Can you believe it’s the end of February already? In many ways, the beginning of 2021 looked much like the end of 2020, but the past weeks have surprised us all at Think-Film. An array of new projects, partnerships and people have set us off buzzing with refreshed energy and ideas.
FILM PROJECTS
We started this year continuing our discussions on artificial intelligence and the relationship between humans and machines….
iHUMAN had an early-year kickstart at a Council of Europe conference on AI regulation and standard-setting. Film clips were used to inspire policy-oriented exchanges, and Director Tonje Hessen Schei and our Executive Director Danielle Turkov gave opening remarks describing the film’s inspiration, and how through impact the film has changed the conversation across Europe from ethics and self-regulation to human rights and rule of law.
iHuman is available to rent on-demand in the UK; a partnership with Open Rights Group means that half of ticket profits will go towards protecting your digital rights.
In February, our Global Impact Director Amy joined a virtual event with the APPG on AI hosted by immersive theatrical production ‘I Am Echoborg’ – a show created by the audience in conversation with an AI. It was an enlightening experience indeed to encounter up close what our relationship with machines might become in the not-so-distant future!
Other impact work continues; with an increasingly busy slate of documentary film, VR and AR pieces on genocide and missing children, climate justice, disabilities and more in production, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to strategise and help projects move forward in impactful ways.
FESTIVALS
In tremendously exciting news, Cannes Marche du Film has this year invited Danielle and Think-Film to join the team and pioneer an entirely new stream of programming on impact. Focusing on feature pictures and with a determination to achieve measurable outcomes, Cannes ImpACT is a transformative venture, visibly positioning impact right at the centre of the industry in Europe and worldwide.
It’s an honour to drive forward impact within such a prestigious arena, and we’re loving the process of putting the ImpACT programme together – every week we get to have inspiring conversations and meet astonishing people passionate about making real change happen.
Also, just this last week, Executive Director Danielle joined CPH:DOX Director Mark Atkin for a Fireside Chat as part of the festival’s digital edition, sharing her personal journey into impact production and why impact is so important both for society and for making sure films reach the audiences they deserve – if you missed the chat live, you can catch up here.
PEOPLE AND PARTNERSHIPS
The Think-Film team is growing! We’re delighted to welcome and introduce our first cohort of Impact Fellows: Yik Kei Leung, Niya Namfua, Tess Bettison and Ella Norman. Joining the staff is our Film & Policy Intern Phoebe Okoya – bringing our expanded team to a total of nine. These talented young people all share a passion for storytelling and social justice across different topic areas, and we’re looking forward to how they’ll help shape and grow Think-Film over the coming months.
We are also thrilled to have entered into a strategic partnership with Swedish company Sisyfos Production, to drive impact across their slate of beautifully artistic films, and we’ve more partnership announcements coming soon!
As always, follow us on social media to stay plugged in:
Twitter/Insta: @tfipfilms
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