New Report Finds a Growing, Powerful, and More Connected Ecosystem for Filmmakers of Color
Documentary films play a critical role helping us imagine and move toward a more equitable future. A new report by Color Congress documents the landscape for filmmakers of color telling courageous, nuanced, and independent stories–and the collective power organizations that serve them are building.
Press Contact: sonya@colorcongressinitiative.org
March 7, 2024 — New York, NY
Since launching at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022, Color Congress has spent the last two years resourcing, listening to, and deepening the connections between more than 100 organizations supporting documentary filmmakers of color. A new report, released today, tells the story of a documentary ecosystem in ascension and a field in transition. The People of Color Documentary Ecosystem: Engines for a New American Narrative documents the network of nonprofits led by people of color (POC) that support documentary filmmakers of color and how they are forging a new way forward in the face of historic underfunding and current challenges. Critically, the report lays out what these organizations need in order to support a thriving community of artists challenging conventional narratives, sparking vital questions, and telling new foundational stories to move us into a more just future.
“Behind every documentary that transforms our understanding of the world is a talented filmmaker–and behind them, an ecosystem that supports their creative vision,” shared Color Congress co-founders, directors, and report authors Sahar Driver and Sonya Childress. “Color Congress members play a pivotal yet often-invisible role providing culturally-rooted spaces where filmmakers of color can nurture and sharpen their stories and reach diverse audiences. After two years of growing and deepening this incredible network of POC-led filmmaker- and audience-supporting organizations, we are so thrilled to share this report about who Color Congress members are, and the collective vision and bold solutions they are leading with.”
Color Congress helps build the collective power of people of color-led and -serving documentary organizations based in the United States, including filmmaker collectives, narrative change entities, film festivals, and public media. The films and filmmakers supported by Color Congress members are powerful and engaging, reaching audiences ranging from local communities to the national stage. For example, all five of the 2024 Academy-nominated short documentaries — Island in Between, The ABCs of Book Banning, The Last Repair Shop, The Barber of Little Rock, and Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó — were directed by filmmakers whose voices and artistry were nurtured by member organizations. In fact, Color Congress estimates that most filmmakers of color will engage with one or more of these organizations at some point in their careers, suggesting the powerful role they play in shaping the skills and sensibilities of documentarians of color.
Findings: Powering a more connected, aligned network
Prior to Color Congress, organizations supporting POC filmmakers were largely disconnected from one another. Despite shared goals to center and strengthen documentary storytelling by, for, and about people of color, opportunities for collaboration were rare. Organizations faced challenges on their own, without the opportunities and power of a resourced network.
Today, Color Congress members are building the necessary infrastructure to support POC documentary filmmakers together. As the report outlines, the transformation has meant that “individual, disparate organizations [become] a powerful web of support that offers filmmakers and audiences of color opportunities to contribute to new narratives.”
The strength of bringing together Color Congress member organizations is evident in their outsized impact. In 2023 alone they collectively served 15,000 documentary filmmakers and more than 10,000 documentary film professionals, with a reach of over 20M audience members. The support these organizations uniquely provide to POC filmmakers is contributing to deep and wide creation, education, and engagement. All this, despite historic disinvestment from philanthropy and limited organizational capacity. The report found that:
24% of organizations operate with an annual budget of less than $50,000
17% reported no full- or part-time staff
Many Color Congress members are fiscally sponsored; among those, 75% have no paid, full-time staff
“Two years ago, we knew that POC documentary-serving organizations were critical cultural hubs, helping storytellers make potent films whose ripple effects we are still feeling,” shared Chi-hui Yang, director of Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation. “Today, we understand what their collective visions add up to. We, and they, understand their power differently–not simply as organizations supporting impactful storytelling, but as an ecosystem capable of changing the entire narrative landscape.”
This reimagined ecosystem has meant that members have taken the reins to name and direct the necessary changes required to thrive. And they are giving philanthropy a clear path forward. In 2023, Color Congress members discussed their greatest challenges and collectively decided where to focus their annual Field Building Fund dollars. Their top priority? Developing infrastructure to address a field-wide challenge around distributing independent films. They will begin with an experiment to collectively market member-supported films in order to reach diverse audiences. By doing so, they are challenging outdated notions of competition and focusing instead on amplifying the collective work and rich storytelling from their ecosystem. This decision not only benefits Color Congress members; it has the potential to contribute vital case studies to the field.
Supporting democracy, and healing, through documentary
The growing influence of this ecosystem is unfolding, in front of the camera, but also behind the lens. As Color Congress Advisory Board member, and CEO of NY Women in Film & Television Cynthia Lopez recalls, “In my decades of work in this industry, I still enter boardrooms as the sole woman of color who directs a film organization. The Color Congress’ national convening was the first time I entered a large room filled with leaders of color, all helming documentary-supporting organizations across the country. Our leadership has always been powerful, but now we are connected in ways that mean we can no longer be ignored. Color Congress is already influencing the landscape.”
Filmmakers of color tend to tell stories that are both personal and communal. Often they tell those stories with a high level of care and accountability to the communities they belong to. For some filmmakers of color, the process of telling their own stories offers an opportunity for healing, for themselves and their audiences. Organizations led by POC filmmakers (over 90% of Color Congress members are led by POC filmmakers) are trusted convenors of audiences. Collectively across member organizations, cross-pollination of stories across geographies, language, and identities supports narrative change between within, between, and beyond communities of color.
These world-shifting stories–and the spaces necessary to dream, sharpen, and connect them–are necessary, especially in these increasingly fractured and undemocratic times. As the work of Color Congress members becomes more visible, so do the risks of backlash against artists telling a new story, the true story, of this country. Today, many Color Congress members are anxiously observing the fallout from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on affirmative action, fearing that grantmaking and programs that take race into account may be targeted for litigation. Color Congress is grateful for the many funders that came together that signed onto a statement in December reinforcing their commitment to continue giving in values-aligned ways.
Political change has always accompanied culture and social change, with documentary film playing a unique role in shaping narrative and solutions. This new ecosystem of organizations working at the intersection of art, film, media, and social change is having an outsized impact, at a time when society requires more understanding, pluralism, and liberation than ever.
##
About Color Congress
Founded in 2022, Color Congress is an ecosystem-builder and philanthropic intermediary committed to organizations led by people of color that serve nonfiction filmmakers, leaders, and audiences of color. Color Congress resources, connects, and champions the people of color documentary ecosystem through grantmaking and a free membership program, helping them grow their collective power and their use of documentary as an instrument for change.
