New documentary Franklin is using philanthropy to inspire environmental activism

The film, backed by crowdfunding and philanthropic donations, is launching an impact campaign to encourage conversations about democracy, peaceful protest and climate change.

The campaign to save Tasmania’s Franklin River from damming in the early 1980s remains an iconic moment in Australia’s environmental history.

To commemorate its 40th anniversary, a new philanthropy-backed documentary is revisiting the iconic Franklin River blockade and launching an impact campaign to inspire a new generation of environmental activists. 

The documentary, entitled Franklin, follows Tasmanian environmentalist Oliver Cassidy as he retraces his late father’s 14-day rafting expedition to attend the blockade that saved the world heritage listed national park from being destroyed. It also includes narration by Hugo Weaving, exclusive archival footage and interviews with key figures including former Greens leader Bob Brown and Tasmanian Aboriginal elder Uncle Jim Everett.

The documentary relied on a patchwork of funding sources to get off the ground, including crowdfunding and philanthropic donations from Documentary Australia – a not-for-profit organisation that supports social impact storytelling and advocacy.

Philanthropy is quickly becoming an integral part of the filmmaking process, providing an avenue to support projects with strong missions that may have historically been seen as risky investments by traditional funding bodies. 

Franklin’s producer Chris Kamen, who has been involved in the development of the documentary for the past seven years, has benefited from philanthropic donations across his career. He says the value of philanthropy is twofold – not only does it provide much-needed funding, but it also helps to gauge public interest in the subject matter of a film, which can shape the creative process.

“[Philanthropy] is absolutely core to getting impact films funded,” says Kamen. “It’s most applicable to social impact films like Franklin, where it’s not just a piece of entertainment – it’s a purpose-driven film where you’re trying to effect some change in the world.”

“In some ways philanthropic donations are actually easier to manage for me as a producer because people aren’t necessarily looking for a financial return, they’re looking for a social impact,” he continues.

Franklin is using its platform to address the ongoing impact of climate change by bringing communities together to celebrate the legacy of the Franklin campaign and stir environmental and political change.

It has partnered with environment and human rights organisations to stage a series of community screenings, discussion panels and workshops across Australia at the end of September. The screenings form part of its impact campaign, which aims to encourage conversations about the role of non-violent activism in a healthy democracy and find new approaches for protecting our environment.

“Franklin is one of those rare environmental stories with a happy ending and it’s a fantastic case study to show how peaceful activism can actually make a lasting difference,” continues Kamen.

“That’s the message we’re really determined to get to everyone, but especially to young people, who are concerned about where our environment is heading and may be experiencing anxiety. It’s an inspiring story.”

The campaign is also raising funds to develop educational resources and deliver classroom screenings of the documentary for high schools.

Franklin premiered at the 2022 Melbourne International Film Festival and is currently playing in cinemas.