DOC NYC Immersive: Social Impact When the World is Inside

This event was recorded live on June 3 & 4, 2020.

DOC NYC PRO hosted this two-session deep dive into social impact producing and audience engagement, especially relevant at a moment when communities are struggling to mobilize around life-and-death concerns, from police brutality to Covid-19.  Guests include a slate of independent impact producers from around the world, including Mariana Ribeiro in Brazil (The Edge of Democracy, The Nightcrawlers); Ani Mercedes in Miami (Looky Looky Pictures) and Gwendolyn Alston from MocaMedia, in Spain. We’re also joined by those forwarding social impact from inside organizations: Darcy Heusel at NEON; Tricia Finneran at Good Pitch Local; Denae Peters at Perspective Fund; and Max Steinman from Exposure Labs.

On Day 1, hear about audience engagement efforts and social impact support emerging from inside institutions. We’ll meet NEON’s Darcy Heusel, who is coordinating the distributor’s Virtual Cinema efforts for docs Spaceship Earth and The Painter and the Thief. She’ll be joined by Tricia Finneran, who will share Doc Society’s plans for launching hybrid Good Pitch Local events that pair limited in-person gatherings with virtual offerings. Denae Peters of the Perspective Fund will answer questions about the fund’s support of social impact work in the current climate, and Exposure Labs’ Max Steinman will talk about their Earth Day Watch Party initiative. Come prepared with specific questions about your own project and priorities, and we’ll address the concerns of filmmakers who are currently in the midst of planning and promoting social impact campaigns for their films.

On Day 2, hear from independent impact producers based in Brazil, Spain and the United States, who reflect on their early efforts to pivot toward digital and virtual tactics as they continue to use documentary films to effect social change. Mariana Ribeiro, based in São Paulo, reflects on the global collaboration behind the #StayHomeWatchTogether initiative that brought twenty social-issue docs and post-film conversations to virtual audiences in early April–with no budget and a two-week turnaround. Ani Mercedes, founder of Looky Looky Pictures, who will share her social impact campaigns’ dramatic evolutions in the wake of spring festival cancellations, including that of Loira Limbal’s Through the Night.  And Gwendolyn Alston, based in Madrid, describes the hidden benefits and costs of going from IRL events to virtual ones, including the importance of considering the long-term sustainability of digital gatherings. How can film teams repurpose social impact efforts during the coronavirus crisis? What early efforts have worked–and why? And can early challenges teach us about what will work into the future?

Tickets are $15; all who register prior to the live event will receive access to the livestream; all registrants also receive access to the recorded session, a written transcript and a copy of the slide presentation. Tickets are non-refundable. If you have questions about registration, please email caitlin@docnyc.net.

To purchase a pass to DOC NYC PRO’s entire Summer/Fall 2020 line-up, register here; passes are $150 and include access to recordings and transcripts for all past events. 

For questions about accommodations and accessibility, please email accessibility@docnyc.net.