Friends, building on the picture of political pressures shaping UK media in July’s newsletter, the folks at Free Press just published the Media Capitulation Index for the USA. 

 

If you like, it’s a performance rating of America’s 35 largest media conglomerates ranked on a scale from independent (Bloomberg and Netflix) to full-fledged propaganda (Trump Media and X), and all points in between.

 

Free Press rates the degree — on a scale of one to five chickens (🐔) — to which each media company has compromised its commitment to independent news and information in exchange for political favors and higher profits, or simply to get the Trump administration off its back. 

 

⭐ = Independent  

🐔 = Vulnerable

🐔🐔 = Compromising

🐔🐔🐔 = Capitulating 

🐔🐔🐔🐔 = Obeying

🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔 = Propaganda

 

In the rare instance where a company displays courageous independence from the political pressures of Washington, it earns a star (⭐). Spoiler Alert - there are only 2 out of the 35 which earn this. 

 

And here is the rub: ‘Media capitulation is a slippery slope. Once powerful companies compromise their editorial independence - once they step across the line into compliance - the temptation to curve further to official pressure grows even stronger.’

 

Ready to dig deeper? There is a companion report ‘A More Perfect Media’ examines how media ownership influences public discourse and political outcomes as well as setting out some potential remedies for this condition. Noting that of course media capitulation in the US isn’t happening in a vacuum, it's part of a global trend. If you have analysis from other territories - please send it our way. 

 

Okay we know, we know. It’s not the cheeriest reading so we are also giving you a drop dead gorgeous playlist to accompany your reflections. 

 

Here is the addictive Queer Now playlist from our online convening last month. Stitched together with basslines, beats and melodies to get your shoulders moving and your heart a little lighter. Music to remind you that art, that joy, is resistance. 

 

With love + rockets,

 

Team Doc Society 

 

The BFI Doc Society Features Fund is pleased to announce 26 grantees (including 9 further awards for previously supported projects) backed by the fund since reopening two years ago. We are just proud as punch to be working with some of the boldest, most exciting independent UK filmmakers and immersive creators. Supporting them from development through to completion with grants made possible by National Lottery funding. A huge shout out to: 

 

Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon

Flotsam 

Harder Than The Rock

Hear My Voices 

Holloway

How Deep Is Your Love

In The Black Fantastic

Landfall 

Love Letters

Re-Evaluation 

Sidelines 

Something Familiar 

Strike: An Uncivil War

Untitled Spy Cops Documentary  

 

Further projects, including the most recent grantees, will be announced at a later date.

 

Mark your calendars - Driver by Nesa Azimi, Nicholas Borel, and Ines Hofmann Kanna will have its US broadcast and streaming premiere on PBS’s POV on September 1st. After traveling the world at over 20 film festivals, Driver will come to US audiences via public media. 

After premiering and continuing to show at Liverpool Biennial BFI Doc Society Made of Truth Fund supported Dear Othermother screens with a Q&A at ICA, London on August 20th. The short film shares an intimate and personal portrayal of motherhood, and collective parenting in Toxteth, Liverpool. Directed by Amber Akaunu and produced by Honey Crespo. 

After premiering at Berlinale in 2023 this BFI Doc Society Made of Truth supported short is now available online. Merging reality with fiction, this speculative city symphony explores London's Great Smog of 1952 in the context of the present-day climate crisis. Directed by Natalie Cubides-Brady & produced by Jacob Swan Hyam. Selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick - Watch here

Oxford Professor Patricia Kingori travels to Kenya, where she uncovers the  twilight , multi-billion global underworld of essay-writing. Thousands of young and highly educated Kenyans – overqualified and chronically underemployed – have found lucrative work writing essays for students around the globe who are able and willing to pay for them. It’s a complex portrait of an issue that undermines the foundations of a pillar of humanity: education. 

Supported through the BFI Doc Society Fund. Directed by Eloise King and produced by Anna Tenser-Smith, Bona Orakwue and Tabs Breese. 

Preview Screenings at: 

The Ultimate Picture Palace Tuesday 16th September 6:00pm Tickets here

 Bertha Doc House, Thursday 18th September, 6:20pm  Tickets here 

 BFI Doc Society Features Fund supported ‘Holloway’ continues to screen throughout August across UK cinemas with Q&As. Award-winning documentary HOLLOWAY follows six women as they return to the now abandoned Holloway Prison in Central London. Tickets here

BFI Doc Society Features Fund supported Holloway continues to screen throughout August across UK cinemas with Q&As. The Award-winning documentary follows six women as they return to the now abandoned Holloway Prison in Central London. Tickets here

 

A cheeky repeat from last month’s newsletter - here is a reminder of some delicious Doc Society supported films you can catch up on during the  holidays.

 

Apple TV - Nothing Compares 

Disney - The Territory 

Netflix - Yintah, Strike; An Uncivil War (UK & Ireland), Is There Anybody Out There (UK & Ireland), White Nanny; Black Child (UK & Ireland), Virunga, The Edge of Democracy, Apocalypse in the Tropics, Knock Down the House

Mubi - Grand Theft Hamlet, Against the Tide (India only)

Kinema - check out the Global Climate Playlist, with titles available as VOD or to organize your own virtual or of face-to-face screening events 

BBC iPlayer - The Battle for Laikipia, Your Fat Friend, Queendom, Hollywoodgate, Against the Tide, A Bunch of Amateurs, Writing with Fire, Welcome to Chechnya, Tish, If the Streets were on Fire, Blue Bag Life 

My4 (Channel 4) - Undercover: Exposing the far right, My Friend Lanre

BFI Player - Scala!!!, Name me Lawand, Red Herring 

Amazon Prime - Masie, Tish, The Taste of Mango

POV - unseen, Is There Anybody Out There?, and coming soon Driver and Black Snow

Independent Lens - Greener Pastures, Razing Liberty Square

For something magic from the archives how about The Yes Men Are Revolting (2015) available on Kanopy or perhaps Afghan Star (2009) on GuideDoc?  Enjoy!

 

How can our films and stories find and get to audiences in increasingly hostile environments? In our experience, and in the experience of the incredible team behind I Am Samuel, there’s always a way but it requires tenacity, creativity working with community, and sustained resourcing. I Am Samuel is a story about love and family, following Samuel and the love of his life, Alex, as they navigate Kenyan society and hope to be accepted for who they are by their communities. The film is a tender, caring portrait, lovingly crafted by director Pete Murimi and producer Toni Kamau. Check out the trailer to get a peek at the film.

 

And then, we invite you to please watch this impact case study video; the film team outlines their multi-tiered impact plan, shows how they pivoted when the film was banned in Kenya, and how they managed to reach audiences in meaningful ways. This was not an easy or safe film to make, and it was a challenge to distribute and design an impact campaign. But the team was brilliant in their responses to the changing political landscape. Please watch the video, and then head to their website for more resources. 

 

I Am Samuel has been a crucial resource for LGBTQ+ people, parents, and allies. We encourage you to explore the many resources available on the film’s website. 

Berlinale Talents - Apply by September 3, 2025, 12:00 noon (CEST) Details for how to apply here: www.berlinale-talents.de

Catapult Film Fund - Development Grant Accepting Applications! Do you have a film in development that you’re itching to move forward with? Our friends at Catapult Film Fund are now accepting applications for their incredible Development Grant! Their flagship program, the Development Grant is “geared toward independent filmmakers who have a strong story to tell, have secured access, and are ready to unlock critical production funding.” This fund is for documentary filmmakers needing early stage support, which can be the most difficult to secure. This year, they’re offering fifteen grants of up to $25,000 USD to filmmakers with a documentary feature or short in development. 

 

Apply by September 8. Learn more here. 

From September, the BFI Doc Society team will be hosting Morning Brews, our regular online coffee mornings for UK documentary talent, where we will answer any of your questions about our funds, whether general or project-specific. These hour-long gatherings will also allow you to get feedback from your peers, and learn about other filmmakers’ projects and challenges. 

 

These sessions will happen every other week and will replace the weekly 1-2-1 advice slots, which are coming to an end in August. The Morning Brews will accommodate max 10 people per session, with the first one taking place on Thursday 11 September at 10:00. Sign up and keep an eye out on the next ones at bfi.docsociety.org/talent

Next week we will be launching an open call for UK-based directors and producers with a short documentary near completion, to attend Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival & Market (France) as part of a BFI Doc Society delegation. Keep an eye on our instagram and bfi.docsociety.org/talent for more info, coming soon. 

Envision Impact Lab — Open Call Now Live

Perspective Fund has launched the Envision Impact Lab (EIL), a bold new initiative designed to spark innovation across the documentary impact ecosystem through cross sector learning, creative experimentation, and the scaling of effective practices (perspectivefund.org).

 

Open for proposals from August 8 to September 21 2025, the Lab supports both documentary film teams and organizations developing impact tools with comprehensive funding, expert mentorship, and access to PUBLIKUM, a cutting edge audience insights platform (perspectivefund.org). This is a powerful opportunity for filmmakers, impact producers, and change makers to pioneer new methods for audience engagement and social impact at scale.

 

Applications Open: 2026 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship

BAVC Media is now accepting applications for the 2026 MediaMaker Fellowship, a nine-month program for first or second-time nonfiction feature directors committed to creative, ethical, and collaborative storytelling. Fellows receive $10,000 in unrestricted funding, targeted workshops, mentorship, two in-person convenings in San Francisco, and travel to an international film festival.

 

Eligible projects are independent, impact-driven nonfiction films (including hybrids) in production or post-production, but not yet picture-locked. Filmmakers must primarily reside in the U.S. (no citizenship requirement).

 

Early applications are encouraged. Deadline: Monday, September 29, 2025 at 11:59pm PT.

Apply now or contact filmmakerservices@bavc.org for accommodations or support.

 

 

© 2025 Doc Society

 

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