Industry: Take on Film & Impact – Impact Morning
This year’s Impact Morning presents an inspirational keynote, three powerful case studies and a panel conversation exploring the intersection of film and impact.
The morning opens with a talk on the power and potential of independent storytelling and impact campaigning today and the urgent role they play in shaping public discourse and driving change.
It continues with three case studies: from communities fighting to preserve their ancestral lands and protect natural resources and Indigenous rights through NGO advocacy and systemic action, to refugees rebuilding their lives while carrying the ghosts of war, supported through community-building and trauma-informed engagement; to journalists targeted for documenting the destruction of their homeland and the unfolding genocide in Gaza, and the campaigns pushing for policy change and the protection of press freedom.
The programme concludes with a panel discussion on the role of filmmakers, funds, NGOs, and impact makers at a time when democracies are increasingly under threat. The programme and its speakers will confront the urgency and challenges of impact work today.
Programme
09:45 – Inspirational Talk
10:00 – Impact Case Study: I am the River, the River is me
10:30 – Impact Case Study: Inside Gaza
11:00 – Break
11:35 – Impact Case Study: My Father, Nour and I
12:05 – Panel: Backsliding Democracies, Impact & Independent Storytelling
Detailed Programme
09:45 | Opening Talk by Jenni Wolfson
Jenni Wolfson will open the morning with an inspiring keynote on the challenges and opportunities facing today’s film industry. Drawing on her extensive experience at the intersection of storytelling and social change, she will reflect on how filmmakers and cultural workers can continue to build meaningful communities and catalyze impact through their work, even in times of uncertainty.
Jenni Wolfson is a fierce human rights advocate and a trailblazer in the art of storytelling for social change. As the CEO of Chicken & Egg Films, her strategic vision has evolved the organization into a powerhouse of support for women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and BAFTA, an Aspen Ideas Fellow, and a Dial Fellow of Emerson Collective, Jenni has been honored with the Women’s Media Center Lifetime Achievement Award and DOC NYC’s Leading Light Award.
10:00 | Impact Case Study – I am the River, the River is Me by Corinne van Egeraat, Producer & Impact Producer
A feature documentary about the Whanganui River in Aotearoa / New Zealand. It is the first river in the world to be recognised as a legal person. This legal status represents a lawful recognition of the Māori worldview, in which the river is a living ancestor rather than a natural resource. The film reflects this perspective not only thematically but structurally: the Whanganui River is credited as a co-producer of the filmand is its main protagonist. This non-anthropocentric approach to storytelling informed both the creative choices and the impact strategy, shaping how the film was presented, circulated and discussed across different audiences and contexts.
10:30 | Impact Case Study – Inside Gaza by Julia Hammett-Jamart, Impact Producer
An unprecedented insight into the Gaza war. Seen through the eyes of the local team of Agence France-Presse (AFP), it is a story of factual journalism under attack by propaganda and disinformation from all sides, threatening the very essence of war reporting.
11:35 | Impact Case Study – My Father, Nour and I by Hasse van Nunen, Impact Producer
When he was 13, Wiam Al-Zabari had to flee Iraq with his mother and siblings. However, during this frightening time, his father wasn’t there. Now Wiam undertakes a loving and intense search for his father’s and families’ history. Told in a personal, touching message to his own son Nour.
12:05 | Panel – Backsliding Democracies, Impact & Independent Storytelling
Democracies around the world are increasingly under pressure. In recent years we are witnessing the rise of populism and polarization, the restriction and abuse of rights and freedom and the sidelining of rule of law and international institutions. NGO’s, independent media and filmmakers face growing constraints, at times even intimidation and censorship. What role can independent storytelling and impact campaigns play?
Taking part in the panel are Patience Nitumwesiga (director The Woman Who Poked the Leopard), Tommy Gulliksen (director Facing War), Robert Zuber (journalist, director and a producer) and Debra Zimmerman (Executive Director of Women Make Movies). Moderated by Julie Trébault (Executive Director of ARC – Artists at Risk Connection).