Before awards season begins, we wanted to spotlight two recent projects that took part in the Together Films Strategy Lab: BIFA & Grierson-nominated Motherboard and BIFA-longlisted The Shadow Scholars. Both demonstrate how strategic thinking can elevate a film’s reach, turning artistic vision into measurable social impact.
CASE STUDY: MOTHERBOARD – TURNING PERSONAL STORYTELLING INTO HEALTH ACTION
In 2024, we ran a Strategy Lab with BAFTA-winning director Victoria Mapplebeck for her feature documentary Motherboard. The film, shot over two decades, chronicles Victoria’s journey through single parenthood and breast cancer, blending humour and raw honesty to explore resilience and motherhood.
In our lab sessions, we explored how Motherboard could turn its deeply personal narrative into a national call for awareness. Together, we:
- Workshopped plans for theatrical and non-theatrical distribution strategies to reach target audiences whilst anchoring activity around key activation dates such UK festival premieres and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- Designed audience Calls to Action, such as encouraging breast self-examination and early screening.
- Identified key success indicators and designed strategies to achieve them.
- Supported planning for fundraising efforts and partnership development.
The result? A campaign that doesn’t just celebrate survival, it invites action. As Motherboard premiered at CPH:DOX and the London Film Festival, the groundwork laid in the Strategy Lab ensured every screening became an opportunity for real-world impact. The film was successfully released by Tull Stories in the UK, and is represented for international sales by Autlook.
There is a fundraising and impact screening with Breast Cancer Now and Fruitfly Collective on December 17th at Genesis Cinema, London. Click here to book tickets.
CASE STUDY: THE SHADOW SCHOLARS – EXPOSING HIDDEN INEQUALITIES IN EDUCATION
The Shadow Scholars investigates the global industry of academic ghost-writing, following highly educated Kenyans who work for essay mills to produce academic papers that students then pass off as their own.
The film exposes this vast, hidden economy of “contract cheating,” estimated to involve over 37 million students worldwide. Centred on Nairobi, one of the world’s largest hubs for this work, the documentary exposes how global inequalities in education and employment have created a thriving trade in academic labour that remains largely invisible.
In 2023, Together Films helped the filmmakers frame the story not just as an exposé but as a tool for advocacy. The Strategy Lab focused on:
- Identifying academic integrity organisations, research centres, and think tanks as key partners.
- Crafting visual messaging to connect with both policymakers and parents.
- Mapping festival and media outreach to coincide with campaigns exposing the hidden labour underpinning global education systems.
The film’s resulting Impact Strategy positioned The Shadow Scholars as a conversation starter amongst policymakers and academics, provoking an interrogation into academic integrity, the ethics of outsourced student work, and the often-invisible labour behind the global contract-cheating industry. The film was released by Dogwoof to critical acclaim.
WHY FILMMAKERS LOVE THE IMPACT LAB
Whether you’re in early development, mid-production, or preparing for release, the Strategy Lab gives filmmakers the frameworks, research, and practical tools to:
- Translate your film’s themes into tangible impact objectives.
- Map potential partnerships with NGOs, educators, and funders who align with your message.
- Plan audience engagement beyond the festival circuit — into communities, classrooms, and businesses.
- Position your film for both social change and commercial success.
- Empower filmmakers to advocate for their impact goals during the full distribution lifecycle
It’s a space to pause, reflect, and ensure your creative work makes the difference you imagined when you started.
FINAL THOUGHTS
From the personal storytelling of Motherboard to the global perspective of The Shadow Scholars, each lab experience is different, but the result is the same: clarity, confidence, and a campaign that makes your film matter.
