By Sheila Leddy, The Fledgling Fund
I am sitting here this morning thinking about the proposals I will review over the next few weeks, most of which include a documentary film. Once again, I am struck by the power of film to inform, inspire, and hopefully ignite social change.
Many of us in philanthropy are focused on trying to solve entrenched and complex problems within our local communities and beyond – from education reform to environmental justice from health care to homelessness. We are faced with complex issues that require multifaceted solutions that range from changes in individual behavior to changes to national or even international policy and everything in between. We spend time thinking about the issues and analyzing data and then try our best to identify a strategy that will lead to solutions. We want to change in some way the status quo. Often the road to change involves engaging others in action. But, how can we move people to action and inspire a commitment to work for change?
At The Fledgling Fund, we believe that storytelling through film can be a powerful tool to engage audiences. A film, and the story it tells, can create a greater awareness of complex problems, and just as importantly it can highlight possible solutions. It connects viewers to its characters and can inspire those viewers to become involved in, or reconnected with, social change efforts. We begin to understand how an issue plays out in the lives of individuals, families and communities. When these films and stories are coupled with a strategy or campaign that provides clear opportunities for audiences to get involved, we see results.
