Doc Society, the London-headquartered non-profit organization that funds and supports independent documentary filmmakers, has announced the launch of a new fund.
The Doc Society Love & Rockets Fund is an international fund dedicated to cinematic non-fiction features it says are “in service of better futures.” The fund will award non-recoupable grants of up to $150,000, with additional funding for distribution and engagement of supported films. It launches with a $2.7 million commitment between now and mid-2028, bringing Doc Society’s annual film spend to over $4 million.
The fund was borne “age of unchecked capitalism, rising authoritarianism and growing nationalism” and the need for films that “deconstruct architectures of power, illustrate alternate realities and create connection,” said the organization.
“Doc Society is all in on fighting fascism,” it added. “With creative collaboration, dedicated craft, joyous partying and fierce camaraderie to help bring these visions of freedom, civil and human rights to screens. Whether part of a global movement, national reckoning or local transformation.”
Alongside announcing the new fund, Doc Society also unveiled the first six supported projects, including an untitled feature about the rise of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The inaugural projects to receive funding from Doc Society Love & Rockets Fund include:
“Blackest Ever Black” Directed by Roisin Agnew, produced by Alison Millar, Callum Roberts, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Roisin Geraghty. In production.Description: A crew’s attempt to make a film about data centres descends into chaos, putting accepted truths about tech and documentary on the line in this hybrid docucomedy from Ireland. Starring Stephen Rea and Killian Sunderman.
“How to be a Woman in Iran”Directed by Mahnaz Mohammadi and Vanessa Bowles, executive produced by Ben de Pear, Maziar Bahari, Nevine Mabro.Description: Through a remarkable archive secretly filmed over two decades, exiled filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi retraces the rise of Iran’s women’s movement, and its eventual suppression. “How to be a Woman in Iran” is the story of her own journey through surveillance, imprisonment and resistance, and a powerful exploration of womanhood, friendship and survival in a society that is pervaded by gender restrictions .
“Our Land”Directed by Lucrecia Martel, produced by Benjamin Domenech, Santiago Gallelli, Matias Roveda, Joselyn Barnes, Javier Leoz and Julio Chavezmontes.Description: In 2009, a man and two accomplices tried to evict members of the Indigenous community of Chuschagasta in northern Argentina. Claiming ownership of the land and armed with guns, they kill the community’s leader, Javier Chocobar. The murder is caught on video. It takes nine years of protests before court proceedings are finally opened in 2018. During all this time, the killers remain free. The film combines the voices and photographs of the community with courtroom footage to explore the long history of colonialism and state-sanctioned land dispossession that led to this crime.
“With Time”Directed by Noah Schaumus and Brit Fryer, produced by Jesse Miller.Description: Blending realism with fantasy, “With Time” follows an intergenerational group of trans people who have navigated shifting tides of acceptance and backlash as they gather in a storytelling workshop, bringing moments of euphoria, connection, and mutual recognition to life.
“Untitled New York Project”Directed and produced by Julia Bacha, produced by Suhad Babaa, Tiffany Fisher-Love and Rula Salameh.Description: A backbench NY State Assembly member launches a long-shot bid to become the mayor of New York City, vowing to make life more affordable. As the establishment attempts to weaponize his long-standing commitment to Palestinian rights, a movement is galvanized that brings about one of the greatest political reckonings in American history.
“Untitled Watermelon Pictures Project” — details not revealed
Formed in 2005, Doc Society — formerly known as BRITDOC — is a non-profit group based out of the U.K. and New York.