The goal of the Shorenstein Center’s Documentary Film in the Public Interest initiative is to inspire a documentary film practice and infrastructure that can contribute to strong societies.
The initiative’s activities are designed to cross bridges between thinking and acting. We bring together practitioners and researchers, journalists and documentary filmmakers, in a shared project to build a stronger, more resilient field that can serve the needs of a democratic public by design.
Documentary films play a vital role in our civic culture by investigating injustices, unearthing forgotten histories, connecting to new perspectives, and speaking truth to power. Its technologies, methods, creative approaches, institutional infrastructures, and ethical practices have greatly evolved over time. However, within the last five years, both the rate and kinds of change have been radical and destabilizing.
The initiative examines the challenges facing the field through these major research areas and programs:
Research Areas
- Distribution Systems, Infrastructure and Audience
- Ethical Practice and Journalistic Standards
- Generative AI, CHatGPT and New Technologies
Recent Publications
U.S. Independent Film Audience and Landscape Study
Keri Putnam, Walter Shorenstein Media & Democracy Fellow
Programs
Fellowship
Inviting documentary filmmakers, film industry leaders, media policy experts, contemporary media scholars, journalists, and business innovators to generate research and policy recommendations for the field. More information on our current Fellows and application can be found by clicking here.
Annual Convenings
Bringing leaders from within the field and across media disciplines to engage in analysis-informed forums where they can examine shared obstacles and chart courses to systems-wide solutions.
Screening Series
Screening contemporary documentary films that examine issues related to public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School connect these impact-focused films with audiences of current and future policy makers and bring filmmakers into conversation with leaders paving the way toward change. View our upcoming and past screenings here.
Doc Distro Lit Review
In recent years, the global landscape for the distribution of independent documentary films has undergone seismic changes. In response to this crisis, support organizations, industry leaders, journalists, and filmmakers have been organizing convenings, collaborating on fresh solutions, and writing in-depth examinations about how we got here and what comes next. We have compiled the Documentary Distribution Literature Review to capture the quickly evolving landscape through a curated collection of annotated articles, webinars, talks, and convening summaries for an audience of experts and lay people alike.
Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary
A new Documentary award, raising the visibility of public interest filmmaking and elevating the work of winners and finalists demonstrating excellence and best practice.
Interested in learning more about our work? Contact the team at docfilm@hks.harvard.edu or sign up to get periodic email updates!
Staff
Rebecca Richman Cohen
Acting Program Director
Sara Archambault
Program Director (On Leave)
Enrique Pedráza-Botero
Special Projects Manager
Sydney Tanigawa
Project Coordinator
Shorenstein Documentary Film Fellow Karin Chien shares 5 key takeaways from her research on business models
As a Documentary Film in the Public Interest Fellow (Spring ’24), Karin Chien’s research focused on how the most impactful documentary projects get funded, and presented recommendations for new economic models that center sustainability and creative risk.
Announcing Fall 2024 Cohort of Documentary Film Fellows
The Shorenstein Center is proud to announce the Fall 2024 cohort of Documentary Film Fellows. The group joins the Center under the auspices of the Documentary Film in the Public Interest Initiative and will spend the semester conducting research and engaging with the HKS community about the challenges facing the field and its impact on
Announcing Spring 2024 Cohort of Documentary Film Fellows
The Shorenstein Center is excited to announce the Spring 2024 cohort of documentary film fellows. The group joins the Center under the auspices of the newly-established Documentary Film in the Public Interest research initiative and will spend the semester conducting research and engaging with the HKS community about the challenges facing the field and its
Natalia Almada: Two film screenings
The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy invites you to attend two screenings of Natalia Almada’s films ‘The Night Watchman (El Velador)’ and ‘Users.’
The Rebirth of America’s Labor Movement: Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and the Future
Join leaders on the forefront of labor rights in the United States for a conversation about one of the largest union victories in a generation and whether it marks a resurgence of labor in the U.S. and around the world.
Reimagining Democracy for Gen Z
An in-depth conversation about the role of young women working to build a more equitable landscape in political leadership, exploring how younger generations are breaking barriers to engage in civic dialogue and address political polarization. This event was co-sponsored by the Women and Public Policy Program and the Institute of Politics at HKS.
