Film for Change was co-founded in 2013 by Helen and Jesse, who saw a
need for charities and community groups to have their stories told,
and for filmmakers to gain practical filmmaking experience while
helping their communities. We make films, distribute them, run special
interest film projects, and are involved in teaching, speaking, and
consulting engagements. Everything we do is supported by our network
of over 200 volunteers in the Wellington region, and in turn, we
provide them with opportunities to practice their craft, gain
experience in the industry, form long lasting relationships with
like-minded people, and to make a socially positive impact on the
world.
We value creativity, collaboration, community, and education.
Creativity is key when it comes to funding, making, and distributing short films. We believe in thinking outside of the box about problems, and strive to come up with engaging, creative solutions. We challenge our volunteers, our clients and ourselves to think creatively.
We work alongside our clients and come up with solutions together that we can all be proud of. We are not an advertising agency, and we are not a service for hire. We are a collective of collaborators who believe in the power of working together.
Film for Change believes in the power of community. Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi. With your food basket and my food basket, the people can be cared for. We are part of the same charity/social enterprise community as our clients so we understand the challenges of the sector. We understand they are busy trying to do the things they are passionate about. We understand that time and money are precious resources. We are here to listen, and we are here to support.
We have a culture of constant learning, skill sharing and adapting. We’re always learning and trying new things, and we encourage this kind of curiosity in our clients and in the volunteers we teach and learn from.
Film for Change is made up of four teams; Finance, Comms, Relationships and Filmmaking. These four teams consist of over 200 volunteers in the Wellington region and our volunteers are a mix of experienced professionals and students.
Jeff McDonald (CEO: Partnership and Sustainability Leader),
Jesse Gonzales (Creative Director),
Sofia Alexi (Communications Team Leader),
Hao Luan (Finance Team Leader)
Helen Anderson (Chairperson, Co-founder),
Jesse Gonzales (Co-founder),
Sarah Wood (Treasurer),
Paul Wolffram,
Manukaroa Anderson,
Nicola Mason,
Lee Harris,
Lucy Glass (secretary),
Melanie Bourke,
Tamas Molnar (Secretary)
Film for Change is a registered Charitable Trust. Our funding comes
from grants, donations and the projects we work on. We are
transitioning to a social enterprise model and are open to short films
projects outside of our kaupapa to fundraise for our core work. You
can donate directly to our cause
here.
You can download our annual report here.