Seeking: Filmmakers with a solution-oriented approach
We are very proud to have teamed up with One World Media to help launch its amazing GSDF Labs, with events targeting the Global South taking place online and in multiple places around the globe during the second week in November. This flurry of activity also marked the opening of a call for applications for the Global Short Docs Forum set to run in March 2023. The program has been expanded with a focus on solutions reporting, and 50% of the Forum places will be dedicated to filmmakers working on stories about people responding to social problems.
- GSDF connects filmmakers around the world with international media outlets looking for short docs.
- Transitions’ Jeremy Druker led an online solutions journalism workshop targeting filmmakers in Europe.
- Selected from a global call, 16 filmmakers will take part in an intensive 4-week training program of online workshops, mentoring, and one-to-one pitch meetings with decision-makers within GSDF.
- Alongside potential commissions and co-productions, three projects will be awarded grants up to £3,000 to contribute to their production or post-production
In the homestretch: Don’t miss our upcoming cross-border workshops!
We are in the final stages of the online workshop program that we’ve been running as part of “Cross-Border Local,” a project to strengthen cross-border, local investigative journalism across Europe. The initiative offers grants to journalists interested in local, cross-border investigative journalism; training and mentoring in various aspects of investigative journalism; and a mini-MBA for local news media executives. The round off the program, we’re running three more workshops:
23 November 2022 – Exposing problems, bringing solutions. You’ll go deeper into solutions journalism and learn how it increases engagement and civic participation.
30 November 2022 – Going freelance: How to leverage your fan base to monetize your journalism. Learn the skills, tools, and procedures to guide you on the path to a successful freelance career.
7 December 2022 – A practical guide for packaging and delivering fact-checking and debunking content to a wide audience: lessons learned from intense experimentation.
- Online learning forms a vital and growing component of our work at Transitions
- The deadline for the next round in the Cross-Border story grant program is 12 January 2023.
- The project targets journalists and news outlets from all Creative Europe participating countries (EU and non-EU).
- The consortium includes: Journalismfund.eu (Belgium), the SSE Riga Centre for Media Studies (Latvia), and the European Federation of Journalists (Belgium).
- The total budget of this two-year project is €1.3 million with 80% supported by the EU under the Creative Europe Programme (CREA), Journalism Partnerships (CREA-CROSS-2021-JOURPART).
- To hear more about our program, join us on Facebook in the Journalism funding and training community – a platform to connect journalists interested in our projects, training events, and funding opportunities.
- If you or anyone you know is interested in boosting your skills in international reporting (and you fancy a trip to Prague), join us for our popular “Going on Assignment” course next summer.
Eastern European Independent Journalist Fund
- 306 backers pledged $35,769 to help us hit our goal. Separate donations made to the campaign – not on the Kickstarter page – increased the amount to almost $45,000.
- Our main partner was SEENPM, a network of 19 media centers across Southeastern Europe.
- Special thanks for larger donations from the Erste Foundation, the Solutions Journalism Network, and the Media Diversity Institute.
- We also owe a huge thank-you to Kickstarter, which highlighted the fund as featured campaign on their homepage in the final days of the drive and even put us in their most popular newsletter, seen by several million people.
- The application site went live on World Press Freedom Day. Journalists used a streamlined form to submit their applications, which expert committees reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Become a founding member
Democracy depends on an informed public and on fair and independent journalism. We’ve been training journalists and publishing articles on Central and Eastern Europe for two decades.
It hasn’t been easy keeping an eye on the democratic backsliding in these parts and bringing so many local voices to an international audience. Not a member yet? If you believe in our mission and want to know more about ways to help our organization, check out our membership plans here.
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