EngageMedia kicked off the first session of its Video for Change Environmental Impact Lab, a series of masterclasses on impact production for Asia-Pacific filmmakers working on environmental video initiatives. Over the course of 12 weeks, five Lab participants will explore how to create and measure the impact of their initiatives under the mentorship of three seasoned impact producers.

This round’s Lab participants were carefully chosen to represent a wide range of environmental issues in the region.

1. Indigenous Knowledge System on Plant Utilisation, John David Moncada
   John, a scriptwriter and director of photography from the Philippines, is working on a video initiative that will document the indigenous knowledge system on plant utilisation by select indigenous people and ethnic groups in northern Mindanao.
2. Tana Humba, Joseph Lamont
   Joseph is the cinematographer of Tana Humba, a video initiative on land rights and agribusiness in East Sumba, Indonesia. Currently residing on Sumba, Joseph works directly with the Marapu community.
3. Thresher Shark Indonesia Documentary, Vivekananda Gitandjali
   Kana, together with the nonprofit Tresher Shark Indonesia, is eager to use video as a tool to raise awareness on and improve the living conditions of thresher sharks in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara.
4. In to the Western Ghats, Anantha Krishnan
   Anantha is a cinematographer from India working on a project that focuses on the adverse ecological impact on the Western Ghats of India during the age of industrialisation.
5. Menanam Ilmu di Pinggiran Leuser, Syufra Malina
   Syufra and her team at Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari -Orangutan Information Center, a local non-government organisation in North Sumatra dedicated to orangutan conservation in Sumatra and their forest homes in the Leuser Ecosystem, are using video to strengthen the Leuser Nature School, which has been set up with education’s long-term contribution to forest conservation in mind.

The Lab will tackle the theoretical and empirical aspects of impact producing, strategising, and campaigning. It is primarily grounded in the Video for Change Impact Toolkit, a comprehensive resource that helps Video for Change practitioners design for and evaluate social impact.

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