Friends,

 

This month we are giving over the top of our newsletter to Branko Brkic, Editor in Chief, Daily Maverick; Creator of Choose Truth Campaign, South Africa and Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; CEO of Rappler.com, The Philippines.

 

On the eve of World News Day,  they are coordinating the launch of the global ‘Choose Truth’ campaign. The mission: to recognise and acknowledge the value and importance of fact-based journalism and the essential role it plays in our daily lives. The call to action? Support Your Favourite Media Brand. Read. Watch. Listen. Register. Subscribe. Donate.

World News Day’s Organisers expect 800+ news organisations and their allies to join in. Doc Society has signed up and so can you -  right here.  

 

Yours in solidarity, team Doc Society 

#JournalismMatters #ChooseTruth

 

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Dear reader, citizen, fellow human, 2024 A.D. is testing our modern societies in ways we once hoped would never be repeated.

 

Autocratic regimes and aspiring dictators around the world have thrown a gauntlet to freedoms across borders, races and religions. Modern conflicts span the entire globe and are fought in an information expanse that is overwhelming in its reach and power. New technologies, and the platforms they enable, are battlefields on which our future is being decided – often without our permission and against our will.

 

In this maelstrom, it is journalism, fact-based, evidence-based credible news media, that has a lifelong duty to defend the self-evident values our civilization was built on. Worldwide, it is the journalists who live their responsibility to honour this sacred bond with our audiences and our communities. 

 

… We, the news media of the world, in moments when systems are crumbling and foundational truths are under pressure, must show that we’re made of sterner stuff; the stuff that can withstand disinformation campaigns, sustained attacks, and a flood of falsehoods.

 

..Come September 28, every World News Day, we the news media organisations from around the world, join hands to reassure you of our undying commitment to News, Facts, Accountability, Public Service, Humanity, Scrutiny, Independence, Ethics & Community. These words have deep meaning.

 

They matter to us. 

 

There’s only one choice ahead of us: We, the news media, will continue to fulfil our sacred duty. The news we report will remain based in fact. We will defend Truth.

 

And we want to further assure you, dear reader, that it is our every intention to keep it that way. We will not tire, and we will not give up. The battle for Truth is the battle for our common future..  

 

Thank you Branko and Maria. To read the full statement please see here.

 

And now we are recommending a beauty of a 12 inch  track from 1997 from Daft Punk to accompany you through our newsletter, which is just jam packed with good news. Press play for ‘Around The World.'

 

The team is back in New York for Climate Week and we are so darn proud to be representing the work and the impact of the Climate Story Unit - which is now five years old!

The Unit is a global, systems-level intervention for new climate narratives; a petri dish for the field that illuminates possibilities in making climate a priority in culture. We know the mainstream is influenced from the fringes - it’s why we champion independents working across all mediums and genres. Since 2020, we have granted over $4 million directly to storytellers, impact producers and cultural institutions rooted primarily in Global Majority communities. And we plan to regrant another $1.5 million by the end of 2024.

 

There have been 19 editions of Climate Story Labs in regions ranging from Amazonia to India to Scandinavia. Check out the latest report out from CSL Lagos. The next CSL, dubbed The Climate Narratives Lab, has already kicked off in Lebanon and is hosted by our partners Aflamuna. 

 

We have been working side by side with 34 Climate Story Fund grantees (with more to be announced soon too!) as they tell complex and compelling stories that deploy innovative approaches to activate strategic audiences. We’ve recently launched a new monthly series “Impact in Progress” on Instagram Live, where grantees offer a sneak peek into how they’re thinking about deepening impact with communities and all the highs and lows that come with that.

And in the Climate Story Kitchen, we continue to test new models in distribution with broadcasters and storytellers alike, helping to ensure climate narratives are accessible to audiences. Building upon the learnings from our partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as part of our efforts to increase salience of climate narratives and in collaboration with partners in the information ecosystem in Africa, we supported a climate delegation to attend the first climate focus at the Durban Filmmart 2024 hosted by our partners CSL ZA. Check out the report. 

 

Building upon the learnings from our partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, we’ve launched a new partnership with Nation Media Group the Docu Hour, the preeminent media outlet in East and Central Africa.  

 

Take a whirl around our recently updated website to be immersed in how we think about understanding the impact of cultural strategy, the perspectives of practitioners on the most important climate narratives from their region, and creative approaches to how storytelling can lead to lasting climate action.

To learn more about the Climate Story Unit model, dive into the conversation between The Solutions Insights Lab and Megha Agrawal Sood, Doc Society Co Director. 

 

Doc Society and The Citizens have joined forces for the Big Tech Narrative Initiative - to help artists and storytellers unlock creative and courageous vision and give our publics a clearer understanding of how Big Tech is shaping society today and tomorrow. The initiative kicks off Tuesday 3 December, 2024 with an online gathering of thinkers & doers (including Maria Ressa, Christopher Wylie, Karim Amer and Carole Cadwalladr).

 

A central part of the online convening is the storytelling showcase - a chance for new and exciting stories about Big Tech to be shared with all convening attendees, drumming up excitement for your projects and facilitating further connections with experts. Up to a dozen live storytelling projects will be selected for the showcase, and selected projects will have the opportunity to briefly present to a wide audience of funders, cultural organisers, distributors, storytellers, and other tech-interested attendees. The aim is to connect creatives and facilitate more collaborations, funding, impact and distribution opportunities, highlighting some of the brilliant work being made and stories being told about Big Tech. We can’t wait to hear what you’re all working on!

 

If you’re working on a documentary film, short, or series; fiction film or short; podcast; VR/AR project; or another medium and you’d like to share your work and find new allies, please submit your project for the showcase before October 6th (and don’t forget to register for the online convening too!).

Click here to learn more, apply, and register for the online gathering.

Have a listen to the latest episode of the Pure Nonfiction podcast: Episode 200 is dedicated to the legacy of our dearest Jess Search, the visionary producer and Doc Society’s co-founder. Pure Nonfiction host Thom Powers interviews Beadie Finzi of Doc Society and Judy Kibinge of Docubox in Kenya. They are two members of DISCO (Decentralised Independent Story and Culture Organizers), a network of documentary organisations around the world. They discuss the mission of DISCO and the Independence Project. Listen here.

 

BFI London Film Festival is kicking off next month and we are excited to share that five BFI Doc Society backed films will be showing:

 

Irpinia (dir. Jameisha Prescod, prod. Valery Akpojiyovwi)

Honouring Traditions Showcase 

 

Adura Baba Mi (dir. Juliana Kasumu, prods. Juliana Kasumu, Ese Jade Onojeruo)

Honouring Traditions Showcase

 

Shadow Scholars (dir. Eloise King, prod. Anna Tenser-Smith, Bona Orakwue & Tabs Breese)

Documentary Competition 

 

Grand Theft Hamlet (dirs. Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, prods. Julia Ton and Rebecca Wolff)

CREATE Thematic strand

 

Holloway (dirs. Daisy-May Hudson, Sophie Compton, prods. Alice Hughes, Polly Creed) 

Documentary Competition 

 

You can also join the BFI Doc Society team at LFF for Free: Gaming for Real on Sunday 20 October 2024 at 14:15 at BFI Southbank, Reuben Library. The team behind BFI Doc Society-supported feature Grand Theft Hamlet will discuss the making of the film, which stages a production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet within the Grand Theft Auto online video game world. Directors Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls join Head of the BFI Doc Society Fund Luke W Moody to discuss machinima, persona and performance in game worlds. This event is free. Booking opens on 3rd October. More info here.

Are you an emerging filmmaker based in the North of England (or even beyond!)? Join BFI Doc Society and BFI NETWORK North on Thursday 3 October at Bolton Film Festival for a showcase of recent short film work, followed by an info roundtable where you can find out more about our organisations, funds and talent development activity. BFI Doc Society grantee Simisolaoluwa Akande (The Archive: Queer Nigerians) will join our Talent Support Programme Manager Sanne Jehoul to discuss her work and experience working with our fund. Both events are free, though with limited capacity, so book your spot for the showcase and roundtable now! Find out more about the festival on https://www.boltonfilmfestival.com/ 

 

Our friends at BGDM are celebrating their 9th birthday and highlighting their Pause and Play series at Docs Get Down on 25 October in NYC!They’re celebrating nine years of their brilliant org by throwing a good old-fashioned dance party with 60s and 70s soul-inspired DJ sets, in honor of BGDM member Jamila Wignot’s new series Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. Early bird tickets are only $35, so grab yours today and get ready to shake a tail feather! 

 

Docs Get Down

Friday, October 25th, 7:00pm - 9:30pm ET

Friends and Lovers (641 Classon Ave, Brooklyn, NY)

Early bird tickets: $35 (includes free drink)

GRAB YOUR TICKET 

 

Doc Society is thrilled to be a sponsor of this event, as you already know how much we love to dance. Did you know that Iyabo originally got the idea for BGDM at a Doc Society event? The intentionally diverse pitch teams and attending industry members at Good Pitch 2015 helped Iyabo see that a place for women and nonbinary filmmakers and executives of color was missing. Inspired by the folks in that room, Iyabo asked a dozen of them out for a group drink afterwards, and Brown Girls Doc Mafia was born. Nine years later, it feels so right to come full circle with BGDM and Doc Society — and so appropriate for it to be under a disco ball! Many thanks to Beadie, Maxyne, and the whole Doc Society team for championing BGDM and our filmmakers, then and now.

 

 

Climate Story Fund and Threshold supported doc Battle for Laikipia (Dirs. Daphne Matziaraki & Peter Murimi, Prods. Toni Kamau & Daphne Matziaraki) is coming to screens in the UK and Kenya! Released by Dogwoof in the UK, you can catch the film in London at Curzon Soho, Bertha Dochouse, and Castle Cinema from 3rd October. Find more information here.

In Kenya, the film has been selected as the opening night feature for Kenya’s premiere film festival - the NBO film festival  (October 17th-27th). A national theatrical release will follow.

We’re thrilled to announce that Nocturnes (Dirs. Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan, Prod. Anirban Dutta), another powerful feature supported by the Climate Story Fund, is making its way to theatres across the US.

 

Nocturnes will have its premiere at New York City's Metrograph on October 18th, 2024, as part of a nationwide release by Grasshopper Film. Mark your calendars and get ready to experience a cinematic journey that lingers long after the lights go up. Find additional cities and dates here.

BFI Doc Society backed film Harder Than The Rock is playing in cinemas across the entirety of the UK from 2nd October. Find a cinema near you here. 

 

Harder Than The Rock (dir. Mark Warmington, prod. James Baxter) chronicles the incredible journey of Britain's first reggae band, Cimarons. Formed by teenage Jamaican immigrants in a London bus shelter in 1967, the band were at the forefront of the reggae explosion in the 1970s. Thousands of miles from Jamaica, they brought excitement, experimentation, and sheer anticipation to Black British youth, connecting them to their roots and identity through their powerful music.

Two brilliant BFI Doc Society backed films can now be streamed on Netflix - White Nanny, Black Child  (dir. Andy Mundy-Castle, prod. Natasha Dack-Ojumu & Rochelle Newman) and Strike: An Uncivil War (dir. Daniel Gordon, prods. Nick Taussig, Fjolla Iberhysaj). Congrats to the teams and start streaming!

Tune in on October 8th for the launch of unseen: Life as a Blind Immigrant, a four-chapter podcast based on the Doc Society-supported film, unseen. In partnership with the award-winning PRX, this podcast uses the film’s audio description to take audiences on a cinematic experience that does not rely on vision or sight. New episodes are available every Tuesday in October in honour of World Blindness Awareness Month. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

CIFF’s 20th edition was nothing short of magical! We celebrated founder Ben Fowlie and his endless contributions to our field, and congratulated the brilliant Sean Flynn on his new role as Artistic Director; we welcomed dear friend, former colleague and visionary Elise McCave as the new Executive Director of Points North Institute; we convened alongside the brilliance of the documentary community; screened 5 Doc Society supported films (some seen for the first time in the US) and saw some stellar films that were new to us. 

 

We left inspired by the deep thought, care, and consideration CIFF’s team puts into this festival, and were especially struck by programming team’s and Zaina Bseiso’s powerful opening remarks, grounding us in the reality of genocides globally, holding close the journalists and storytellers lost this past year to colonial violence, and reminding us what it means to do this work: “Cinema contends with time, and time is a privilege we have…to uplift narratives of the urgent images that are being shared with us from the most vulnerable of the world.” 

 

We were thrilled to support the Town Hall for the second year in a row, a series of provocations to the field around reimagining distribution co-moderated by our own Shanida Scotland and the Shorenstein Center’s ingenious Sara Archambault. More on that soon, in the meantime we’ll leave you with a quote from our collaborator at Ambulante, Itzel Martínez del Cañizo: 

 

“The future of distribution lies in creating constellations - energetic archipelagos of participants, funders, searches, and objectives. Coalition is achieved at intersections; let’s focus on what unites us rather than our differences.” 

Big congrats to Ted and Noel and (dir. Julia Alcamo, prods. Mary Pattisson, Dan Hodgson) and Queendom (dir. Agniia Galdanova, prod. Igor Myakotin) on being nominated for a 2024 Grierson British Documentary Award! Ted and Noel is nominated as Best Documentary Short and Queendom as Best Cinema Documentary. Fingers crossed for you all. 

Congrats to the team behind BFI Doc Society Made of Truth backed short Frontier Town (dirs. Theo Tennant, Tom Tennant, prod. Alice Hughes) for being nominated for two Welsh BAFTAs! The film was nominated under PHOTOGRAPHY FACTUAL for Theo’s DOP work and as BEST SHORT FILM as well. Congrats and fingers crossed for you. 

BAFTA Elevate is a bespoke programme that aims to support individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to reach the next stage of their career. In 2024, BAFTA Elevate will focus on development producers, producers, directors and producer-directors from underrepresented groups within the industry including those from minority ethnic, disabled and/or low socio-economic backgrounds - seeking to progress across documentary and special factual. This industry-level professional development and leadership programme puts a spotlight on talent, offers the opportunity for networks to be strengthened and gives space for the challenges faced to be met with accessible support and mentoring. 

 

Applications for BAFTA Elevate 2024 are now open and will close on Friday 18 October, 1.00pm BST. Learn more and apply here.

The UK Global Screen Fund: International Co-production strand opens at the end of September. The International Co-production funding strand supports UK producers to work on international television (documentary and animation only) and feature film co-productions. All projects should have strong export potential and international audience reach, and should be able to demonstrate the potential to generate revenues for the UK producer. Learn more and get ready to apply here.

Our friends from Sunny Side of the Doc have launched their first LatAm Content Meeting X Sunny Side of the Doc call for projects!

 

LatAm Content Meeting is the new international marketplace for nonfiction content in Latin America, held in Rio de Janeiro from March 10th-12th, 2025. Created at a moment when Brazil will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30), the inaugural edition of the market will take place amid global discussions on sustainability and a carbon-neutral economy, as well as pressing contemporary social issues such as gender equality, racial diversity, indigenous rights and social change. Deadline for submissions: Thursday, December 5th, 2024.

 

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