Ep. 284 I How to Fund a Documentary Without the Industry

How do you fund a documentary when the whole industry says no?

How do you fund a documentary without film funds, grants, or a commissioning broadcaster, and still reach a huge audience? Dutch filmmaker Jonathan de Jong did exactly that with Human Forever, the most-watched human interest documentary in Dutch cinema history. The government pulled his funding two and a half years into production, and he still finished the film, built a movement, and put it in cinemas around the world.

In Episode 284 of Documentary First, Christian Taylor sits down with Jonathan de Jong, director of Human Forever and founder of SUPER7EVEN Productions, to talk about how independent filmmakers actually fund, build an audience for, get access for, and produce a documentary that people see.

Jonathan's whole approach starts from one idea: build the audience before the film exists. He grew a following through a bestselling book, The Housemates, a touring theater show, and his protagonist, the young nurse Teun Toebes, before the movie ever premiered. He funds outside the traditional market by partnering with mission-aligned organizations, he earns fly-on-the-wall access by investing years of unhurried time, and he made a hard subject impossible to look away from. In his words, “we made dementia sexy.”

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to fund a documentary without relying on film funds, grants, or a broadcasterHow to build an audience for your film before it is releasedHow to get access to hospitals, care facilities, and other closed institutionsHow to produce a documentary across multiple countriesWhy Jonathan approaches every film as a product, not only a passion projectHow partnering with mission-aligned organizations can both fund and distribute your filmThe “be Switzerland” method for directing a subject to get honest, real reactionsHow to keep a film earning and touring years after its releaseWhy treating a serious subject with warmth beats treating it as only seriousWhat the record-breaking success of Human Forever teaches about impact over views

CHAPTERS

0:00 Breaking In Without Film School

5:06 Finding a Story Worth Telling

7:24 Build the Audience Before Release

12:21 When the Funding Fell Through

15:18 You Can't Buy Happiness