Overview

Dedicated to 'Impact'—a film's tangible social influence post-release, such as shifts in public perception or policy change—IMPACT ASIA IMPACT DAY is a one-day event reinterpreting 'impact and hybrid distribution' within an Asian context. Based on research and case studies of documentary distribution in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, the event explores its practical application alongside special screenings of the featured films. The country-specific case studies will be compiled into an 80-page report and made available at the venue. In addition, as part of IMPACT ASIA IMPACT DAY, the IMPACT Asia Award will be presented to selected projects in the Documentary WIP Showcase, awarding USD 5,000 to each of the three winning projects.

IMPACT ASIA IMPACT DAY Special Screening   * First-come, first-served for badge holders

[Session 1. Korea]
Impact Korea - Mapping Impact: Documentary, Movements, and Audiences (1980-2025)

Conducted as a joint research project by the Independent Media Research Institute and MediAct, this study examines all 4,379 documentaries listed in KMDb from 1980 to 2025, analyzing the landscape of films addressing social issues, communities, and rights across different periods.

Based on issues and agendas that have emerged within Korean society, the researchers developed a new classification framework consisting of four broad categories and 18 areas, including labor, housing and development, state power, social disasters, women and gender, LGBTQIA+, disability, migration and diaspora, and environment and ecology.

The research also surveyed 88 filmmakers to explore their perceptions of the meaning and conditions of impact. In addition, six impact documentaries — Sanggyedong Olympics, Habitual Sadness, Two Doors, Criminal Conspiracy, A Long Way to School, and Sura: A Love Song — were selected for in-depth case studies.

Through interviews with 19 people, including participants, directors, producers, distributors, social organizations, and audience campaign organizers, the study examines the social value created through the process of documentaries reaching their audiences.

Following the presentation of the research findings, a panel discussion on documentary film and impact will be held, moderated by Kim Myoungjoon (President of MediAct). The panelists will include Lee Eun-ja (protagonist of the documentary A Long Way to School), Park Bongnam (director of the documentary 1980 Sabuk), Park Imja (audience campaign organizer for the documentary Sura: A Love Song), and Ju Hee (Director at the distributor AT9FILM).

[Session 2. Taiwan]
Impact Taiwan - Documentary Film and Social Practice: A Case Study of Small Talk

This research, conducted by film curator and researcher Hsieh I-hsuan and technology- and data-driven anthropologist Tu Wei-hua, examines how Taiwanese documentary filmmaking has emerged as both a reflection of and a form of social practice, focusing on the film Small Talk.

Small Talk is a 2016 autobiographical film by director Huang Hui-chen, who is the daughter of a lesbian mother. After its premiere at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in 2016, the film won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival 2017 and was subsequently submitted as Taiwan’s entry for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Focusing on the film as a case study, the research provides an overview of the current landscape of documentary distribution in Taiwan and examines how film festivals across Taiwan function as platforms where audiences and filmmakers meet. It also explores how Small Talk has been utilized in various spaces beyond theatrical distribution as a means of raising social awareness and supporting education.

This will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Professor Wang Chun-chi of Taipei National University of the Arts, with Small Talk director Huang Hui-chen, Cheng Chiwei of the Taiwanese human rights organization Tongzhi, distributor House Wang of Light Year Images, and the researchers.

[Session 3. Japan]
Impact Japan - Festivals, Theaters, Audiences: A Case Study of What Should We Have Done?

Based on research conducted by Community Cinema Japan, this study provides an overview of Japanese cinema and mini-theater culture, examining Japanese documentary films released between 2018 and 2025, mini-theaters where documentaries are primarily screened, film festivals that screen documentaries, and independent organizations that organize regular documentary screenings. The findings and data have been compiled into a research report.

The panel discussion will focus on What Should We Have Done?, a documentary released theatrically in Japan in 2024 that achieved exceptional box-office results in the post-COVID period, including 55 consecutive sold-out screenings and three consecutive weeks at the top of the mini-theater rankings.

The discussion will be moderated by Fujioka Asako of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and will feature researcher Iwasaki Yuko, director Fujino Tomoaki, producer Asano Yumiko, Mukaitsubo Miho of Japanese distributor Tofoo Films, and Otsuki Takahiro, owner of Polepole Higashi-Nakano.