Counterpoints Arts is delighted to be hosting the 2022 Pop Culture and Social Change Retreat, bringing together a curated group of 50 change-making entertainment producers, artists, cultural innovators, activists and philanthropists at Dartington Hall, Devon (UK) from 12-14 October.
Produced as part of Counterpoints’ PopChange initiative, this year’s programme is being presented in partnership with Comic Relief, with support from Unbound Philanthropy, Open Society Foundations and Dartington Trust.
Taking place over two and a half days, the Pop Culture and Social Change Retreat 2022, brings together over 50 change-making entertainment producers, artists, cultural innovators, activists and philanthropists. In creating this reflective space, we aim to generate cross-sector exchanges, ideas and collaborations that will contribute to building long-term narrative power for displaced, migrant, Black and POC communities.
The retreat will focus on exploring displacement and migration narratives in scripted TV and film, and how to collaboratively produce nuanced and authentic storytelling. Our aspiration is to present projects and initiatives that drive social change and disrupt power structures through the creation and amplification of game-changing cultural content.
Programme
We are especially excited to have our discussions kick off with Sarah Asante, Commissioning Editor at UKTV (BAFTA-winning Famalam and Dreaming Whilst Black), and Rufus Jones, writer of the refugee comedy Home (Channel 4). Other highlights include the launch of the latest groundbreaking research on immigrant narratives in television presented by Define American and the Norman Lear Center.
The retreat will feature work by a range of creatives and cultural producers, short inspirations and provocations, panel discussions, organised walks, workshops and plenty of informal networking and shared meals. The inspirations include creatives whose work has produced a lasting impact on our perceptions of displacement and migration, including Hassan Akkad — a Syrian filmmaker, activist and Associate Producer on Netflix’s The Swimmers (2022), and Kosar Ali, BAFTA-nominated actor from Rocks (2019).
A public programme of events is featured alongside the retreat, presented in partnership with Dartington Trust, including:
- No Direction Home stand-up comedy night, 12th October, 8pm
- Artists’ Scratch Showcase curated by AWATE, 13th October, 8pm (South West-based artists are invited to apply here by 2nd October to be a paid, featured artist)
- Film Screening of Flee, 13th October 8pm
We look forward to spending time together in the wonderful environment of Dartington — collectively imagining new projects and possibilities; thinking up both big and small ideas; and reflecting on the rich complexity of the everyday stories shaping migration and displacement.
Context
Since the first Counterpoints Pop Culture & Social Change Retreat in 2018 and publication of the Unbound Philanthropy-supported report ‘How pop culture has the potential to catalyse social change in the UK’ (by Alice Sachrajda with Esme Peach), more creative teams in the UK are collaborating, producing and supporting narrative change initiatives. Recent examples of entertainment content focusing on lived experience of migration and displacement include Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts and Home, highlighting the power of comedy to drive social change. Or Netflix’s His House where refugee experiences are navigated through the genre of horror.
The 2022 retreat will draw inspiration from recent pop culture case studies, and the shared knowledge and experience of a fast growing network of creative practitioners and change-makers.
Scroll below to view and download the programme, and read bios of all participants.
WEDNESDAY, 12th October |
WELCOME
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OVERVIEW
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HOME: HOW A COMEDY ABOUT A REFUGEE GOT ON THE TELLY
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THE COMMISSIONER’S PLAYBOOK
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THE POWER TO CREATE
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THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT: NARRATIVE POWER IN ACTION
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THURSDAY, 13th October |
HOW TO INVEST IN SHAPING THE NARRATIVE
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NUANCE & IMPACT: HOW IMMIGRANT NARRATIVES ON TV HAVE SHIFTED
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WHEN YOUR LIFE IS THE STORY
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MAKING SPACE FOR LIVED EXPERIENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT
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FROM THE GROUND UP: BUILDING COLLABORATIVE STORYTELLING
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WHO’S WATCHING? CONNECTING STORYTELLING WITH AUDIENCES
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HOW TO COLLABORATE ACROSS SECTORS
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HOW DO CREATIVES WITHOUT LIVED EXPERIENCE CENTRE LIVED EXPERIENCE
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HOW NARRATIVE CHANGE TRANSLATES TO SOCIAL JUSTICE
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FRIDAY, 14th October |
A PULSE CHECK ON THE CULTURAL MOMENT
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HOW TO INSPIRE COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR THE LONG-TERM
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COLLECTIVE VISIONING FOR NARRATIVE POWER AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE UK
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HOW DO WE CELEBRATE JOY IN ACTIVISM
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HOW DO THREE WOMEN MAKE 1 MILLION PEOPLE LISTEN
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