Ideas for Your Documentary
Don't know what to make a documentary about or just window shopping for inspiration? Check out this list of documentary ideas and go go go!
6/24/20253 min read
This post is not static - as ideas come and go, this page will be updated to keep the ideas fresh and as current as we can make them!
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Idea #3: The Locals
On the local tip - I bet you didn't know that the fella who lives on the corner was a superhero, bitten by a radioactive capybara. He fights crime in the only way he knows how: by being so damn chill that criminals just forget about crime all together.
In all serious though - I bet there are lots of people in your community with fascinating stories to tell. So tell one of them!
Idea #5: Preserve Heritage
One of our closest partners, San Fu Malta, is a big name in the Dutch film scene. Through his production company, Fu Works, and his publishing company, Periscoop Film, he is a busy man! One of his big goals is to capture and preserve the heritage and history of the former Dutch Indies and Indonesia. He is seeking content for Pindah TV that covers subjects related to the above.
Some ideas are:
Make a documentary about someone with history from that region. Maybe you have a grandmother or grandfather that lived in Indonesia back then?
Historical piece - Explore and make a documentary about an event or a group from the former Dutch colonies.
What about new dishes or traditions that have grown out of the mixing of Dutch and Indonesian cultures?
Anything related to the resettlement and treatment of Indos/Indonesians when they fled Indonesia after the independence (the Molukkans for example).
You don't have to be Indo, you just gotta be interested in making a film about the life, culture and history. If you are seriously interested, talk to us before/during the program so we can see how we can support you.
Idea #2: Local organizations & businesses
Look up local non-profits in your area - a community-run theatre, for example, and make a documentary about them and what they do. Non-profits exist to serve communities, have tight budgets and can 100% use every bit of exposure they can get. Win-win!
Approach a local, small business and see if they are up for having. documentary made about them. The Neighbourhood corner store... what's the owner's story? Or perhaps that cute new teahouse/coffeehouse down the road that just opened up. Entrepreneurs are the drivers of the local economies but what drives them? What's the story behind what led them to open their establishment? What struggles have they/are they facing?
Idea #1: Explore Your Family History
We all have lineages that eventually reach back to when we crawled out of the primordial ooze 🫠 & while I'm pretty sure none of us have documentation going back that far, we still have people in our families that know our histories and maybe some interesting facts? Why not go on a little self-discovery hunt? A great way to learn about the history that eventually shaped you.
A climate march, a community effort to fight gentrification, a music or dance festival... I bet there are so many cool things happening in your town - capture one of them!
Words... I have none
