Dear DFC Members, Allies and supporters,
Thank you so much to everyone who has joined the Council so far and congratulations on becoming its first generation of members. 268 people have joined so far: 162 via the Basic (free) option, 16 as Allies and 90 as full voting Members. Not bad for an organisation less than one month old.
To everyone who was able to attend the sold-out launch and first Open Assembly at Sheffield DocFest, thank you. For those of you that missed it – or were queuing at the door and couldn’t get in – see below for a few photo highlights. We’re also cutting a short promo film of the event which we’ll share in the coming weeks, along with a summary of the discussions and how that will feed into the DFC’s first strategic plan.
What are our next steps? Read on to find out more.
Fundraising
Fundraising to secure the DFC’s first three-year term is our number-one priority and is obviously mission-critical to this whole endeavour. We’re approaching every major broadcaster and streamer in the country as well as a host of other prominent companies and organisations aligned with the screen industries. Together Films are also coordinating our approach to philanthropic organisations in the UK and US.
Talent Directory
Thank you to everyone who has joined the Talent Directory so far. This is the first dedicated directory for independent UK documentary and is designed to both raise the profile of the workforce in this sector and facilitate the recruitment of people from under-represented backgrounds. If you haven’t added your profile yet, please do! Head to your account and select ‘Opt in to Directory’ via ‘My Profile’. The EDI Committee is working on adding additional functionality to the search filter – that should go live next month so watch this space.
Mental Health Committee
We have been supporting the continued efforts of Film In Mind to address the challenges that the UK documentary industry is facing when it comes to our mental health. Over the next few months, they will develop the skills of 3 new mental health supervisors, all trained therapists with experience in the film industry, during an intensive 3 day convening. These new supervisors will be able to meet the need for safe spaces to consider psychological, ethical and emotional challenges connected to filmmaking and overall career development.
Additionally, a much needed report on the mental health and wellbeing challenges faced by the documentary community is due for release in October, created by the DocuMentality research initiative. The research is intended to create the environment in which filmmakers, funders and industry reps can gather to work collaboratively through solution-focused discussions and action to implement for real systemic change.
Elections
The election process for the DFC’s first elected board will get underway in the Autumn with the formation of an Election Management Group. We’ll be in touch about this in due course but if you would like to find out more please see the Election Policy document in the ‘DFC Governance’ section of our Resources page.
Strategic Plan
We’ll be working on refining this in collaboration with the Interim Board between now and December, taking into account the priorities identified at the Open Assembly and at the drop-in sessions we’ll be running at Open City Documentary Festival on Thursday 7th September.
Following the drop-in sessions at Open City we will also be co-hosting an informal drinks and networking event. Please come along to say hi, grab a free drink and meet your fellow members (more details coming soon).
So, there’s plenty for us to be getting on with here. The main thing we can all do in the meantime is help build the DFC. Please invite your friends and colleagues to join (and add their profiles to the Directory), share our website on your socials and, if you’re a Member or an Ally, why not add a line to your email signature and help promote the DFC every time you send an email. Something like: ‘Documentary Film Council Ally’ or ‘Documentary Film Council Member’.
If you signed up for the Basic membership for free, why not upgrade and become a full Member? Not only will you have access to the Talent Directory, but you will become a partial owner of the DFC with full voting rights. Soon you will also have access to some exciting industry discounts, member resources and priority event invites. Did we also mention that you will be helping shape the future of UK documentary? Well, you will!
And if you haven’t already, make sure you follow our socials below and keep your eyes peeled for more updates about our next event at Open City Documentary Festival.
In co-operation,
DFC Leadership Team
Not joined us yet? Become a member here
