Impact Beyond the Screen
Our supported films are creating meaningful, real-world change, and we have the evidence to show it. These case studies share the stories of positive impact on the communities they spotlight.
Undamming Klamath
Documenting a Historic Environmental Win
As part one of a two-part impact campaign, this case study for Redford Center- supported film Undamming Klamath tells the story of how a group of Indigenous communities mobilized an unlikely alliance with farmers, fishermen, conservation groups, government agencies and an electric utility to champion the largest river restoration project ever undertaken.
For the communities who live along the Klamath, the film is something deeper: a tribute to healing, resilience, and the power of community driven advocacy.
Bring Them Home
Returning Buffalo and Indigenous Sovereignty
In this case study, the filmmaker behind Emmy-nominated documentary Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya explores the continued real-world impact this film catalyzed long after production wrapped.
Through community screenings across the Blackfeet Nation, educational resources for younger Tribal members, relationship-building efforts centered on buffalo restoration, and more, the film became a tool for connection, learning, and action.
Black Snow
Highlighting the Human Story of Coal
Through collaborations with scientists and environmental advocates, educational screenings for research audiences, and efforts to connect communities facing the effects of coal pollution around the world, Black Snow became a catalyst for awareness, dialogue, and action.
The film’s impact campaign also helped support journalist Natalia Zubkova on her journey toward asylum while continuing to spotlight the global human and environmental costs of coal pollution. By extending the story beyond traditional screenings, the filmmakers behind Black Snow demonstrated how documentary storytelling can help inspire tangible change across borders and communities.
Razing Liberty Square
Merging Climate Justice with Housing Justice
Emmy-nominated documentary Razing Liberty Square takes on the timely topic of climate gentrification by following the redevelopment of a historic African American public housing project in Miami and its impact on long-time residents.
This case study explores how the film became an organizing tool for a coalition of community organizations working both inside and outside existing systems to shape conversations around redevelopment in Miami. By carefully planning how and where the film would be shared, the impact campaign used documentary storytelling as a bridge between the housing justice and climate justice movements, creating space for dialogue, collaboration, and collective action.