each participant, speaker, and contributor for bringing yourselves and your knowledge to the Lab.

CONGRATULATIONS to the hosts GARUWA and the 8 First Nations Storytellers and Impact Producers who took part in the 2nd annual First Nations Impact Lab on Wodi Wodi Country in Eastern Australia. The lab was facilitated by  First Nations knowledge holders Genevieve Grieves and Laurrie Mansfield and now the growing ecosystem of impact First Nations Impact Producers in Australia has grown even stronger. From stories and impact strategies around abolition, banning 1080 poisons in national parks, women-led indigenous ranger networks, reshaping education and oh so much more! Well done to Kellie B., Kimberley Benjamin, Kerri Clarke, George Coles, Amethyst Downing, David Cook, Kimberley Marden and Tace Stevens.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST VIDEO CASE STUDY from Climate Story Fund grantee, Offshore. Dig into how the film and impact team worked alongside offshore workers to participate in and lead a just transition, inspire the UK climate movement to advocate for them, and influence policy to put workers and communities at the center of the move out of fossil fuels into renewables.

Directed by Hazel Falck, Produced by Pacifique Pictures, Made in collaboration with community partners and organising groups across the North East and Scotland.

WE WANT TO THANK EVERYONE who was able to join us for the kickoff of the Big Tech Narrative Initiative online convening, co-hosted with the Citizens. On December 3rd we gathered virtually to hear from storytellers, campaigners, journalists, academics, and technologists to build collective knowledge and unlock vision and ambition for the stories we tell about the biggest societal revolution in over 100 years. 

Thank you for joining us for this critical conversation as we begin this initiative!

 

GRAND THEFT HAMLET IN UK CINEMAS NOW

DON’T MISS IT! January 2021. The UK is in its 3rd lockdown. For theatre actors Sam and Mark, the future looks bleak. They spend their days in the online digital world of Grand Theft Auto and when they stumble across a theatre, they suddenly have an idea to stage a full production of Hamlet within the game. (Supported through the BFI Doc Society Fund). Find screenings and tickets here

HOMEGROWN OPENING AT NYC DCTV's FIREHOUSE CINEMA 

ONE FOR THESE TIMES. Homegrown is an unflinching chronicle of Americans at war with each other. Three right-wing activists—a newly politicized father-to-be in New Jersey, an Air Force veteran organizing conservatives in New York City, and a charismatic activist from Texas—crisscross the country in the summer of 2020, campaigning for Donald Trump and building a movement they hope will outlast him. When they become convinced that the election is stolen, they take their fight to the streets. The result is a chilling portrait of a growing movement pushing American democracy to the brink. Check it out.

THE END

AND FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT. 

On release in NY and LA and is this week's NYT Critics Pick:

‘Joshua Oppenheimer is our ages great bard of cognitive dissonance… The film, which he wrote with Rasmums Heisterberg, is not a documentary at all: It’s a musical, set in the nearish future, about a family living in a vast and luxurious underground bunker while the world literally burns above them. And they, it turns out, caused that apocalypse’.

Get tickets here

BFI DOC SOCIETY MADE OF TRUTH: HYBRID NON-FICTION SHORTS 

HEAD TO BERTHA DOCHOUSE, LONDON on Tuesday 10 December, 18:30pm  for a treat. BFI Doc Society are excited to present a selection of short documentaries funded through our Made of Truth short film fund.

The four films in the programme explore hybrid formal and narrative non-fiction approaches which open up how we might consider tackling challenging subjects, in a programme ranging from eviction to mental health and beyond, as well as the importance of community support and solidarity. These films have found audiences at festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, Encounters, London Short Film Festival, Final Girls Berlin, Aesthetica, and more.Several filmmakers will be in attendance  for an extended post-screening Q&A.It will also be an opportunity to learn about the BFI Doc Society Made of Truth fund, which will reopen in spring 2025. Info and booking here 

WARNING: This section is long because everyone is smashing it at the moment....

Grand Theft Hamlet receives 4 BIFA’s nominations for Feature Doc, Raindance Maverick, Debut Directors Doc and Breakthrough Produce

• Shorts List Semifinalist: The Medallion 
• Debut Feature: Grand Theft Hamlet, directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane 
• Visual Design: Agniia Galdanova, Queendom 
• Spotlight:
  • Black Snow
    Dir. Alina Simone, prod. Kirstine Barfod
  • Homegrown
    Dir. Michel Premo, prod. Rachel Falcone, Michael Premo
  • Unforgettables Honoree: Jenna Marvin, Queendom
• Broadcast Film: Great Photo, Lovely Life: Facing a Family’s Secrets; Directed by Amanda Mustard and Rachel Beth Anderson | HBO
• Cinematography: Satya Rai Nagpual for Nocturnes
• Original Score: Nainita Dasai for Nocturnes
• Sound Design: Tom Paul, Shreyank Nanjappa and Sukanto Mazumder for Nocturnes

Congratulations to all IDA Award nominees and winners!! And special kudos to Ruslan Fedotov for winning Best Cinematography for Queendom \uD83C\uDF89

• Best Feature Nominee: Queendom
• Best Director Nominee: Agniia Galdanova, Queendom
• Best Cinematography Nominee: Ruslan Fedotov, Queendom
• Director: Agniia Galdanova | Producer: Igor Myakotin, Agniia Galdanova
• Best Short Nominee: The Medallion” (UK, Ethiopia, USA | The New Yorker, SUDU Connexion | Director: Ruth Hunduma | Producer: Lily Usher, Tolu Stedford

Congratulations to all IDA Award nominees and winners!! And special kudos to Ruslan Fedotov for winning Best Cinematography for Queendom \uD83C\uDF89

• Best Feature Nominee: Queendom
• Best Director Nominee: Agniia Galdanova, Queendom
• Best Cinematography Nominee: Ruslan Fedotov, Queendom
• Director: Agniia Galdanova | Producer: Igor Myakotin, Agniia Galdanova
• Best Short Nominee: The Medallion” (UK, Ethiopia, USA | The New Yorker, SUDU Connexion | Director: Ruth Hunduma | Producer: Lily Usher, Tolu Stedford

Big shout out to the team behind Doc Society supported Hummingbirds on their nomination for a Spirit Award for Best Documentary! Congrats to the other brilliant films and actors on their nominations, you can see the full list here.

Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras

Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger

Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow.

We’re thrilled for all the films that screened at DOC NYC this year, and want to give special shout outs to two Doc Society-supported films: 

 

Black Snow, directed by Alina Simone and produced by Kirstine Barfod,  received the Special Mention by the jury for the US Documentary Competition at this year’s festival. Check out the jurors’ wonderful statement: “The jury recognizes Black Snow for highlighting the courage of Russian journalist and mother Natalia Zubkova who exposed the coverup of a toxic coal fire that threatened her Siberian community. Alina Simone’s debut film is an urgent look at the work of an ordinary citizen who spoke up in the face of disinformation, surveillance, and harassment by an authoritarian government.”

 

And a big congrats to Homegrown for receiving support from Subject Matter! “DOC NYC partnered with Subject Matter to present a $20,000 grant from Subject Matter to Homegrown, directed by Michael Premo, to support the film’s audience outreach and impact efforts, along with a corresponding grant of $20,000 to The 22nd Century Initiative, a nonprofit organization that is working to end political violence.” Thank you to Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone for this all too timely and important film.

The recipients of their Project Hatched grants, and we’re sending congratulations to three Doc Society-supported projects: 

• Black Snow - Director: Alina Simone, Producer: Kirstine Barfod
• Yintah - Directors/Producers: Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, Producer: Bob Moore
• Your Fat Friend - Director/Producer: Jeanie Finlay, Consulting Producer: Suzanne Alizart

A new cohort of Documentary Lab fellows - what a strong group of storytellers! We’re thrilled to see two Doc Society supported filmmakers/films in the cohort: 

Gabriela Díaz Arp, Matininó

This hybrid documentary is about a multi-generational family of Puerto Rican women transforming their experience with violence into a fantasy film.

 

Jason Jeffers, The First Plantation (working title) 

A documentary on reparations becomes unexpectedly personal when a filmmaker returns home to Barbados to tell the story of Drax Hall, the oldest continuously owned and operated sugar plantation in the Americas, recently inherited by a wealthy British politician descended from the slave master who founded it.

 

Thanks, Firelight, and kudos to the fellows! 

We want to shout out the team behind Black Snow (Doc Society New Perspectives Fund) for their exciting news of bringing on environmental activist Erin Brockovich as an executive producer. The parallels between Brockovich’s fight and Black Snow protagonist Natalia Zubkova’s courageous whistleblowing are stark, and we’re looking forward to these two movers and shakers joining forces through the film. Read more about the partnership here. 

And finally, a new resource for your travels. ART WORKS Projects, Re-Present Media, and The Video Consortium present their new publication, Centering Survivor Stories. The document highlights best practices, strategies, and lessons documentarians need to know, focusing on informed consent, trauma-informed, and community-centered practices. 

 

© 2023 Doc Society

 

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