Sahar Driver

Film + Strategy + Campaign Design + Social Change

USA

Social movements need powerful stories. But if that is all it took to solve social problems, we wouldn’t have any. Strong and compelling stories that grapple with timely and important issues can benefit from careful planning to ensure the message reaches the right audiences, in the right ways, at the right times.

As a documentary impact strategist, I have helped filmmakers, funders, and movement leaders build strategic partnerships and plans that strengthen their respective projects and contribute to lasting change. I have also conducted research and designed programming to strengthen the field of documentary impact.

My latest work focuses on supporting, resourcing, and connecting people of color led and serving organizations working in nonfiction. You can learn more here: colorcongress.org. Unfortunately that means I am not currently taking on any new clients.

PORTFOLIO

Clients have included: Doc Society, Firelight Media, Ford Foundation’s JustFilms, the Hartley Media Impact Initiative at Auburn, Caring Across Generations, Informing Change, Project Survival Media, Research Action Design, and  The Video Project. Through them I have supported documentary impact strategy for nonprofits, strengthening circles of practice between film and faith communities, research and other field building efforts —including updating Doc Society’s Impact Field Guide (2019) and producing their Doc Impact Hi5 case studies (2019) that support learning in the social impact media and entertainment field.

SOCIAL CHANGE CAMPAIGNS

I've worked with a number of filmmakers to design or contribute to the impact and engagement strategy and campaign implementation for a number of films, including:

40 Days and 40 Nights [working title] by Dara Kell

Charm City by Marilyn Ness and Meryam Bouadjemi

9 to 5 Story of a Movement by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar

What Counts? by Nicole Newnham ( Campaign with Health Leads)

Do No Harm by Nicole Newnham (Campaign with Health Care Without Harm)

CARE by Deirdre Fishel and Tony Heriza

Being Mortal by FRONTLINE (Campaign with The California Healthcare Foundation and  The John and Wauna Harman Foundation)

Nine to Ninety by Alicia Dwyer and Juli Vizza

Who Eats Taco Bell? (non-film) by Gaelyn and Gustavo Aguilar of the TUG Collective

The following took place during my time at Active Voice:

ONWARD a multimedia campaign by Active Voice for Sojourners

Facing Fear by Jason Cohen

The Whole Gritty City by Richard Barber and Andre Lambertson

American Revolutionary by Grace Lee

Who is Dayani Cristal? by Marc Silver & Gael Garcia Bernal

Sold by Jeffrey Brown

The New Black by Promised Land Films Yoruba Richen

American Promise Rada Film Group Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster

Elena by Petra Costa

Valentine Road by Marta Cunningham

America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa by Futuro Media Group

NPR's Latino USA with Maria Hinojosa by Futuro Media Group

Maria Full of Hope by Marguerite Casey Foundation

Gaining Ground Holding Ground Productions Mark Lipman & Leah Mahan

Shelbyville Multimedia by Kim Snyder in Association with BeCause Foundation & Active Voice

Barbershop Punk by Georgia Sugimura & Kristin Armfield

Have You Heard from Johannesburg by Clarity Films' Connie Fields

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth by Adam Zucker

IMPACT STRATEGY ADVISING

I have been an official advisor on impact and engagement strategy for a variety of projects, including:

Cooked: Survival By Zipcode by Judith Helfand

Ahead of the Curve by Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow

The Providers by Laura Green and Anna Moot-Levin

Building the American Dream by Chelsea Hernandez

Exiled by Mike Seely

PROPOSALS FOR FUNDING

I have contributed to proposals for successfully funded impact and engagement campaigns, including:

40 Days and 40 Nights Perspective Fund funded impact and engagement strategy development

Charm City OSI Baltimore and Perspective Fund funded pilot engagement effort in Baltimore

I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck, supporting Ford Foundation funded engagement planning

What Counts? for Health Leads to expand their engagement efforts with Nicole Newnham's documentary

CARE Ford Foundation funded national engagement campaign around the  documentary by Deirdre Fishel and Tony Heriza

Who Eats Taco Bell? for a creative transmedia national tour led by the TUG Collective

I contributed to the following during my time at Active Voice:

ONWARD MacArthur Foundation funded for platform design, development, and engagement campaign implementation*

Who is Dayani Cristal? Ford Foundation for strategy development and US-based and US-Mexico border engagement*

JustFilms Ford Foundation for strategy development for JustFilms filmmakers*

Sold private investor for strategy development and partner cultivation*

The New Black Historically Black Colleges for engagement campaign* implementation

Hawo's Dinner Party Andrus Family Fund BETS-III for video production*

Hawo's Dinner Party Open Societies Foundation for engagement campaign implementation*

GUIDES AND TOOLKITS

I have written and contributed to discussion guides and toolkits to support discussion and action around a range and issues and for a variety of films, including:

CARE, Community Screenings Kit

Nine to Ninety, Educator's Guide and Community Discussion Guide

ONWARD, an online multimedia initiative*

Facing Fear: Dialogue and Reflection Toolkit*

The Whole Gritty City Discussion and Action Guide*

American Revolutionary: Dialogue-Based Event Planning Toolkit*

Made in L.A. Education and Organizing Toolkit*

Gideon's Army at Work Toolkit to Help Advocates Advance Indigent Defense*

Behind Every Promise Discussion Guide, see also video module credit here*

Arab American Stories Educator Resources*

Educator's Guide to the Equal Voice Youth Empowerment Toolkit*

Hawo's Dinner Party: Recipes and Discussion Guide*

Have You Heard from Johannesburg? Discussion Guide*

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth Facilitation and Dialogue Guide*

Child Brides: Stolen Lives Facilitator Guide*

*Starred items refer to materials developed during my time at Active Voice.

For more on production credits, see Awards+Credits.