Doc Society has announced the launch of the Democracy Story Unit, which is dedicated to “democracy narrative strategy.”
The Democracy Story Unit will “bring storytellers into an ecosystem together with academics, activists, journalists and social scientists to think together about what narratives are most needed and most effective,” write Doc Society staff.
“We’re already working with exceptional films like While We Watched, the turbulent newsroom drama intimately chronicling journalist Ravish Kumar as he navigates a spiraling world of truth and disinformation in India,” they add. The film will be released by MetFilm across the UK from July 1, and then at IFC in NYC from July 21.
The Democracy Story Unit will host its first global Democracy Story Lab in London November 27 to December 1, with a second edition in Rio in February 2024, in partnership with Peri, a new cultural impact studio founded by Alessandra Orofino. Organisers are inviting projects, in the form of short docs, feature docs, or nonfiction podcasts, to participate in the Labs.
“Do you want to convene with top thinkers, researchers, academics and storytellers? We certainly do! Our inaugural Democracy Story Lab will do just that – gather thought leaders and storytellers from around the world to discuss what narratives we need now in this moment of global democratic crisis, and distil how we can implement impact with stories,” writes Doc Society. It is a global initiative, the organisation stresses online. “We look to learn from, and with, one another in solidarity. If you are a storyteller working under a repressive regime or working with new ways of governing we want to hear from you.”
Doc Soc is accepting projects at any stage, from production through post-production. Teams behind completed projects looking for support on an Impact Campaign are also encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is July 24.
In its press release Doc Society laid out its rationale behind the Democracy Story Unit initiative.
“You know the score. The last few years have seen the crumbling of the post-war consensus: long held democratic norms have been challenged; the citizenry is polarising into mutually exclusive info and opinion spheres; the democracies once seen as the most stable have experienced unprecedented events such as the attempt to unlawfully suspend the British Parliament and the attack on the US Capitol. The number of DINOs (Democracy In Name Only) proliferates, with Hungary and now India joining Russia, Iran, and Nicaragua. And in countries where fair elections still happen, some populations seem ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” writes Doc Society.
“The future of democracy is up for grabs,” Doc Soc continues. “So it’s time to roll up our sleeves, spread our roots, plant new seeds. We are eager to find the paths not taken or long forgotten, and those being laid right now by communities all over the planet. We are burrowing into the stories of contemporary People’s Assemblies and new digital political participation models, as well as well-worn, power-sharing practices, learning from indigenous governance systems and other forms of democratic reimagining.”
“Our societies need change; they need new ideas, new perspectives, new analysis and new visions of the future, and who better to continue amplifying these stories than our community of independent storytellers?” adds Doc Society.
“In our climate work these past four years, we’ve often returned to this insight from Amitav Ghosh and it will continue to embolden us in our democracy work: ‘When future generations look back .. they will certainly blame the leaders and politicians of this time for their failure to address the climate crisis. But they may well hold artists and writers to be equally culpable – for the imagining of possibilities is not after all, the job of politicians and bureaucrats,’” Doc Soc signs off.
