Empowering Communities and Amplifying Voices Through Ethical Filmmaking with East Paradise Collective

Arts Equity Group's strategic consulting helped East Paradise Collective achieve authentic representation in its documentary Finding the Words: the Story of Voices from Inside and produced a high-impact, community-driven film premiere and slate of programs designed for and with diverse audiences, including politicians, activists, and system-impacted individuals.

Women and men sitting in a horizontal row on a stage against a dark blue curtain. Fourth woman from the left is holding a mic, and the rest are looking toward her direction..

Project Overview

Client

"EAST PARADISE" black, bolded text. "COLLECTIVE" text written beneath in a smaller black font. Three bold vertical lines on the left.
Group of women are celebrating, holding bouquets of flowers in their hands. They stand in front of a black curtain.

Client Background

East Paradise Collective is a film production team dedicated to the art of storytelling and the amplification of voices that have often been silenced or ignored by mainstream society. Their work primarily focuses on documentary filmmaking and various multimedia projects, all with the overarching goal of destigmatizing and educating on topics that tend to be marginalized or misunderstood. In 2020, East Paradise Collective began work on ‘Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside,’ a documentary about the creativity, joy, and resilience of women in Western Massachusetts, who overcome adversity through writing.

Objectives

East Paradise Collective’s goals included striving for an authentic representation and participation of film subjects in editing and in the same vein, presenting research data in a respectful approach. As the documentary contains extremely sensitive content, the filmmakers wanted to ensure that the final product was trauma-informed and felt good for all those involved in the storytelling, with a focus on those who have lived experience with incarceration and addiction. The team also sought support for the production of high-impact and community-driven film events and programming to ensure the film reached its target audiences. 

Challenges

East Paradise Collective grappled with how to present data in an unbiased manner that would ensure the well-being and consent of the individuals featured in their film, while also telling the truth about systemic injustice. The film team also needed support with making sure audiences of system-impacted and marginalized people knew about, felt included in, and participated in film screenings and public programming. This required AEG to help the production team think locally and bridge a divide between the traditional arts and culture audiences who were attracted to seeing the film and those whose lived experiences are reflected in the film. 

Contributorss

Danielle Amodeo, Jacqueline Velez Vazquez

Our Offerings

  • AEG offered a multi-prong communications and outreach plan that spanned the duration of the documentary post-production and screening period. 

    AEG hired Jacqueline Velez Vazquez, one of the women featured in the documentary as a community liaison to support grassroots outreach efforts, ensuring that the voices of those most impacted remained at the center of our communications strategy and effectively reaching our target audience of folks with similar lived experiences. 

    AEG also built out sponsorship and partnership packages which the film team used to garner local support for screenings and audience engagement. Our work resulted in over twenty partnerships with local organizations.

  • Through production and programming strategies and support, AEG ensured an inclusive and respectful environment for participants in the creation of the film documentary and screening process.

    AEG facilitated private workshops and screenings with the women featured in the documentary to get their honest feedback and ensure they were comfortable with and proud of their portrayal in the film. 

    AEG also provided group and 1:1 coaching for women featured in the film to ensure they were able to show up at in-person events and interviews in ways that aligned with their personal goals and values. 

  • To help support the filmmakers’ goals, AEG organized and conducted feedback meetings with film subjects to integrate their perspectives into the final edit. AEG additionally managed the production of public premieres and film screenings, conducting programs, workshops, and Q&A sessions to deepen viewer engagement.

Watch the Finding the Words premiere:

Noteworthy Press:
A group of people sitting in rows and facing the right in a statehouse room. On the right is a woman speaking at a podium with a mic.

Impact and Outcomes

With AEG’s work, East Paradise Collective gained extensive press coverage in outlets such as WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Daily Hampshire Gazette, and New England Public Media. AEG also helped produce four successful screenings at venues including the documentary premiere at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA, a screening and talk back with incarcerated women at Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (Greenfield Prison), a screening and panel conversation at Greenfield Community College, and a screening and panel conversation at the Massachusetts State House for lawmakers. 

The screenings of Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside reached a multitude of audience demographics, including politicians, lawmakers, activists, students, and educators, those formerly and currently incarcerated, or people whose family and friends are within the carceral system, those experiencing addiction and substance abuse, those in recovery, community partners, and more.

Conclusion

AEG’s partnership with East Paradise Collective helped the team successfully navigate the challenges of authentic representation and community engagement in documentary filmmaking. The screenings of the documentary engaged a diverse audience and ultimately culminated in a powerful experience highlighting the resilience and creativity of formerly incarcerated women, further solidifying the film team’s commitment to destigmatizing and educating on critical societal issues.

Women sitting at a row of school desks in a classroom-style room, writing or looking at their notes. Woman at the forefront is holding a newborn baby as she writes on a sheet of paper.

Partners and Sponsors