Resources

The Doc Society's Impact Field Guide database is a collection of tools, organizations, trainings, case studies, templates, funding opportunities, and more to support your efforts to have an impact.

United States of America
Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media for Equity and Justice
MIT: Open Documentary Lab
How to co-create — and why: the emergence of media co-creation as a concept and as a practice grounded in equity and justice
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Book BIPOC
Collective Wisdom: Co-Creating Media for Equity and Justice
Latin America
Manifesto for Community Film Distribution and Exhibition in Latin America
Ambulante
Collectively-created set of principles to guide distribution and exhibition in Latin America
Topic: Distribution
Thought Piece Website
Manifesto for Community Film Distribution and Exhibition in Latin America
United States of America
Storytellers' Guide to Changing the World
Culture Surge
Illuminates how and why stories create cultural, social, and political change
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece PDF
Storytellers' Guide to Changing the World
United States of America
The State of Social Impact Entertainment: Documentary
Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment
Collection of thought pieces on documentary and impact
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
The State of Social Impact Entertainment: Documentary
Latin America
Manifesto Sodarilabs
Sodarilabs
Declaration of values
Topic: Independent Media
Thought Piece Video
Manifesto Sodarilabs
United States of America
Beyond Resilience
Firelight Media
Series of screenings, essays, and curated conversations that explore the challenges, strategies, and experiences of creating and distributing work du…
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
Beyond Resilience
United States of America
Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling
Harvard Business Review
Neuroeconomist Paul Zak explains the science behind how storytelling changes attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
Kenya
Docubox: An African Filmmaker's Manifesto
Docubox
"We are all Africans. Every last one of us."
Topic: Independent Media
Thought Piece Website
Docubox: An African Filmmaker's Manifesto
United States of America
Using Story to Change Systems
Stanford Social Innovation Review
Proposal to develop new processes of collective storytelling across sectors to navigate turbulent times and foster systems change
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
Using Story to Change Systems
Independent Media vs Authoritarianism
Doc Society
Argument for free independent public media access as a cornerstone of democracy
Topic: Independent Media
Thought Piece PDF
Independent Media vs Authoritarianism
United States of America
When Cruelty is the Point, We Still Need a Trauma-Informed Process in Documentary Filmmaking
Documentary Accountability Working Group
Natalie Bullock Brown of the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG) writes about what must be considered "when a filmmaker endeavors to tell…
Topic: Participants
Thought Piece Website
United States of America
A Reckoning
Sonya Childress
Sonya Children on why and how the documentary film industry must chart a new path forward
Topic: Independent Media
Thought Piece Website
A Reckoning