Storytelling that touches people emotionally and factually

Vivian, you are the Impact Director of Dokumentale. What exactly does that mean and what are your tasks?
Vivian: As Impact Director, I am responsible for keeping an eye on the social impact of our formats and therefore also of Dokumentale. This means that I make sure that the festival's films are not only seen, but also discussed and followed up on. In collaboration with various experts from civil society - including NGOs, foundations, storytellers, activists, lawyers and academics - we explore the social impact potential of these films in dynamic discussions. Through collective brainstorming, we want to harness the power of film as a catalyst for positive change in our communities. In doing so, film suddenly takes on an important role for society.
 

An important part of your work is the D'Hub. What can we imagine by that? 
Vivian: The D'Hub is my long-awaited playground, a physical and virtual space where filmmakers, activists and actors from civil society as well as decision-makers can network, learn from each other and, above all, engage in dialogue. We offer workshops, panels, lectures and networking events that deal with the topics of the films, but also with questions of documentary storytelling in general. The special thing about this is that we offer a cross-industry platform and thus break up the various bubbles of NGOs, storytellers and academics and connect them with each other on a topic-specific basis.
 

You have also launched "The Good Media Pitch" and the associated lab. What exactly is behind it? 
Vivian: The Good Media Lab & Pitch was the actual starting point for Anna and me. It was only after that that the idea for Dokumentale came about in its entirety. We have been working independently of each other for around 10 years and have been working together for five years on the idea of bringing a pitch - modeled on DocSociety's Good Pitch - to Berlin. This year the time has finally come: we have just published the Call for Projects, adapted to the German environment. We can support up to seven media projects in developing an impact strategy together with experts as part of The Good Media Lab. They can then present these strategies to representatives of NGOs, civil society organisations, social enterprises and decision-makers as part of The Good Media Pitch in order to find partners for the implementation of their strategies.
 

What is your vision for the future of Dokumentale?
Vivian: I would like Dokumentale to become an important centre for documentary storytelling and social engagement. A place where people come together, a very diverse and international place where there are many voices and perspectives and where we are in space of  exchange and dialogue. My dream would be if we could contribute to making the world a bit better with the Dokumentale and our The Good Media programme.