Greetings,

For 13 months, Third World Newsreel and members of Color Congress — a network of more than 100 media arts organizations — collaborated on a series of eight case studies about documentary film marketing. And now, the findings are available for download — Color Congress has just released its comprehensive report on the Elev8Docs marketing initiative. Conducted against a backdrop of sociopolitical and financial upheaval that threatens the future of documentary film, these experiments revealed a hopeful picture of what we know in our hearts to be true — our communities are willing and eager to engage with and embrace documentary films that reflect the pluralistic truths they contribute to and live within.

​We’re proud to have contributed to this effort as part of two experiments:

Experiment 1: Leveraging Digital Ads for Archival Films, which examined the impact of digital advertising on the online reach and engagement for three archival films that premiered over 15 years ago. As a result, the featured film, Iris Morales’ “¡Palante, Siempre Palante! The Young Lords,” saw measurable increases in viewership and renewed public interest.

Experiment 8: Restoring and Archiving Film to Spark Renewed Interest, which sought to understand how preservation and archiving could be used to create critical discourse and secure the film’s place within the film canon. The restoration and event screenings of “A Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde” successfully led to increased attendance and recognition of this work among new audiences. For details on upcoming special screenings — including events by Anthology Film Archives, NewFest, Reel Sisters in the Diaspora, the Newark LGBTQ Film Festival, and the International Queer Women of Color Film Festival in San Francisco — visit our website.

We are also thrilled to announce the BPM Trailblazers Retrospective, honoring documentary makers Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith, at The City College of New York, with an encore screening of “We Want the Funk!” Seats are limited, and we recommend reserving your seat ASAP.

Keep reading for news about film screenings, evening seminars, and industry deadlines for independent filmmakers working in social justice media! 

Evening Seminars

Join us for our free seminars focused on enhancing skills and understanding in social justice media. These sessions are designed to help you develop key industry skills and expand your professional network, as we collaboratively shape the future of media.

Please sign up in advance by clicking the registration links below or by visiting our website's Training page. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to reserve your space as soon as possible.

• Apr 15, "For Venida, For Kalief" Film and Talk with Sisa Bueno at The Documentary Forum
• April 22, "The Tallest Dwarf" Film and Talk with Julie Forrest Wyman at the Documentary Forum
• Apr 29, "The Grocery List Show - Film and Talk" at The Documentary Forum
• Past Evening Seminars available for free streaming on Vimeo

Upcoming Exhibitions

Our Exhibitions showcase films, filmmakers, and communities, bringing crucial issues to the forefront. These events serve as dynamic platforms for diverse voices, facilitating dialogue and building deeper understanding and connections across communities.

• April 9 & 15, “Vintage: Families of Value” by Thomas Allen Harris at Anthology Film Archives, NYC (TWN Distribution)
• April 11 & 15, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration by Ada Gay Griffin and Michelle Parkerson at Anthology Film Archives, NYC (TWN Production)
• April 12 & 17, "Water Ritual #1" by Barbara McCullough and "Four Women" by Julie Dash at Anthology Film Archives, NYC (TWN Distribution)
• April 18, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration by Ada Gay Griffin and Michelle Parkerson presented by Reel Sisters at Maysles Cinema, Harlem (TWN Production)
• April 27, BPM Trailblazers Retrospective with Stanley Nelson and a screening of “We Want the Funk!” at The City College of New York, Harlem
• May 2, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration at Newark LGBTQ Film Festival (TWN Production)
• May 2, "Perfect Image?" by Maureen Blackwood & "Voodoo Dance" by Elsie Haas presented by Prismatic Ground at Anthology Film Archives, NYC (TWN Distribution)
• June, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration at International Queer Women of Color Film Festival, San Francisco (TWN Production)
• Feb 13-May 3, "Up Against the Wall, Miss America" part of No Master Territories at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo (Newsreel Production)
• Feb 24-Jun 14, "Water Ritual #1" and "Shopping Bag Spirits and Freeway Fetishes" at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles (TWN Distribution)
• Feb 25-May 24, Women's Work: Organizing New York Independent Film & Video exhibit at The Loeb Museum, Poughkeepsie (TWN Productions)
• Feb 28-May 10, "A Letter for Yene" at The Earth, the Fire, the Water, and the Winds Exhibit at the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA), NYC (TWN Distribution)
• Mar 8-April 11, Afua Kafi-Akua (TWN Board Member) presents artwork at The Every Woman Biennial SPECTALiA, NYC
• Ongoing, “Finding Christa” by Camille Billops & James Hatch on Metrograph at Home (TWN Distribution)
• Ongoing, "Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood)" by Vi Tuong Bui on PBS POV Shorts (TWN Workshop Grad)
• Ongoing, "Mama Gloria" by Luchina Fisher on PBS AfroPoP (TWN Distribution)

List of Resources and Deadlines

• New York State Media Arts Map and list of grants
• Deadlines:
• Berkeley Film Foundation (4/13)
• Oral History Association (4/15)
• StorySeeds Fellowship (4/17)
• Venice Gap-Financing Market (4/30)
• Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film (5/3)
• Firelight Media's Documentary Lab (5/4)
• Film Independent's Documentary Producing Lab (5/5)
• Craft Archive Fellowship (5/20)
• SFFILM Rainin (5/22)
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant for Presentations (Ongoing)
• More resources

Join Us

Visit twn.org to explore our renewed digital presence and join us in shaping a media landscape where diversity and intersectionality drive social transformation.

In solidarity,

The Third World Newsreel team

Pioneering Social Justice Media Since 1968

Thanks to our supporters

TWN is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, Color Congress, Jerome Foundation, Mosaic Network, the National Film Preservation Foundation, Golden Globe Foundation, New York Community Trust, Kolibri Foundation, NFF, and the Peace Development Fund, as well as individual donors.