Impact case study database

Audience reach

In 2015, the Amnesty International screening of Where Should the Birds Fly had 150 attendees, a mix of activists, film enthusiasts and general public. In 2016, 157 people altogether attended the Crisis & Creativity season at The Mosaic Rooms. Visitors were largely newcomers to the gallery with varying levels of prior knowledge and experience of the Arab World. Demographic data shows that the season attracted new, younger and more diverse audiences to the gallery [S1]. As its Director attests, “ We found the interest in attending was much higher than expected, with the screenings all selling out, and were delighted with the attendance. We were particularly pleased to see from the audience questionnaire a potentially higher attendance from an audience under the age of 35, who we are keen to target and expand on, and that many were first time visitors” [S2]. In 2017, the three public film screenings and filmmaker Q&As at NYU Abu Dhabi were attended by over 280 people, including students, staff and Abu Dhabi residents, with all three screenings fully booked. In 2019, The Mosaic Rooms had 90 attendees (excluding participants) for The Paradox of Creative Constraints symposium, creating a full house at the gallery for the entire day.

Furthermore, Chaudhuri’s article, “Five films that will help you understand the modern Arab world”, which accompanied Crisis & Creativity at The Mosaic Rooms, was shared 8,406 times on Facebook and Twitter via The Conversation and Middle East Eye, enabling a wider community to engage with the season’s insights. It led to Chaudhuri being invited to discuss her research findings on portrayals of Arab women and filmmaking constraints to a live audience of 146 people on the BBC World Service programme The Cultural Frontline, broadcast in March 2019 to 79 million worldwide and uploaded as a podcast on the BBC website with 1,026 downloads in the first six weeks [S3].

Impacts for beneficiary groups

(1) Impact on the understanding of attending audiences

Responding to the choice of film and its contextual framing, audience members at the Amnesty International screening and panel discussion of Where Should the Birds Fly confirmed that the event broke previously-held prejudices and stereotypes derived from mainstream media, commenting that the film was “[an] eye opening” insight into the lives of Palestinians in Gaza [S4].

Audience surveys for the Crisis & Creativity season at The Mosaic Rooms attest that attendees connected with what they saw as a shared humanity in the films, taking them beyond the frequent dehumanisation of Arabs in mainstream media (via a prevailing association with terrorism) and towards empathy with people affected by conflict [S1]. At The Paradox of Creative Constraints, although some attendees came from or had worked in the Middle East and were therefore already informed, the symposium universally deepened their understanding of freedom of expression in the region. One attendee stated, “ I was glad of a space that didn’t presume a ‘Middle East states are repressive’ neo-colonial stereotype & instead gave over to the complexity of how art markets (markets generally) & transnational currents might be just as repressive as forces” [S5]. The audience gained detailed insights into the challenges that filmmakers face, overturning received wisdoms. Many were surprised to discover how much the production and distribution of Middle Eastern films is affected by Western stereotypes, remarking that: “the process of filmmaking is more fraught with difficulty than I previously assumed”, with these difficulties owing to “very diverse factors”; “I now recognise finding funding sources as a big challenge while censorship may carry less weight!” [S5] Some resolved to change habits, to “work on making a difference myself to encourage people to challenge the social norms/constraints set by colonial rules and limitations” and “ as an audience be open to new fresh stories and not expect the old exotic stories” [S5].

(2) Benefits for filmmakers

Chaudhuri’s film screenings, panels and interviews/short articles published on The Mosaic Rooms blog and The Conversation have helped independent filmmakers from around the world, giving them greater exposure. She has supported their activist goals by directing attention to their work and encouraging audiences to stretch beyond mainstream fare. One film that she curated at NYU Abu Dhabi in 2017, Little Gandhi: The Lost Truth of the Syrian Uprising, with the director attending for a Q&A, was subsequently selected as Syria’s entry for Best International Feature Film in the 90th Academy Awards. It was chosen by a committee of artists in exile recognised by the Motion Picture Academy, bypassing the Syrian government. In June 2019, the director stated that “ The film screening at NYU Abu Dhabi contributed to raise the profile of the film and assisted in increasing our film’s international outreach” through a screening circuit that included the US Congress, Canadian Parliament, United Nations, Yale, Harvard, Sorbonne and Essex – Chaudhuri facilitated the Essex screening as well – and he says this “impactful profile” led to the film being “the first SYRIAN film ever to be officially selected” for this Oscar category [S6].

The Paradox of Creative Constraints symposium enabled filmmakers to share their experiences of constraints and learn from each other’s creative solutions which they could take back to their work in their respective countries and tackle those challenges more effectively. The safe space that Chaudhuri created for participants to reflect on their practice led one filmmaker to acknowledge that the symposium helped them find the “ courage of my voice” as a way of handling self-censorship, a prevalent problem impeding artistic expression in the Middle East [S5]. The symposium enhanced the filmmakers’ networks by connecting them with peers from the region as well as funders and human rights defenders whose support they can now access more effectively through personal contacts [S5]. As Index on Censorship’s Associate Arts Producer attested in 2019, for her it led to “ an ongoing dialogue with a particular film-maker exploring in depth the nature of self-censorship in this context” [S7]. The symposium also aided filmmakers by increasing public awareness of the difficult conditions under which they operate (see **(1)**).

(3) Impact on policy and audience reach of participating organisations

The Crisis & Creativity season pioneered a new format of visitor engagement for The Mosaic Rooms, and The Paradox of Creative Constraints symposium was the first time that it had hosted a day’s film event. Both enabled the gallery to expand the issues with which it engages and its networks. Following the high turnouts and consistently positive audience feedback on format and content, The Mosaic Rooms Director affirmed in December 2019 that “ These results demonstrate a need and interest for such film events from a wider audience and we very much hope to bring these elements into our programme moving forward” [S2].

For Index on Censorship, an organization that tends to focus on state censorship in other countries, the symposium helped them to understand that filmmakers also self-censor themselves as a result of Western stereotyping, in order to get their films made and distributed internationally. The event led to a policy shift to expand their remit to address this, as Index’s Associate Arts Producer testified, “ For me, the key take-away from the symposium was that this form of constraint has to be acknowledged as a significant and pervasive factor in the field. The predominantly white, middle class cultural institutions in the West, including Index on Censorship, that promote and support freedom of expression as a universal right, must engage with the full significance of this form of censorship as a vital component of our work” [S7].

The Hubert Bals Fund (HBF), designed to support filmmakers from countries on the DAC-list of the OECD and low-ranking countries on the World Press Freedom Index, benefited by hearing filmmakers speak about their challenges. The symposium led to a restructuring of their funding processes. Like many funding selection panels, the HBF’s committees had previously consisted mostly of Western consultants whose choices, the filmmakers at the symposium argued, tend to reflect regional stereotypes. In July 2020, HBF’s Manager stated, “ The panel provided me with input that I used in the fine tuning of our selection procedure … from now on we are going to include new committee members in every committee, focussing on committee members from Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe (the regions in which we support film projects)” [S8].

(4) Impact on Pedagogical Practice

Chaudhuri’s course influenced the design and delivery of curricula in disciplines across NYU Abu Dhabi. As NYUAD’s Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Academic Development testified in June 2019, it “was so well-conceived that I’ve used it over the last three years to help new faculty members approach their own course development with imagination, specificity, and high standards”. The University sustained the practice of curating Arab cinema to the general public: “In the wake of the series’ success, our Film and New Media program, in collaboration with the university’s Arts Centre and the Sorbonne’s campus in Abu Dhabi, has curated an ongoing public program in Arab cinema on the same model” [S9].

IMPACT 1: Influencing the approach of a leading INGO on the ethical use of testimony; impacts on organisational policy, services, and staff training.

During a 12-month research and development phase involving close observation of AI’s processes, Lax iteratively produced testimony-based performance scripts staged at a series of events for AI staff and members across the UK and deployed in training sessions for AI staff and members. AI reported that Lax’s practice-as-research allowed them to broach conversations about difficult and challenging topics, acknowledging that ‘they could not take the training forward without it’ [S1]. These performance pieces were subsequently re-scripted and produced as films for wider dissemination within the organisation. In a report compiled by AI reviewing the pilot training, it was noted by one attendee that: ‘when you watch the films, you think I’ve done that, or I’ve seen that. I like the way you say there is no right or wrong about how people respond to it. Whatever level you’re at it encourages really valuable conversations.’* [S2].

The impact of Lax’s research evidences the potential for creative intervention to effect behavioural change and contribute to a paradigm shift within a complex organisation; AI recognised that the impact of Lax’s work helped people to recognise ‘the ethical issues we might have created unwittingly and unintentionally’ [S1]. Attendees reported that the training helped them recognise identify the negative impact of a testimony-gathering process in which the campaign message or outcome was emphasised over the effect on the (often vulnerable) person providing the story. For AI as a whole it has helped them to build on the success of the organisation’s deployment of drama and other creative interventions, developing a toolkit to help to address such challenging issues and to hone and champion ethical behaviour in their practice [S1]. This allows for more nuanced thinking across the organisation, and as such will guide the organisation’s future work in this area [S3].

IMPACT 2: Influencing the creative and professional development of testimony and verbatim theatre methodologies for PaR residency participants including the conversion of ARIADNE into an organised international network for shared practice.

The PaR residency of artists at the University of Essex, led by Lax and involving the generation of the playscript and production of Dear Children, Sincerely… has had a transformative impact on the creative and professional direction of those involved from Serbia, Sri Lanka, Palestine, Belgium and Rwanda [S4]. From this methodologically disparate and geographically dispersed group of artists united principally by an interest in social and political change, ARIADNE’s engagement with the residency and with Lax’s PaR enabled development of a synthesised approach to the ethical use of testimony and borrowed stories. Lax’s PaR and the supporting residency enabled a paradigm shift, strengthening the strategy of the ARIADNE network, allowing them to identify the way forward for the next five years [S4.1]. The shared practices developed in the residency fostered mutual support, collaborative production, and professional development for an international cohort of theatre-makers in the use of testimony and verbatim theatre practice. One member identified the value of meeting and being supported by others from around the world who shared the same goals, when one feels trapped in one’s own country [S4.3]. The residency has gone on to generate new ways of thinking that has influenced, and continues to influence, the organisational development and direction of ARIADNE, inspiring further intercultural exchange for the group (Palestine 2017, Rwanda 2018, Serbia 2019) and new routes to artistic expression for individual members of the international group. One participant from Sri Lanka particularly valued the opportunity to forge links with the UK and start to develop new joint projects [S4.2].

The residency and PaR project also strengthened the understanding, learning and capabilities of twelve early career practitioners working with arts-led testimony practice, participants identifying the experience as inspiring: challenging and changing the directions of their lives [S5.1]. As a direct result of this collaboration, follow-on projects took place between these young artists and Ashtar Theatre in Ramallah (2017), at the Ubumuntu Festival in Kigali (2018) and with the delegate from Sri Lanka at an international human rights conference in The Hague (2019) [S5].

IMPACT 3: Impact on health and wellbeing of veterans dealing with PTSD and their families.

Targeted dissemination has reached over 405 audience members and involved 13 screenings and Q&A sessions for approximately 203 hard-to-reach participants in the East of England including military personal, veterans with PTSD, family support groups, charities, prisoners, and medical staff across organisations such as Help For Heroes, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, Norwich and Suffolk NHS, SAFFA & Project Nova charities, and the British Army [S6].

LIFTED has impacted the health and wellbeing of the veterans and families that participated in making the documentary, and on those veterans who have engaged with the film through hosted screenings and Q&As. Blower’s PaR filmmaking strategies facilitate a safe environment for participant contribution and a sense of shared ownership, which have impacted participants ability to express their experiences in new ways and further the healing process. Blower’s strategies allowed the film to incorporate voices not normally heard in films about PTSD: Veteran *#*2’s partner noted: ‘ It was good to be able to discuss how PTSD affects the family. Family members don’t always have a voice’ [S7.3].

The contributors’ involvement in the Q&A sessions following screenings has had further beneficial effects. Witnessing and processing the film in a screening scenario for people with PTSD validated their experience. In the Q&A sessions an enhanced level of ownership of their stories is apparent. Ethically this addresses one of the key concerns in conventional documentary that one’s story is co-opted by the film-maker. The empowerment of the contributors through sharing is evidenced by Veteran #2: *‘The feedback at the viewings has been very welcome…Having seen the documentary a few times has made me realise how far I have now come on my journey to recovery.*’ [S7.7]. An audience member observed that they were: ‘…interested how the Q&A sessions form part of the participants’ recovery’, [S6.10.69].

For military veterans, attending screenings has improved wellbeing: ‘my own experience of bad dreams, lack of sleep, anger issues, social isolation, depression, flashbacks etc. were brought more clearly into focus … it also gave me hope...’ [S6.2.13]. One even came to the realisation: ‘ that I need to engage with PTSD treatment’ [S6.9.11]. The Chair of the Norfolk Veterans’ Association acknowledged that the film helped those attending their 2020 AGM to ‘ *properly appreciate the full impact upon the family living with the PTSD sufferer.*’ [S8].

IMPACT 4: Informative insight into PTSD offered to mental health and affiliated practitioners in the UK and Holland

The screenings have enhanced understanding of PTSD for British Army mental health practitioners. The specificity of the dissemination permitted mental health staff to view the film in their workplace with a contributor with PTSD present in the room. One member of the Mental Health Inreach team from HMP and YOI Hollesley Bay writes that the ‘ film provided a good understanding to non-specialists about PTSD and allowed them a knowledge in which they could identify and refer the presentation onwards’ as well as giving ‘ a focus to the Veteran’s group ...slowed only by the recent pandemic.’ [S9]. The film has also had a positive impact on NHS medical professionals attending public screenings. For example, one reported that: ‘ I know this will help me at work when I meet people with PTSD’ [S6.7.6]. Another writes about the significance of the portrayal of family: ‘..it is our duty as professionals to look into this area carefully and refer to the appropriate service if possible…This was very educational’ [S6.9.4].

In August 2020 LIFTED was screened at the headquarters of the Dutch fishing agency (Sportvisserij Nederland) in Bilthoven, Utrecht to the Dutch military and GGZ Nederland, who provide government care for PTSS and veterans, with a view to ‘ stimulate national policy change’. [S10]. They have ‘ subtitled the full-length documentary film in Dutch so it can be featured at a symposium as soon as COVID measures allow’, hoping to ‘ *connect and enthuse the worlds of military and mental health service[s]*’ [S10]. This initiative in the Netherlands regards the film as a ‘ *crucial part to connect internally within the organised fishery sector as with key partners (veteran organisations, the Dutch military, Dutch Health care Services).*’ [S10]. The film and screenings will enable Sportvisserij Nederland to ‘ improve social and educational inclusion of veterans living with PTSD and their families’; drawing on the key themes that LIFTED presents [S10].