Doc/Fest - Sheffield

#dfcampaigningdocs
Many documentary makers are driven by a desire not only to document the world but to change it. Initiatives like Channel 4 BRITDOC’s goodfilm.org and The Good Pitch aim to link filmmakers to ‘change-makers’ like Greenpeace, Amnesty International, the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, which now fund new documentaries. But does this compromise editorial independence? Critics such as the BBC’s Nick Fraser worry that NGOs could edge out impartial journalism with propaganda, however benign. While no-one can deny NGOs the right to make documentaries, are there pitfalls in social action funding partnerships, and the passion for campaigning on film.