ICYMI: Last week we announced a new initiative called A-Doc Activates. Read the letter from the Activates Team + Staff below, and sign up for the program kickoff with the Educational Series starting June 17!
As AAPI storytellers continue to face censure, erasure, and growing instability across the documentary field, we continue to hear from our A-Doc community about the need for stronger support for creative work, deeper connection across our network, and more opportunities to use documentary storytelling as a tool for collective power and social change. In response to this moment, we’re excited to share a new initiative launching this year: A-Doc Activates.
A-Doc Activates is a new two-year initiative supporting independent documentary filmmakers in developing, distributing, and building impact for 20 microdocumentary (under three minutes) projects that advance solidarity and power within AAPI communities. The program will support both the creation of new short-form works adapted from previously released films (Microdocs: Past Tense) as well as the production of entirely original shorts (Microdocs: Present Tense), based on three thematic areas critical to A-Doc’s mission and broader AAPI communities: Movement Building and Solidarity; Defining Family, Community, and Self; and AAPI History Makers.
Across the next two years, participating filmmakers will receive mentorship, cohort support, and opportunities to collaborate with organizers, AAPI-led organizations, narrative strategists, and impact producers across our communities. More details, including our first open call, will be shared soon.
We’re kicking off A-Doc Activates with a four-part virtual Educational Series open to A-Doc members and the broader community. These sessions are designed to support filmmakers exploring impact strategy, digital audience engagement, and short-form storytelling. We encourage filmmakers who are interested in applying to our open call to attend the Educational Series sessions as they inform and reflect our initiative design and open call process. We hope to see you there!
A-Doc Activates presents: Educational Series
Impact VisioningFeaturing Reina Bonta, Sondy Lucille, and Kitty HuJune 17, 5PM PT | 8PM ET
Join filmmakers and impact practitioners in conversation about how impact visioning can shape projects from early development through audience engagement and community partnerships. In this session, each panelist shares their unique approach to developing a vision for their projects and explores how strategic thinking shapes and supports their work in maximizing the impact.
June 17 Zoom Registration Link
Digital Audience Engagement StrategyFeaturing Tani Ikeda, Nicole Solis-Sison, and Megumi NishikuraJuly 1, 11AM PT | 2PM ETFrom creative and strategic approaches to reaching audiences online, meaningful digital engagement allows filmmakers and impact campaigns to connect with communities across platforms. This panel brings together digital strategists, cultural organizers, and filmmakers to explore the future of film impact and discuss how to amplify missions, strengthen messaging, and build movements in the digital era.
July 1 Zoom Registration Link
Microdocumentary Inception and Short-form StorytellingFeaturing Sonia Desai-Rayka, Valerie Soe, and Priyanka SuryaneniJuly 15, 5PM PT | 8PM ETIn this session, filmmakers from the previous A-Doc microdocs series break down their creative process of developing compelling short-form nonfiction work: From identifying an initial idea to shaping story, tone, and structure, panelists will discuss how they build narratives with impact in mind. The conversation will also explore experimentation, accessibility, and the ways short-form work can serve both as a powerful standalone medium and as a gateway to larger projects and campaigns.
July 15 Zoom Registration Link
Digital Shorts Cutdown LabFeaturing Chithra Jeyaram, Victoria Chalk, and Michaelle McGaraghanJuly 29, 11AM PT | 2PM ETFrom the filmmakers who have made the cut(down), this case study-driven cutdown lab dives into the process of transforming existing materials into compelling short-form narratives. Through behind-the-scenes breakdowns of short-form projects, filmmakers reflect on the relationship between length, form, narrative structure, and creative collaboration.
July 29 Zoom Registration Link
We’re excited to launch this next chapter with you and look forward to sharing more soon!