Video4Change Network Blog

The case of Assa Asso: Filming protests is not treason
The Indonesian government has been routinely accused of restricting freedom of expression in Indonesia, Papua, and West Papua. Adding to such threats against freedom of expression is the June 24, 2020 verdict against Papuan Voices journalist and filmmaker Assa Asso (also known as Stracky Yally), who was sentenced by the Indonesian government to one year in prison for committing treason when he documented on his Facebook account the same anti-racism protests that transpired in August and September 2019.

Kasus Assa Asso: Mendokumentasikan protes bukanlah makar!
Bukti terancamnya kebebasan berekspresi di Indonesia ini diperkuat dengan dijatuhkannya hukuman kepada Assa Asso (yang juga dikenal sebagai Stracky Yally), seorang jurnalis dan sineas dari organisasi Papuan Voices, pada tanggal 24 Juni 2020. Assa Asso dijatuhi hukuman penjara selama satu tahun atas dugaan makar ketika dia mendokumentasikan protes anti-rasisme yang terjadi di bulan Agustus dan September 2019 melalui akun Facebooknya.

Video4Change Network Updates, July 2020
As a Network, we have seen video being put to work in trying to document and raise awareness for moments of hope and solidarity, but also to address and lay bare moments of abuse of power and violent authoritarianism that have followed in the wake of COVID-19 societal restrictions. The July 2020 Video4Change Network update will highlight notable efforts by the Video4Change Network members.

Recording a Video Podcast Remotely Using Free and Open-Source Software
Here at EngageMedia, we just released the pilot episode of “Pretty Good Podcast: Discussions on Digital Rights” and are about to publish our second episode. After experiencing firsthand the intricacies of podcast production, we thought we’d share some of our learnings, especially since we wanted to use Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for the recording of the show. This short resource guide is also tailored for remote work — a new reality brought to us by the current times.

How to create social impact with your filmmaking
Egbert Wits, Project Manager at EngageMedia, published a guest blog at the UK-based Video activism platform One World Media discussing these, and other issues. The blog has been getting quite a few reactions and has stirred some debate.

Video4Change Network Updates, April 2020
This is a regular public update of the Video4Change network, a network of human rights activists, journalists, trainers, and video practitioners who create and use video to affect social change.

Understanding Media Impact Beyond “Big Documentary”
(The article was first published in the report 'Decoding Media Impact: Insights, Advice & Recommendations' by Media Impact Funders) Social change must by necessity be social. However, the auteur documentary impact model is one where creators often work behind the...

Coviewing Films in the Time of Covid-19
(Read this article in Spanish or Italian.) Film festival organizations and filmmakers are noticeably making their works available to the public at this time when most of us are under lockdown. Unlike short advocacy videos, films premiered and shown in festivals are...

Impact Story: A Daughter’s Memory
A Daughter’s Memory is a short animated documentary video using oral history to tell the story of a little girl who is a survivor of the 1965 Humanitarian Tragedy

Impact Story: Suster Apung (The Floating Nurse)
The Floating Nurse seemed to awaken the Indonesian people from the illusion of being the “Emerald of the Equator”, by showing how health care conditions on remote islands were poor and largely forgotten.