Steps for the Future

04/12/2024

Sesotho Media & Development session on the importance of stakeholder engagement.

27/11/2024

Mobile film story development capacity building followed by an introduction to editing software- Davinci Resolve session with STEPS network partners.

21/11/2024

"Access to your community is one of the important things about storytelling". Here is a recap session on developing community voices into strong compelling short stories filmed with mobile phones. Country teams got the opportunity to strengthen their interview skills.

13/11/2024

A short discussion with Jacqueline about her film Temperature Rising. Followed by a session on story development by Don Edkins and Jacqueline Van Meygaarden on why story matters, identifying a character and what kind of questions to ask. Viewed and analysed examples of Community Voices filmed with mobile phones to identify possible stories/ characters about young people's collective actions to address climate change.

13/11/2024

DAY 2 of the STEPS Network Convening. Introduction to UNESCO Biosphere Youth Network from Vusi a representative of K2C Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region Limpompo. Followed by a presentation on Climate Resilience, Adaptation, Mitigation. In small groups teams walked around the room, to write down on flip chart paper definitions, description of what the terms, climate crisis, global warming, weather, climate resilience, mitigation, action etc means.

04/11/2024

Presentation from TSURO on Climate Resilience followed by a group activity on what we can do to make Mother nature happy.

04/11/2024

DAY 1 of STEPS Network Convening at Bertha Retreat, Boschendal. Network partners from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda. coming together for a packed week of learning and sharing. Seen here is the first presentation of the day by African film activists for climate Resilience.
Special thanks to Bertha Foundation for providing the space for a diverse group of youth.

24/07/2024

Don Edkins states the difference in culture between Anglophone and Francophone documentary filmmaking, exemplified through projects like Generation Africa, lies in strengthening the documentary filmmaking community's ability to secure funding and create films independently. This support helps filmmakers gain international experience, reach broader audiences, and build networks. Various elements need to be in place to facilitate this, enabling producers and filmmakers to find collaborators, and co-producers, and build their networks collectively.
Additionally, being aware of and adapting to changes in available funding is crucial. Funding opportunities constantly evolve, requiring filmmakers to stay informed about these shifts, understand the reasons behind them, and identify new opportunities. Flexibility and awareness of the funding landscape are essential to address these changes effectively.

24/07/2024

🎬𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐉𝐔𝐑𝐘: 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐀 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋 🇿🇦🎬

Theresa Hill is the Deputy Director at STEPS (Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects), a non-profit organization passionate about the power of documentary film to disrupt and move the world around us. Since 2014, she has been in charge of acquisitions and curates the catalogue for AfriDocs. With 22 years of experience in the documentary film industry, Theresa is also a Ladima Foundation board member and has participated in various film festival juries and selection panels.

Join us from 8th - 12th October as we celebrate the theme: "𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝘾𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙖."

08/05/2024

✨[PALMARÈS]✨
Le prix de la MEILLEURE PREMIÈRE OEUVRE a été décerné à Akuol de Mabior pour son film NO SIMPLE WAY HOME, par le jury de professionnels.les du cinéma africain ! 👏👏👏

12/04/2024

09/04/2024

11/03/2024

Follow our network partners new social media account ChatBox Africa for more updates on activities across our region.🙌🏾

08/02/2024

SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS (STEPS) has won the SIMA 2024 VITAL VOICES AWARD.

SIMA’s Vital Voices Award is awarded to a company whose productions serve underrepresented and underserved stories that bring vital voices from the margins to the mainstream.

08/02/2024

SIMA 2024 WINNERS ANNOUNCED 🏆 Congratulations Filmmakers!

The Winners of 12th Annual International Social Impact Media Awards ( ) teach us this: Great documentaries aren’t just art, they’re alchemy.

“Thank you to all the filmmakers for your unwavering dedication and courage to inspire and transform our world. We are proud and honored to champion your work.” — Daniela Kon Lieberberg, SIMA Founder & CEO

View the winners list 🎥 bit.ly/SIMA2024Winners
Join us in celebrating 📣 bit.ly/SIMA2024MediaKit

The 12th Annual SIMA Awards are powered by Milatido, The Foundation for Systemic Change, GSR Foundation, International Documentary Association (IDA), Doc Society, Firelight Media, DC DOX Festival, Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), Documentary Australia, and Instituto Multimedia DerHumALC (IMD).

CONGRATULATIONS FILMMAKERS:

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ DOCUMENTARY FEATURE WINNERS⭐ ⭐ ⭐

🏆 BEST DOCUMENTARY | To Kill a Tiger by Nisha Pahuja | India
🏆 BEST DIRECTOR | The Eternal Memory (La Memoria Infinita) by Maite Alberdi | Chile
🏆 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY | Eat Bitter by Ningyi Sun and Pascale Appora-Gnekindy | Central African Republic and China
🏆 BEST EDITING & BEST SOUND | Between the Rains by Andrew H. Brown and Moses Thuranira | Kenya
🏆 SYSTEMIC CHANGE AWARD (SPONSORED BY THE FOUNDATION FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE (FSC)) | Pay or Die by Scott Alexander Ruderman and Rachael Dyer | USA

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ DOCUMENTARY SHORT WINNERS⭐ ⭐ ⭐

🏆 BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY | میشه بغلت کنم؟ CAN I HUG YOU? by Elahe Esmaili | Iran
🏆 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY | Into the Blue by Ömer Sami | Denmark
🏆 BEST EDITING | Jack and Sam by Jordan Matthew Horowitz | USA
🏆 BEST DIRECTOR AND BEST SOUND | Last Song from Kabul by Kevin Macdonald | Afghanistan and Portugal

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ DOCUMENTARY JURY PRIZES⭐ ⭐ ⭐

🏆 TRANSPARENCY JURY PRIZE | Twice Colonized by Lin Alluna | Canada, Denmark, Greenland, and Sweden
🏆 STYLISTIC ACHIEVEMENT JURY PRIZE | ANHELL69 by Theo Montoya | Colombia
🏆 ETHOS JURY PRIZE | Mourning In Lod by Hilla Medalia | Israel and Palestine
🏆 LENS TO ACTION JURY PRIZE | The Barber of Little Rock by Christine Turner and John Hoffman | USA

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ IMPACT VIDEO WINNERS⭐ ⭐ ⭐

🏆 IMPACT JURY PRIZE (SPONSORED BY MILATIDO) | ifine (beauty) by Adisa Septuri and Ebony Gilbert | Sierra Leone
🏆 INNOVATION JURY PRIZE (SPONSORED BY MILATIDO) | One Million Experiments by Caullen Hudson | USA and Puerto Rico
🏆 CREATIVE ACTIVISM AWARD | The Script by Brit Fryer and Noah Schamus | USA
🏆 HUMANITAS AWARD | This Is Where I Learned Not To Sleep by Kirsten Kelly and Anne De Mare | USA

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ XR + AI WINNERS⭐ ⭐ ⭐
🏆 CREATIVE ADVOCACY JURY PRIZE (SPONSORED BY MILATIDO) | NOIRE (COLORED) by Pierre-Alain Giraud | France
🏆 IMMERSIVE IMPACT AWARD | Lou : Enfant (Lou : Kid) by Martine Asselin and Annick Daigneault | Canada

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ PRODUCTION COMPANY WINNERS⭐ ⭐ ⭐

🏆 VITAL VOICES AWARD | SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS (STEPS)
🏆 CREATIVE IMPACT AWARD | FIELD OF VISION

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ SPECIAL MENTIONS ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES:
🏆 DONGA by Muhannad Lamin | Libya
🏆 Samuel e a Luz (Samuel and the Light) by Vinícius Girnys | Brazil and France
🏆 Who I Am Not by Tunde Skovran | South Africa

SHORT DOCUMENTARIES:
🏆 How to Carry Water by Sasha Wortzel | USA
🏆 Suddenly TV by Roopa Gogineni | Sudan
🏆 The Takeover by Anders Hammer | Afghanistan

PRODUCTION COMPANIES:
🏆 Multitude Films
🏆 HERO CHASER