Charting a Course for Impact Producing in Canada

Context: The term “impact producing” describes a new space in documentary filmmaking that combines distribution, community outreach and audience engagement into a formalized coordinated “impact campaign.” The past decade has seen the emergence of impact producing, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom. In these jurisdictions, the practice is professionalized and an ecosystem exists that includes foundations and not-for-profits, as well as documentary filmmakers, impact producers and distributors.  This report examines the innovative approaches and tools developed.  The study identifies a number of best practices in assessing the impact of Canadian documentaries.  Please note the study includes a tool kit.

Study Firm: DOC – Documentary Organization of Canada

Study Funding: Ontario Media Development Corporation, NFB, Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada, Rogers Group of Funds, Bell Fund, NSI – National Screen Institute