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IMPACT COORDINATOR  Working Films seeks a passionate, well organized, smart and creative Impact Coordinator to plan and execute grassroots, film-driven organizing campaigns and various aspects of our filmmaker services. Working in collaboration with Working Films’ campaign staff, as well as our network of national, state, and local allies, the Impact Coordinator will ensure our campaigns meet the needs and advance the goals of our partner organizations, and ultimately make an impact. The ideal candidate will have experience in community organizing, audience engagement with film or other media, and have a demonstrated commitment to social and environmental justice. We are looking for someone who excels independently and as part of a team. The impact coordinator will report to the Senior Campaign Coordinatorand Working Films’ Co-directors. Responsibilities Include, but aren’t limited to:

In collaboration with fellow staff, implementing film-driven organizing campaigns and other programs that meet the needs of allied organizations and filmmakers.

Participating in issue research.

Ensuring campaigns remain aligned with goals and timelines.

Managing event logistics.

Tracking expenses and managing budgets.

Assisting in producing and distributing outreach and press materials (including social media content).

Developing and managing local, statewide, and national organizational partnerships.

Attending high profile and larger screening events to manage volunteers & speak to audiences.

Overseeing tracking and evaluation of project activities through partner surveys and interviews with organizers.

Maintaining written narratives detailing all aspects of campaigns, and assisting in the creation of project newsletters and campaign reports.

Individually and in collaboration with co-workers, maximize the effectiveness of our organization. Participating in staff and board meetings, team project planning, and ongoing organizational processes.

Qualifications/Skills:

Self motivated individual with efficient and reliable time management and goal setting skills.

Demonstrated ability to work well collaboratively.

Strong problem solving and decision making skills.

Experience in community outreach and organizing.

Strong public speaking and group facilitation skills.

Excellent interpersonal skills.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Experience in event production & communications/PR.

Fluency with major social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Familiarity with community engagement with documentary film, visual art, or other media.

Knowledge of and an enthusiastic commitment to Working Film’ mission, methodology, and offerings.

Working Films is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Working Films offers competitive salary and benefits including  full employer-paid health policy coverage, Simple IRA contributions, and generous vacation, holidays, personal, and sick/family leave. Starting Salary: $40,000 Location: Wilmington, NC. Relocation expenses will be paid if needed. To Apply: We are no longer accepting applications at this time. About Us Recognizing the power of stories to inform and inspire action, Working Films builds partnerships between documentary makers and advocates to advance social justice and environmental protection. Working Films trains and partners with community-based organizations and NGOs to use documentaries to enhance their programs, extend their reach, and move their missions forward. Find out more at workingfilms.org

Working Films and our partners at NAKASEC (The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium), The National Domestic Workers Alliance, The UndocuBlack Network, and United We Dream are looking for short films to support immigrants’ rights organizing and end racist attacks on immigrant communities. Together, we are curating a compilation of films that will be screened in community events in the most critical places, led by those on the frontlines of this issue.   At a moment when many people have been moved by the family separations happening at the border, a fuller story of immigration needs to be told to address the harms perpetuated by immigration enforcement practices and policies that extend beyond the current crisis at the border. Beyond building empathy and expanding understanding of immigration systems, we are seeking films that showcase collective power and vision for the future, while demonstrating the multiple ways people can give their time, energy, and resources to support organizing led by immigrant communities.   Filmmakers are invited to submit short documentaries, excerpts of feature length documentaries, and multi-platform projects. Screening rights fees will be paid to selected films. We will also provide free impact consultation to selected filmmakers and offer peer-to-peer networking and support opportunities. An emphasis will be placed on films that feature personal stories, as well as media made by people who are directly impacted by the policies and related issues at hand. We will consider a work-in-progress if it is at a strong stage, is reasonably audience-ready, and is short. Please do not apply if your film is not available for public use. If your film can be described in one or more of the following ways listed below, please apply. Specifically we are looking for films that use powerful stories that…   – Are Intersectional. We want to make connections between immigrant’s rights work and other historical and current liberation movements. We also want to make connections between present day attacks on immigrant communities and other oppressive policies and attitudes that impact communities of color or other marginalized groups. - Uplift stories of immigration that do not receive considerable attention by mainstream media (i.e. Stories from those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), family based sponsorship stories, stories from individuals in detention or their loved ones, intercountry adoptees who are living without citizenship, etc.). – Feature youth and that will speak to youth audiences. – Feature AAPI and Black immigrants. We hope to expand the popular definition of immigrant communities and show the varied experiences of different immigrant communities. – Show the harm that ICE and border patrol are  inflicting on immigrant communities at the border and within the interior of the US. – Show the importance of public and civic engagement and activism, and examples of how to get meaningfully involved. – Show white people stepping up in meaningful and non-oppressive ways to support organizing, direct action, and advocacy led by immigrant communities. – Demonstrate the resilience, strength, and legacy of community building within immigrant communities. – Make clear the collective power of the immigrants’ rights movement. – Demonstrate solutions and a vision for the future. Submissions are no longer being accepted at this time.   

After it was discovered that Chemours, a chemical company founded as a spin-off from Dupont, was dumping a toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known as GenX into North Carolina’s Cape Fear River - which over 200,000 people depend on for drinking water - we were motivated to act and to ensure that those responsible were held accountable.   Together with the Cape Fear River Watch, The NC Conservation Network, The Center for Environmental Health and a coalition of environmental organizations throughout North Carolina, we are launching a statewide community screening tour of the recently released film, The Devil We Know. In this new documentary film by Stephanie Soechtig, citizens in West Virginia take on DuPont, after they discover it has knowingly been dumping a toxic chemical -- now found in the blood of 99.7 percent of Americans -- into the local drinking water supply. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cCkADnhRqk[/embed] Brian Powell, Communications Director for the NC Conservation Network, outlined how the issues in the film are all too familiar for North Carolina audiences: “The Devil We Know serves as a compelling and ominous prequel to the water contamination crisis impacting North Carolina as a result of widespread chemical dumping -- particularly as it relates to GenX contamination of the Cape Fear River from the DuPont spin-off corporation Chemours.” Each event will feature post-screening discussions led by local organizations that will show audiences how to stand against these toxic waste practices including demanding that PFAS chemicals get listed in the US database for toxic releases, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) - ensuring that companies must disclose when they release these chemicals into the environment. Info for each screening listed below: Greensboro, NC Tuesday October 2nd at 7:00pm Kathleen Clay Library 1420 Price Park Dr. Greensboro, NC 27410 & Wednesday October 3rd at 7:00pm Benjamin Public Library 1530 Benjamin Pkwy Greensboro, NC 27408 Hosted by: Haw River Assembly and Piedmont Plateau Chapter of Sierra Club. New Bern, NC Wednesday, October 3rd at 6:30pm The Harrison Center 311 Middle St. New Bern, NC 28560 Hosted by: The Carolina Nature Coalition. Winston Salem, NC Thursday October 4th at 7:00pm Temple Emanuel 201 Oakwood Dr. Winston Salem, NC 27103 Hosted by Temple Emanuel Environmental Movement. Charlotte, NC Tuesday October 23rd at 6:30pm Triple C Brewery - Barrel Room 2832 Griffith Street Charlotte, NC 28203 Hosted by: Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, Clean Air Carolina, Center for Environmental Health, and Central Piedmont Sierra Club. Boone, NC Tuesday October 30th at 5:30pm Appalachian State University Plemmons Student Union, Greenbriar theater 263 Locust St. Boone, NC 28608 Hosted by: Appalachian Voices, Sustainability & Environmental Education Club (SEEC), and the Sustainable Development Student Alliance. Asheville, NC Sunday November 11th at 1:00pm Fine Arts Theatre 36 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 Hosted by: Clean Water for North Carolina, Photoplusavl, and Blue Spiral 1. & Thursday November 15th at 6:30pm Lenoir-Rhyne Center for Graduate Studies Board Room 36 Montfore Ave Asheville, NC 28801 Hosted by: Clean Water for North Carolina. Pittsboro, NC Tuesday December 4th at 6:30pm (Doors open at 6pm) Pittsboro Roadhouse 39 West St. Pittsboro, NC 27312 Hosted by: Haw River Assembly and Pittsboro Roadhouse. Washington, NC Tuesday December 11th at 7:00pm Historic Turnage Theatre 150 W Main St. Washington, NC 27889 Hosted by: Arts of the Pamlico and Sound Rivers.  

Working Films launched the Docs In Action Film Fund in early 2018 to support the production of short documentaries that address critical issues of social and environmental justice. Our inaugural call for applications sought non-fiction films illuminating “Just Recovery”, defined as the long-term cultural changes, planning, partnerships, investment, and infrastructure needed to build intersectional models and alternatives for communities at risk and impacted by catastrophic climate disasters. We are thrilled to announce that the inaugural Docs In Action Film Fund recipients are Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi for We Still Here (working title) and Julie Winokur for The Sacrifice Zone. Working Films will award $30,000 in completion funds to both projects. We Still Here by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi   Hurricane Maria brought an unprecedented level of devastation to Puerto Rico that has affected the present and future of an island already in crisis. We Still Here (Tentative Title) brings the community of Palomas, a barrio in Comerío (one of the hardest hit municipalities) into the public light. In response to the government's disregard and poor relief management, residents activated themselves by taking control of rebuilding efforts and transforming their lives. We Still Here  documents the lives of three young people from Palomas as they rebuild and reconstruct their community and showcase for the world a new model for Just Recovery. . .   The Sacrifice Zone by Julie Winokur When Hurricane Sandy hit Newark, New Jersey in 2012, it unleashed toxic sludge in the Ironbound neighborhood, already one of the most polluted communities in America. The Sacrifice Zone follows one young crusader as she fights for environmental security before another natural disaster strikes. From Environmental Justice Tours to Community Right-To-Know filings, from green infrastructure projects to air quality monitoring, Maria Lopez-Nuñez and the Ironbound Community Corporation are organizing residents to regain control of their neighborhood and hold industrial polluters accountable.     .   .   Working Films is committed to accountable media creation, production, technical assistance, and training with communities who are building a generative future through a just and equitable transition away from exploitation of our people and the planet. We therefore gave special consideration to selecting directors whose work demonstrates this commitment to the communities featured in their projects. The short films selected for Docs in Action funding will become a part of a curated set of films to be used within community engagement efforts that are being developed by Working Films, in consultation with the filmmakers and partner organizations.

The Docs in Action Film Fund is made possible with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

     

StoryShift is part resource network, part production hub, and part skill-share system for artist-organizers working to amplify narratives around climate justice with intention and integrity. StoryShift is a collaborative initiative that aims to resource and support individual leaders, media-makers, artists, and community-based organizations who are building powerful alternatives to structural racism, oppression, and inequity in the face of climate change. StoryShift  is based on the belief that powerful community-centered stories can seed solutions for justice and sustainability, and bring people from various backgrounds and geographies together to learn from each other while increasing their collective impact. From racist policing, to mass deportations, and devastation from hurricanes fueled by a warming climate – we are facing threats to our very existence. Yet in the midst of this, we are doing more than saying “No.” We are actively building new systems and structures – even in a moment full of of new threats. This makes up the crux of the stories StoryShift will help to produce, support, and amplify. The purpose of StoryShift is to seed, root, and nurture the long-term collaborations, resources, and vision needed for us to fundamentally shift our relationships to each other, to the planet, and to the way in which we tell the stories. We aim to spur the innovations necessary to achieve what is possible on the long road to liberation, justice, and sustainability. This new initiative is anchored by a set of principles and praxis for accountable storytelling that we hope will be widely adopted by filmmakers, artists, communities, and funders around the globe. StoryShift is coordinated by Working Films with a collaborative of partners with whom we are cultivating a responsive community of practice. This group represents dozens of organizations, filmmakers, and leaders, with a core partnership focus in five geographic communities with eight films including Another Gulf Is Possible Collaborative, Beautiful Solutions, Bridge The Gulf, Center for Story Based Strategy, City of Jackson People’s Transition Team, Climate Justice Alliance, Cry You One, Defend Puerto Rico, EcoRobeson, Indigenous Rising Media, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, New Economy Coalition, the North Carolina Climate Justice Summit, and Water Warriors.

Four documentaries are getting an IMPACT KICKSTART from Working Films! Congratulations to the film teams selected for this inaugural round of in-kind impact campaign support:   ALWAYS IN SEASON by Jacqueline Olive As the trauma of more than a century of lynching African Americans bleeds into the present, Always in Season follows relatives of the perpetrators and victims seeking justice and reconciliation in the midst of racial profiling, police shootings, and heated national debate about the value of black lives. >> > >> > CRIP CAMP by Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham Down the road from Woodstock, in the early 1970s, a parallel revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers. Crip Camp explores summer camp awakenings that would transform lives and shape the disability rights movement, and America, forever. Told from the point of view of former camper Jim LeBrecht, and steeped in the humor and music of the era, the film traces the journeys of campers up to the present day, in this untold story of a powerful journey towards inclusion.> DECADE OF FIRE by Vivian Vazquez, Gretchen Hildebran, Julia Steele Allen and Neyda Martinez As cities today struggle with gentrification and social inequity, Decade of Fire offers an intimate historic portrait of the burning of the Bronx in the 1970’s, transcending era and geography. Set against irrefutably insurmountable odds, and told from the perspectives of the people who survived it, the film’s heroes demonstrate the lengths to which everyday people will go to save their communities; in this case – defending and rebuilding their neighborhoods with their bare hands. >  NAILED IT by Adele Pham Nailed It chronicles the genesis and 40 year legacy of the Vietnamese nail salon and its influence on an $8 billion-dollar American industry. For mixed-race Vietnamese filmmaker Adele Pham, it’s personal as she confronts her conflicts with the culture and discovers a place within a trade seen by everyone but known to few.   Impact Kickstart is a project of Working Films supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The program was launched with the understanding that a solid strategy for audience engagement and strong partnerships are critical for a documentary film to make a difference. Filmmakers often lack time to do this work themselves or the expertise and the funds to pay for it. Emerging artists, creators of color, and other underrepresented artists can face the biggest hurdles, despite the potential of their projects. To respond to this challenge, Working Films is offering this support free of charge to the selected films,  which hold great promise to shift understanding and catalyze action that addresses critical issues of our time.

With generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, we are now funding the creation of new work to expand the canon of films available for grassroots groups and NGOs to enhance their programs, extend their reach, and move their missions forward. We are pleased to launch an inaugural Request for Proposals (RFP) for Working Films' Docs in Action Fund.  We're looking for documentaries that illuminate and demonstrate community-centered solutions in response to climate disasters. We will award at least two grants of up to $30,000 each in support of the production of short non-fiction films (up to 30 minutes in length) that can be used to mobilize residents who have been impacted directly, as well as audiences across the United States, to demand “just recovery”. We are defining just recovery as the long-term cultural changes, planning, partnerships, investment, and infrastructure needed to build intersectional models and alternatives for communities hit first and worst by the catastrophic impacts of climate change.   Filmmakers can submit proposals for new work, works-in-progress, or cut-downs of longer-form documentaries. Read the Request for Proposals and Apply!

For a documentary film to make a difference, a solid strategy for audience engagement and strong partnerships are key. Filmmakers often lack time to do this work themselves or the expertise and the funds to pay for it. Emerging artists, creators of color, and other underrepresented artists can face the biggest hurdles, despite the potential of their projects. Working Films responds to this challenge with Impact Kickstart, a program offering in-kind strategy development to underrepresented documentary makers with feature films in progress that hold great promise to catalyze action to address critical issues of our time. Up to four filmmakers receive an Impact Kickstart from Working Films each year. We strongly encourage artists of color, women, LGBTQ, gender nonconforming, and differently abled creators to apply. Selected filmmakers will work with Working Films to customize a package of services that best meet the needs of their individual project and that will leave them well positioned to fully fund and carry out an impact campaign. Service options include but are not limited to: – Planning, facilitation and reporting out from a one-day strategy summit for the film – Partnership Development – Funding Research, Strategy, and Materials – Creating an Impact Campaign Budget – Online and Promotional Strategy As a result of our work, filmmakers will have a fully developed impact strategy that advances their goals and leaves them prepared to engage future partners, funders, and audiences in meaningful ways. APPLY HERE BY FEBRUARY 7, 2019 Eligibility This opportunity is open to filmmakers with feature length documentaries in late production or post-production that address issues of social or environmental justice. Films may feature stories from anywhere in the world, but the applicant must be living in the  United States and planning an impact campaign to be carried out in the U.S. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age as of the RFP application deadline. Decisions will be based on: quality of filmmaking and content of storytelling; background of the filmmaker and their connection to the issues; the filmmaker’s commitment to social justice; financial need; and timeliness of the topic. Filmmakers must be prepared for the impact strategy development to take place between February and July 2019. This does not mean that your film must be complete in this time period. Email info(at)workingfilms.org with questions. Impact Kickstart is part of Docs In Action, a program of Working Films supported by the  John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.