Sheffield Doc/Fest and The Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation invite applications for a special 2-day workshop on the funding, marketing and distribution of independent films, in London on Friday July 2nd and Saturday July 3rd This course is designed for independent filmmakers and artists determined to get their work seen widely, create social impact, and earn a living in the digital age. Leading distribution strategist and President of Paradigm Consulting Peter Broderick, and Sandi DuBowski, Director/Producer of Trembling Before G-d, Producer…

I think it’s pretty amazing how so many people have rallied to help Haiti’s only film school continue to tell important stories in the wake of the earthquake. On January 22nd a crew of film peeps got together at Eastern Effects in Brooklyn to load a shipping container with film equipment and humanitarian supplies to send to Jacmel. This makes me smile. Keep up to date with the school’s news and videos: www.cineinstitute.com/news/ You can become a fan of the…

Filmmakers working on social issue films are often concerned with creating change as well as reaching an audience. This is more often the case for documentaries but it is certainly true of many narrative films too. The trouble is that many filmmakers find it hard enough to get a film funded and then distributed, let alone embark on a costly and time-consuming outreach campaign. However, it is often part and parcel of the reasons for making the film in the…

Action for Brazil’s Children Trust patron Fernando Meirelles together with writer/actor Don McKellar feature in a newly released Q&A session focused on the making of ‘Blindness’ – watch the web cast here. Meirelles also discusses his involvement with social film projects, notably Cinema Nosso, which is supported by ABC Trust, a UK-based charity. Cinema Nosso was set up by Meirelles in 2002. The project was directly born out of Meirelles’ renowned ‘City of God’. The film, famously shot on location…

Shooters, If your film is engaged with campaigning for social change, you might be interested in co-pilot.net as a means of discussing and seeding your project. Please come back to Tools to report when you have had a chance to try it out. Launches 22 October: co-pilot.net is an online resource designed to collate knowledge and experiences and enable open discussion for those working at the intersection of art, technology and social change. Anyone is welcome to join, share and…

Lina Srivastava, a consultant who works with nonprofits, activists and other change agents, has written an interesting blog piece on the possibilities of transmedia storytelling for nonprofits. The phrase comes from the brilliant mind of Henry Jenkins and essentially describes a multiplatform approach. Jenkins talks mainly about fictional worlds but it can be applied to documentary work too, although of course the process and experience might differ somewhat. Jenkins describes transmedia storytelling as follows: Transmedia storytelling represents a process where…

Calling all Scottish Shooters, Early Bird Booking for Partnerships 2.0 closes at 5pm, Wednesday 10 September 2008. The Forum, which is being is being hosted by the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, will explore how to develop audiences for the arts, film and the wider creative industries by maximising (Web 2.0) technology and new partnerships. Chaired by Scottish broadcaster and journalist Muriel Gray, international keynote speakers include Zurich-based Gerd Leonhard, one of the world’s leading media futurists, and Brian…

Well, yes of course it does. But this is a sticky, tricky issue that the independent film community is going to have to grapple with as new sources of funding become available and new partnerships are sought. I just finished writing an article for MovieScope Magazine in the UK about the possibilities for outreach around documentaries, focusing on the productive partnerships that Third Sector funding (NGOs, charities, social enterprises, voluntary organizations etc.) can help foster. However a couple of recent…

Making Your Media Matter is a conference taking place in Washington, DC February 7-8, 2008 for established and aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders and students looking to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters.   Join filmmakers, distributors, outreach specialists and an impressive cast of media pioneers for a rich day of panels, discussions, networking and keynote speakers on the latest tools and trends in creating and distributing social issue media.   And check out podcasts…

Here’s some more useful information from The Media Conference held in London earlier this year. This panel discusses how to work with non-profits, NGOs etc to create sustainable impact with your film. Key Points The filmmaker should form strategic partnerships with relevant NGO’s early on in a film’s production to devise a long-term strategy of how best to maximise the film’s campaigning potential and resulting impact. Any broadcast dates or film festival screenings should be identified as key strategic moments…