ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
Providing best practice guidance on mental health and well-being in the documentary field.

SYNOPSIS
DOCUMENTALITY is an initiative that seeks to normalize conversations about mental health and well-being in the documentary industry, and to provide best practice guidance and information for documentary filmmakers to become more resilient resources for themselves, their teams, and the people who entrust them with their stories.

Ask any documentary filmmaker how they are doing and they will tell you of their stresses. The highly competitive nature of the business, coupled with the challenges of telling stories that are often deeply personal and traumatic, multiplied by the number of years it takes to move a documentary from idea to screen, make for fertile ground for mental health challenges. For too long these have been brushed aside as problems related to “an artist’s life.”

In recent years, increasing competition in the marketplace compounded by economic instability, lack of affordable mental health care, and the added stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic and institutional racism have cranked up the pressures on filmmakers. We are facing a community that often suffers at the edge of silent crisis. Addressing these issues is long overdue.

This multi-phase project will focus on:

• Data-gathering by mental health professionals (through surveys and intimate focus groups;
• Development of free resources (best practices toolkit, a self-assessment tool, case studies of best practices, panel discussions,links to networks of therapists and counselors with direct experience in the arts, and fostering of support groups);
• Convenings that acknowledge the toll on mental health, reduce the stigma around it, and work across the field to promote mental health wellness.

PROJECT TYPE Organization

PRODUCER The D-Word, Film in Mind, and Move the Needle Films

WEBSITE documentality.org

The Film Collaborative (TFC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services for independent filmmakers. TFC’s federal tax ID number is 32-0295081. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Support a TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Project

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End of Year Giving

November, December, and January are big giving months each year. Donors top up their annual giving in November and December. January is a new fiscal year, and some donors start their giving for the next fiscal year early. Some donors even give at the end of the year and again in January since these donations fall into different fiscal years.

Donors tend to make their large year-end donation decisions before the holidays start. In 2024, that means before December 20. TFC can accept donations by wire, ACH, and Zelle until 5:00pm Eastern Time on December 31. Online donations by credit or debit card can be made until 11:59pm Pacific Time on December 31.