Cannes Marché du Film’s first-ever impACT programme concluded this Monday 12 July with a dynamic and interactive event that called on the global filmmaking community to cultivate global thinking for a more inclusive and successful industry.
Cannes Festival collaborated with OKRE, Brown Girls Doc Mafia and Think-Film Impact Production to present a special virtual OKRE Development Rooms event which invited participants to adopt a global vision for authentic storytelling and the future of film.
Hosted by Emmy-nominated Producer Amelia Hanibelsz, the fast-paced event incorporated a series of mini-keynotes and breakout room discussions led by experts and visionaries including NASA-supported researcher Melodie Yashar, Oxford University Professor Patricia Daley, Autism and Neurodiversity advocate Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, British Blacklist Founder Akua Gyamfi, Kugali Media Senior Editor Nyasha Mugavazi, Film Producer Sara Nodjoumi, UCL researcher Ellie Cosgrave and esteemed Iraq Historian Ibrahim Al-Marashi. Speakers explored how scientific research and lived experience can help filmmakers tell stories with global narratives and transform a more diverse and representative film and media industry.
Opening the event by sharing her experiences on film sets including The Revenant with Leonardo di Caprio, Indigenous Actress and Director Grace Dove said:
“Through film, art and culture we can reclaim our identity. I can feel a transformation happening now but we need allyship more than ever. When we Indigenous Peoples tell our own stories and portray ourselves we are empowering ourselves in a form of truth telling that is liberating us from the harms of colonialism.”
The event was part of impACT, a new programme in the Marché du Film which aims to spark dialogue about the topics shaping today’s cinema climate and give industry pros the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions and take action to make changes that will influence the sector in years to come. It was hosted in collaboration with Cannes Docs.
Danielle Turkov Wilson, Cannes Marche du Film Impact Specialist and Think-Film Impact Production Founder and Executive Director, said:
“We are so proud of how Cannes impACT has brought people together and inspired the film industry to think differently and take action to drive change.”
