Hi. I'm a first-time filmmaker producing a documentary about a man's quest to build a castle. The film has no obvious social or political agenda; it's simply a good story about art and personal ambition. However, it seems like all grants, fiscal sponsors, distributors, and so forth, want documentary films that "make an impact," or "tackle an important contemporary issue." In other words, it seems like all documentaries have to be social justice films. Why can't they just be good art? Fiction films don't seem to have the same requirements. I saw your answer to "How can documentaries gain wider appeal rather than just "preach to the choir?" and I feel like you may understand my sentiment. What are your thoughts? Do you know of other filmmakers or groups that might agree with me? |