A response to cultural event cancellations caused by Coronavirus
For the past several months I have been working with a team in Copenhagen and a colleague in Los Angeles from my office in Brooklyn to plan a Conference day at the CPH:DOX festival — under the title “Making Media Matter When the World is on Fire.”
Artwork by
James Franklin inspired by the film How to Survive A PlagueWe came up with that title before the fires in Australia — remember those? The program explores how two major issues, climate crisis and the rise of populism and deepening social divisions in hot spots around the world, affects the documentary field and the ecosystem of support for funding, producing and distributing the work of independent storytellers.
Over the past three weeks as the Coronavirus evolved and public health officials and then event organizers from Austin, TX to Thessaloniki, Greece and everywhere in between responded, I held on to the idea that this relatively small event in Denmark, a small country with high-functioning infrastructure and robust health care system, would go on.
The team at CPH:DOX is extraordinary. Led by Tina Fischer and Katrine Kiilgaard, they are passionate, dedicated, intellectually connected to the world and committed to community-building. They appreciate that cultural organizers have both privilege and responsibility.
Along with my colleagues at Doc Society, we are planning Good Pitch Local culture change events at the EarthxFilm festival in April, and with PhillyCAM and many other cultural partners in May. These events are about the magic of bringing together a carefully curated group or artists and change-makers with funders and media partners to catalyze creating content that matters to communities. At Good Pitch Local we listen, and we share meals, we hug hello, we even dance. That magic simply can’t happen online.
As cultural organizers, our work celebrates the best in humanity while we raise awareness and provide context for some of the most challenging issues of our times — interconnected issues of climate, economic injustice, digital surveillance, gender violence, it goes on and one. Film festivals and conferences matter because they provide space to convene artists and audiences from all over the world and ultimately enrich our understanding of each other. In times of crisis, culture matters, it offers meaning and context that helps connect us to each other.
Notable, Steven Soderbergh’s CONTAGION is trending globally, if you want to experience hope, witness how a marginalized community fought to save millions of lives in watch David France’s HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE. In this moment, we’d do well to learn from ACT UP’s approach to fighting HIV/AIDS: Learn about the disease; Fight together for treatment and prevention, and Love each other.
For me CPH:DOX is an important opportunity: a chance to work with leaders in our field and learn from them in real-time and in-person, a chance to build and maintain my own professional network. The disappointment is real, and shared by thousands of others right now.
That may sound like sanitized hand-wringing of the privileged class. And in these moments, we do need to acknowledge our privilege: I’m also cis-gendered white woman living in the US. And, I have health insurance and get to do work that I love (from home). I appreciate that today more than I did just a few days ago.
LOOKING AHEAD, TOGETHER
As of today, CPH:DOX will move most of its program online. I look forward to being a part of that and helping figure out how we can capture some of the magic of live cultural events in a virtual gathering.
Amidst the deep disappointment, and the very real impact of the Coronavirus on millions — indeed billions — globally, it is worth noting a shift in how we think about and create cultural events.
Suddenly, we appreciate the simple opportunity to gather as a community — friends and acquaintances both old and new — at a much higher level and in a new way.
Moving forward, every film festival, arts conference and cultural event will need to have a real, robust online version to accommodate those who can’t be on-site. And, in a kind of silver lining to this most threatening of clouds, our response will address concerns around air travel and the climate crisis, and inspire us to devise ways that cultural events can provide more just and equitable access for diverse communities. We will learn from this moment, we will continue to fight for culture and social justice, and we will remember to love each, albeit from an appropriate social distance.
Immerse is an initiative of the MIT Open DocLab and The Fledgling Fund, and it receives funding from Just Films | Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. IFP is our fiscal sponsor. Learn more here. We are committed to exploring and showcasing media projects that push the boundaries of media and tackle issues of social justice — and rely on friends like you to sustain ourselves and grow. Join us by making a gift today.