We are living in a time of severe social injustices, political clashes and ecological crises. In this situation many films, videos and TV programmes are produced with the intention of creating "social impact" that improves the status quo. These productions include fictional movies with messages, "social impact entertainment", "entertainment-education" programmes on TV, fundraising spots, health intervention films, activist videos, political art films, workers' films, or participatory films on social issues. But what actually is positive impact, and how can it be achieved? What types and forms of films have a great impact? And how can we create and disseminate such films?

Media practitioners and researchers have discussed a variety of impact strategies such as the emotional persuasion of large or small audiences, participatory production with affected communities or the targeting of individual decision-makers. At the same time, there is considerable disagreement about the feasibility and ethics of certain impact strategies, as well as about the concept of impact itself.

Based on the symposium “Social Impact of Audio-visual Media” (2021), this website is a research and pedagogical repository, as well as a networking platform, that can be used by scholars, filmmakers, producers, tutors and activists. The aim is to better understand the "impact" of audio-visual media in its various dimensions, challenges and forms, be they fictional or non-fictional.