Kirsten Johnson Among the Inagural Fellows Chosen for Harvard’s Documentary Initiative (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Addie Morfoot Contributor Documentary veterans Natalie Bullock Brown, Kirsten Johnson, Mary Lampson and Jacqueline Olive are the inaugural documentary film fellows for the documentary film in the public interest research initiative by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center.As the first cohort of doc film fellows, the foursome will join the center for the fall 2023 semester.

There, each fellow will conduct research and do public education activities about questions facing the documentary film field and civic information.Led by Shorenstein Center’s director Nancy Gibbs and doc filmmaker Sara Archambault, the initiative, which was established in March, will work to examine the challenges facing the documentary field and their impacts on civic life and information.“In this challenging moment for media and our information ecosystem, we are excited that the Shorenstein Center can provide the support and infrastructure to drive renewed and creative thinking about complex issues in the documentary film space,” says Gibbs.Archambault adds: “As the initiative considers the vital role of documentary film in our civic life, this group of fellows will advance research in documentary ethics, practices, pathways to audiences, and new directions for the field.

This fellowship is carving a unique and much needed space for documentary film practitioners, leaders, and scholars to examine the field, ask the tough questions, and forge pathways forward.”Inaugural Class of Fellows for Documentary Film Professionals and Scholars:In 2020, Natalie Bullock Brown, a producer, help found the Documentary Accountability Working Group.

Her producing credits includes Ken Burns’ 10-part PBS series, “Jazz” and Byron Hurt’s PBS documentary “Hazing.” Building off of.