Documentary Australia and Doc Society will host climate documentary makers, climate experts, First Nations leaders, impact strategists, political consultants, community organisers, advocates, and philanthropists for a new three-day workshop in August.
Applications are now open for the inaugural Climate Story Lab Australia, to be held at Sydney’s Artspace facility in collaboration with Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, and Shark Island Foundation.
The Lab aims to strengthen existing climate storytelling projects and impact campaigns while guiding the creation of new projects and spurring partnerships to mobilise audiences and funding opportunities.
First piloted by Doc Society and Exposure Labs in New York in 2019, the model has since been successfully rolled out with 33 events globally, from the Brazilian Amazon to East and West Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
The Australian workshop will address the following questions – ‘What climate stories does the world need now?’, ‘Whose voices should tell them?’ and ‘Which audiences need to see and hear these stories, and how do we ensure those audiences are reached?’
Documentary Australia impact director Stephanie King said documentary storytelling had a key role to play in addressing the climate crisis.
“As we head to a federal election and see a shift in the priorities of the climate movement, it is a critical time to re-group with the sector and spark the next generation of strategic climate storytelling,” she said.
Doc Society director of special projects Hollie Fifer said Australia had the potential to be at the forefront of climate storytelling globally.
“Bringing the Climate Story Lab to Australia for the first time as a national event alongside Documentary Australia is a vital step in realising this,” she said.
“We are looking for boundary-pushing, courageous, sensitive stories that don’t just reflect back where we are, but can help build the world we are all in need of and seed the cultural movement that makes that possible.”
Applications for the lab close April 22. Find more information on how to apply here.