Speakers 2024

Sandra Whipham is one of the five co-directors of Doc Society. She heads up the Democracy Story Unit, which will bring storytellers into an ecosystem with academics, activists, journalists and social scientists to think together about what narratives about democracy are most needed and most effective. Previously, Sandra managed the BFI Doc Society Fund, distributing National Lottery funding to UK filmmakers. She has also been a producer and commissioning editor at Channel 4.

Case Study: The Illusion of Abundance. An ambitious campaign where partnerships are key

Matthieu is an impact producer with 15 years experience. First, he turned his PhD thesis about corporate lobbying into The Brussels Business and impact campaign for ARTE, RTBF and ORF. He is also the author of Nos chers Paradis for ARTE, an audiovisual letter made by 800 citizens that premiered at COP21 in Paris. He is now on a two-year impact tour with The Illusion of Abundance, which has received awards at 21 film festivals.

Case Study: Home Is Somewhere Else: Screening on the US-Mexico Wall

Mariana Marín Romero has collaborated at the Mexican Film Institute as General Coordinator for the Industry, Cinema and Audiovisual Market (MICA), among other programmes, from 2016 to 2018. She was Executive and Impact Producer for the animated documentary Home Is Somewhere Else (2022) and currently works as an Executive Producer for Brinca Animation Studio.

Patricia founded Story Matters, which provides strategy to artists, organisations and funders around nonfiction storytelling and impact, and was a Creative Producer at the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and director of Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. She has worked on many doc/impact initiatives with Doc Society, most recently leading the Good Pitch Local program. She was part of the Ford Foundation/Rockwood Leadership Fellowship program and the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program.

Rowan Pybus is an impact campaign strategist. For the last 20 years, his work has been focused on social and environmental issues. He founded Makhulu Media in 2005 to create film stories that matter and co-founded Sunshine Cinema in 2017. During his career, he has won awards from the UN Forum on Forests, National Geographic, and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, and he is a Salzburg Global Fellow.

Filmmaker and impact producer, since 2021, he is the Projects Director at Taturana, a Brazilian non-profit organisation that enhances cinema as a tool of social impact, promoting dialogues and building networks, screening circuits, and disseminating outreach activities through impact campaigns. He is the founder of the Latin American Forum for Cinema and Social Impact and member of GIPA.

Ben Kempas founded Film & Campaign in 2014, believing in the power of documentary film to spark conversations, ideas, and change. He creates unique impact campaign strategies – grounded in his background in award-winning filmmaking and powered by innovative digital tools. Film & Campaign is run by a European team rooted in Scotland and has worked with clients in 25 countries.

Liliana Jauregui is a Chilean economist and senior Environmental Justice expert at IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in the Netherlands. With over 18 years of experience, she focuses on nature conservation, human rights, and environmental justice, especially for indigenous and local communities. She designs programs for Environmental Human Rights Defenders globally and coordinates efforts against environmental crime in Latin America. Previously, she contributed to the documentaries Arica (Chile/Sweden, 2020) and Tigre Gente (USA/Bolivia, 2021). She’s currently producing the documentary Tigre Eléctrico (USA/Colombia).

Catherine Fegli works at the UN Information Service, where she organises public relations programs. She manages Ciné ONU Geneva, which uses films, followed by a discussion, to shed light on many issues of interest to the UN. She also manages programmes targeting young people and academics, such as the Young Reporters to the UN and the UN Geneva Information Programmes.

Denise holds dual bachelor’s degrees in journalism and advertising and a master’s degree in public administration. She is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in corporate communications, journalism, and public relations. Before joining the International Labour Organization, she worked with the World Bank Group, prominent private Brazilian companies, and leading media outlets.

Thais holds a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in Law, specialising in human rights. Over 20 years ago, she joined the ILO after contributing to a children’s rights NGO and serving on the Penitentiary Council in Bahia and various areas of the penal system. She authored the book ‘History of an Eloquent Silence: Female Stereotype and Criminalization of Women in Brazil,’ set to be theatrically adapted.

Wouter Fransen is a communications professional with over 10 years of experience in managing media, digital comms and content at Oxfam. Working on a daily basis with content creators that capture the stories of the world’s most vulnerable people, he considers himself a privileged witness to the global fight against poverty and injustice.

Graduated from La Femis (France) in distribution, Charlotte worked as a programmer in Paris, a project manager in Hong Kong and was head of development for documentaries and immersive contents, before joining SWISS FILMS in 2022 where she now holds the position of Deputy Head of Festivals & Markets.

Khadidja is president of Impact Social Club, the think tank for impact in France, and an advisory committee member of GIPA. She trains film industry professionals and students internationally, acts as a panellist and runs impact workshops (Berlinale, IDFA, FIFDH, DOK Leipzig, Movies That Matter, Sunny Side…). She has designed award-winning documentaries’ impact campaigns and advised over 50 film teams on their impact strategies.

Patricia founded Story Matters, which provides strategy to artists, organisations and funders around nonfiction storytelling and impact, and was a Creative Producer at the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and director of Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. She has worked on many doc/impact initiatives with Doc Society, most recently leading the Good Pitch Local program. She was part of the Ford Foundation/Rockwood Leadership Fellowship program and the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program. 

Elaisha oversees the Chicken & Egg Award and the Research & Development grants for mid-career filmmakers. She previously served as Senior Producer for CBS Original Documentaries, overseeing documentary series for Paramount+ and streaming platforms. Her work has featured on National Geographic, CNN, The New York Times, and Vice. She has received awards and grants from the Nation Institute, the Pulitzer Family, the Emmy Foundation, and the Ontario Arts Council. Her films have screened at BFI London, the Maryland Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival, London Shorts, and Planet in Focus.

Ellen Schneider, a leader in social justice media strategies, is the founder of Active Voice Lab, which helps funders, media makers, advocates, and other leaders use film and other character-driven media to advance progressive change. Partners include MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Sundance, and Participant. In 2001, she founded Active Voice Lab, one of the first teams to leverage independent film to put human faces on complex social and policy issues, including immigrant rights, racial equity, and food justice. Ellen was formerly the executive producer of the PBS documentary series P.O.V., where she pioneered strategies that have helped shape the sphere of “impact media”.

Gerry Leonard is a Brooklyn-based impact strategist and organiser from Jakarta, Indonesia. He is the Co-Director of Filmmaker Services and Impact at Working Films. Gerry weaves his grassroots movement building and policy advocacy background into the documentary film and impact space. He currently serves on the Leadership Team of A-DOC, Advisory Board for OPEN DOORS and the Steering Committee for GIPA.

Khadidja is president of Impact Social Club, the think tank for impact in France, and an advisory committee member of GIPA. She trains film industry professionals and students internationally, acts as a panellist and runs impact workshops (Berlinale, IDFA, FIFDH, DOK Leipzig, Movies That Matter, Sunny Side…). She has designed award-winning documentaries’ impact campaigns and advised over 50 film teams on their impact strategies.

Vivian Schröder is an Impact Producer and Field Builder. Together with the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, she has been co-curating its Forum programme for four years and hosting and co-creating the Climate Story Lab Berlin in 2020. Next to advocating for impact campaign work in Germany, she teaches the subject and produces impact campaigns. Campaigns she currently works on are Total Trust and Not Just Celsius. She is a member of GIPA.