2021 has been another year heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, but with a momentous COP26, a series of workshops and conferences, and key campaign moments, we have focused on hope and kept up the pace right to the very end…
COP26 Spotify Climate Action Studio
The UN Climate Conference COP26 was a landmark moment in international efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Five years on from the Paris Agreement, what had the governments of the world achieved? And moving forward, would their actions match their rhetoric?
We were privileged this year to be invited to work with Spotify to develop a new live podcast series to be broadcast from the heart of COP26’s political zone through their new ‘Greenroom’ platform. The aim was to create a space for policymakers, activists, artists, and industry leaders to together have honest and unrehearsed conversations on the biggest issues in the climate debate.
Everything came together very fast; ideas rapidly turned into podcast discussions that we hoped would energise new climate connections and conversations with a focus on hope and solutions. We really wanted to drive something unique – looking at different climate intersections like green finance, the future of food, sustainable cities, women’s rights and even climate psychology and storytelling.
With nine episodes broadcast over four days it was an extremely packed schedule! Esteemed guests included Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister Per Bolund, Barbados Minister Marsha Caddle, Children’s Author and Illustrator Oliver Jeffers, Netflix Sustainability Officer Emma Stewart, Actress and Entrepreneur Lily Cole, Mastercard SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer Kristina Kloberdanz, High-Level Champion for COP25 Chile Gonzalo Munoz – and many more, especially some incredibly inspiring youth and Indigenous activists.
This really was incredibly energising, and a powerful action that amid all the COP26 chaos really did connect the voice of the people to the people with power to lead change. If you missed the live shows, don’t worry, the recorded episodes of the podcast will soon be available for general access on Spotify.
The Scars of Ali Boulala
Fresh from our avant-premiere screening in Brussels, the Nordic Council invited the film’s new impact trailer expressing the value of the arts for people struggling with mental health issues to feature as part of their 4th Biannual Summit on Mental Health. This was a fantastic opportunity to share the film’s impact message with a wider audience. We also held a productive conversation with the World Health Organisation exploring how our Baltic Initiative on Arts Therapies, in cooperation with ECArTE, can inspire and lead the way towards greater European cooperation on arts therapies. We are looking forward to more activities in 2022 – so do continue to follow the campaign and support Ali’s call for a mental health strategy for Europe.
Conferences, Workshops and Mentoring
It was a particularly busy couple of months for Think-Film’s Directors who have been representing the company and sharing our message at workshops and conferences across the globe.
Danielle shared a powerful virtual masterclass on impact production at SANFIC Industria, as they celebrated ten years of building bridges for ibero-american film. Danielle and Amy then together led a two-day workshop for film projects in Sweden supported by regional creative arts body Boost. Back online, Danielle and Amy continued their mentorship of the fabulous ESODOC projects, who also received pitch coaching by Think-Film’s Vision, Risk and Strategy expert Cliff Wilson.
Finally, in December the team divided forces, as Danielle headed to London for meetings at Focus, whilst Amy headed to the hotter climates of the Middle East as she represented Think-Film at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Qatar.
Final Touches
Other exciting developments from the past couple of months include the release of the epic MUNKINATION teaser music video. Be sure to check this out for a taste of what is to come in 2022…
And lots as always in the background as we’re making critical decisions and big plans on our upcoming projects including Arctic Blue, 72 Hours, Duty of Care, Stay Alive My Son, and Devi (congratulations also to Devi on their selection for the FIFDH Impact Lab 2022).
And that’s 2021! Stay warm, stay safe and we will see you in 2022 ….
As always, we don’t want you to miss out on updates or opportunities to get involved! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @thinkfilmimpact
