The Real Reel Impact is a program developed by DOCA as a follow-up to its inaugural Impact Lab 2022. The program’s primary goal is to raise much-needed awareness about Impact Production within the continent’s larger documentary filmmaking community. It also attempts to educate producers and filmmakers on the possibilities of their work (films) as a tool and catalyst for social influence. Ultimately, providing them with the resources and expertise required to conduct successful impact campaigns
Summary
Goals
- Field-Building & Outreach
- Identifying existing African Film Case studies for Impact Campaign training.
- Building a community of practice for Impact Producers across the continent.
- Training
- Facilitating one Impact Lab per pilot region in Eastern, Central and Western African regions.
- Translating the Impact Field Guide to one of the most predominant Sub-Saharan Languages – Swahili.
- Granting
- Start-Up Impact Grants will be awarded following intensive training coupled with adequate tools to implement their respective Impact Campaign Strategies.
Outcomes
- Increased awareness of the nature and importance of Impact Production within the African continent.
- Improved capacity of film teams to design and implement successful impact campaigns within their respective regions and beyond.
- Broaden the pool of Impact Production funding to adequately and sustainably financially support the narrative-shift work of African documentary films.
🎥 Vous êtes un(e) producteur(trice) africain(e) avec un documentaire engagé et une campagne d’impact urgent à concrétiser dans les 6 prochains mois ?
🔥 Participez à notre session de pitch au Doc Day @ FESPACO et tentez de remporter 💰 5 000 $ pour amplifier l’impact de votre film !
🎯 Ce que vous devez fournir :
🎬 Un extrait (max 7 min) de votre film
🎯 Vos objectifs d’impact
💡 Être prêt(e) à recevoir des retours d’experts et disponible pour du mentorat post-FESPACO
📅 Dates clés :
⏳ Date limite d’inscription : 22 février 2025, 23h59 EAT
🎤 Session de Pitch : 25 février 2025, 10h30 – 12h45 WAT
📍 Lieu : FESPACO – Yennenga Connexion
✅ Critères d’éligibilité :
🌍 Documentaires produits par des Africain(e)s
🚀 Prêts à mettre en œuvre un objectif d’impact urgent d’ici 6 mois
🎯 Une occasion unique de présenter votre projet devant des acteurs clés de l’industrie
✨ Nous avons hâte de découvrir votre projet ! 🎬🚀
🎥 Are you an African producer with a socially engaged documentary and an urgent impact campaign to implement in the next six months?
🔥 Take part in our pitch session at Doc Day @ FESPACO and stand a chance to win 💰 $5,000 to amplify your film’s impact!
🎯 What You Need to Provide:
🎬 A film excerpt (max 7 min)
🎯 Your impact objectives
💡 Be open to expert feedback and available for post-FESPACO mentorship
📅 Key Dates:
⏳ Application Deadline: February 22, 2025, 11:59 PM EAT
🎤 Pitch Session: February 25, 2025, 10:30 AM – 12:45 PM WAT
📍 Location: FESPACO – Yennenga Connexion
✅ Eligibility Criteria:
🌍 Documentaries produced by Africans
🚀 Ready to implement an urgent impact goal within six months
🎯 A unique opportunity to showcase your project to key industry players
✨ We look forward to discovering your project! 🎬🚀
📌 Applicants may respond to the questions in French.
Are you passionate about using film to spark meaningful change? This dynamic webinar is your opportunity to explore the power of storytelling and impact production, tailored for changemakers across Africa and beyond.
📅 21 January 2025: RRImpact-ful Gathering #1 – Introduction
On 21 January 2024, we kicked off the RRImpact-ful Webinar Series with an introduction to the concept of impact in documentary filmmaking. Key topics included:
- The basics of impact production
- Case studies, including The Last Shelter and No Simple Way Home
- Core pillars of impactful campaigns
📅 22 January 2025: RRImpact-ful Gathering #2 – Strategy
On 22 January 2024, we dove into the strategies behind successful impact campaigns. Highlights included:
- Designing impactful campaign strategies
- The GIPA methodology
- How to pitch your impact-driven projects
Insights from Natasha Craveiro – Director of Pirinha and DocA Grantee
Check out this short interview with Natasha Craveiro, where she shares her journey from development to impact with her project Pirinha. She discusses how impact production was a new concept in Cabo Verde, and how, with the training and support from DocA, her team is now more intentional about creating real-world impact.
👉🏽 Watch the full interview now!
Now, Join Us for Day 3 – Fundraising for Impact
Don’t miss our final session on 30 January 2025 at 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EAT), focusing on the critical topic of fundraising for impact.
- Learn who funds impact-driven projects
- Discover what funders look for and tips for successful applications
- Get your questions answered in a Q&A session
Designer & Impact Consultant
Emily Wanja uses storytelling to drive social change. She is an award-winning Impact producer for the campaign ‘We Can Fight Climate Change’ for the international feature documentary, ‘Thank you for the Rain’. She ran impact screenings for the film, ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ by Participant Media, in Kenya and is the project lead for Climate Story Lab Africa.
She’s on the Climate Justice Resilience Fund Advisory Council and on the Global Impact Producers Transitional Advisory Committee. She works with the Storyboard Collective on Impact and regional partnerships advisory and is on the Kenya Oscars selection committee.
Emily Wanja works at Doc Society as the global community manager at the Climate Story Unit, working with cultural organizations across different territories on Climate Story Labs.
Co-designer
Austin Odera Onyore Nyambok has a storied background mainly in: Strategic Communications, Media, Arts, Entertainment and Education
Currently, Nyambok is the Communications Officer at DocA – Documentary Africa. Where, he’s notably been involved in the Co-design of the DocA Real Reel Impact Program (RRI) that seeks to holistically support documentary producers/filmmakers with their Impact Campaigns. With DocA’s portfolio of over 40 Beneficiaries he guides them through their production process to better position their films for distribution and outreach.