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
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
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
The Transformative Power of Film
Stanford Report
Article about Stanford University study about how stories can change people's minds
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website Criminal Justice
The Transformative Power of Film
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
Beyond Empathy
Firelight Media
Sonya Childress argues for more strategic uses of documentary film that don't normalize whiteness
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website BIPOC
Beyond Empathy
United States of America
8 Above with Jon Reiss
8 Above
Tips on independent distribution
Topic: Distribution
Thought Piece Website
8 Above with Jon Reiss
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 Kingdom
Doc Society: Our Theory of Change
Doc Society
Theory of change
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
Doc Society: Our Theory of Change
Latin America
Manifesto Sodarilabs
Sodarilabs
Declaration of values
Topic: Independent Media
Thought Piece Video
Manifesto Sodarilabs
United States of America
The Evolution of Impact: The Future of Social Change and Nonfiction Storytelling
Color Congress
By Sahar Driver and Sonya Childress
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website
The Evolution of Impact: The Future of Social Change and Nonfiction Storytelling
United States of America
A Conversation about Cultural Strategy
A More Perfect Story
Summary of conversations about cultural strategy, its values, and theory of change
Topic: Narrative Change/Cultural Strategy
Thought Piece Website