Our Impact Approach

Real-world change starts with a story, because films made with purpose can shift culture, influence power, and help move systems toward meaningful action. The Redford Center’s Impact Model provides a shared framework for understanding how environmental storytelling drives change.

The conclusion is simple: film is a force for change.

Read our 2025 Impact Report

Impact Goals and Campaigns

Each film project we support has unique potential to educate, engage, and mobilize audiences to create meaningful and lasting change. In addition to supporting a film’s production, we also support strategic impact plans and campaigns, which are tailored to each films’ goals and require funding and collaboration.

Funds to support impact work can include:

  • Community and decision-maker screenings
  • Custom film cuts and bonus content for target audiences
  • Presentations at conferences and events
  • NGO and nonprofit collaborations
  • Call-to-action resources, educational materials, and toolkits
  • Distribution deals and direct-to-audience efforts (educational, theatrical, broadcast, and streaming)
  • Online community engagement (website, social media)
  • Marketing, PR, and outreach

What We Look for in Impact Plans

  • Impact Design & Commitment

    We look for projects with a clear opportunity to use film as a tool for advancing the issues at the heart of the story. We look for filmmakers with a passion for achieving impact with their work, as it requires more effort, more resources, and more years of engagement. Strong impact plans articulate achievable goals and reflect a genuine commitment from filmmakers to work closely with the communities their stories represent in order to carry that work forward — beyond the screen.

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  • Impact Timeline

    Impact can occur at any stage of a film’s life. Often the most integrated outcomes occur when impact planning happens in the development phase, as the narrative and team are being assembled, which allows the story to be informed by the project’s goals. This typically means involving community stakeholders early on and positions the film team to act as opportunities arise. Impact most often accelerates after release of the film.