Social Impact Video Production Company

culture, behind the scenes

Community Forests International

How Social Impact Video Production Helped an Emerging NGO Get Its Message to the World.

written by: Dave Stonehousedate published: Sep 10, 2026 content type: behind the scenes

When National Geographic asked Community Forests International to cut its award-winning documentary in half, Hemmings House turned a daunting editorial challenge into a global platform moment

Why This Story Mattered

Co-founded by four tree planters to support sustainable forestry in Zanzibar, the Wabanaki forest region of the Canadian Maritimes and other nations, Community Forests International began as a small NGO committed to fostering global impact.

It built strong and collaborative international partnerships. It created a successful fundraising network through friends and colleagues. It even produced a 28-minute, multi-award-winning short film to bring its message to the world.

Kokota: the Islet of Hope (directed by filmmaker Craig Norris) was a hit on the film festival circuit. But when National Geographic called, asking if Community Forests International could cut its film by half to qualify as a National Geographic Short Film Showcase selection, the team realized they had a problem.

How do you take a project you are so close to and have invested so much in, and rethink it entirely for a new audience?

Their creative choices could mean the difference between reaching global donors through an internationally recognized brand platform and continuing to slog it out alone.

The Spark

Co-founder and program director Zach Melanson, a photographer and filmmaker himself, says Hemmings House was the right choice.

“I'd met Greg Hemmings and really liked him,” Zach says. “We're both from this place and have taken our passions and ambitions and drive further afield while being deeply rooted here. We're really value aligned as well. I was sure they could help us bring our vision to a larger platform.”

The Approach

A key challenge was that the new film had to be as articulate, as authentic and as engaging as the original, longer format documentary.

“Hemmings House came in with fresh eyes and were able to take our film, understand the mission and bring it to a 15-minute version that we felt was even more impactful than the original.”

We're both from this place and have taken our passions and ambitions and drive further afield while being deeply rooted here. We're really value aligned as well. I was sure they could help us bring our vision to a larger platform."

Turning Story Into Momentum

The intensive part of the process was at the front end, as Community Forests International familiarized Hemmings House with the original documentary. Zach says the turning point came early too, when Hemmings House turned over its first edit.

“It was so well executed we didn't miss anything that was cut. It felt like the same story. They understood what parts were vital and what parts weren't,” Zach says.

“That was our first project together, and it was a great collaboration.”

The Impact

Hemmings House edited the 28-minute documentary down to 15 minutes for National Geographic, where it was released as An Island on the Brink of Collapse Makes a Huge Comeback as an official Short Film Showcase selection.

The recognition affirmed the fledgling NGO's approach and opened doors by conferring instant credibility.

"It's really nice to have such an established, high-quality brand platform for a young organization like ours," Zach says. "It helped us break out as a young organization and gave us confidence that what we were doing was something special."

The Story Behind the Story

For Zach, two lessons stand out from that first collaboration.

One is the importance of mission-driven documentary filmmaking to NGOs.

“Filmmaking is one of the more impactful ways to tell a story because you're working with so many elements. You can really compress a lot of information and emotion into a very small window,” Zach says. “You're able to transport people to a different place. It’s exceptionally powerful.”

Working with filmmakers who “get it” is equally important.

“We are a people-first organization,” Zach says. “People are the change agents – when people are in relationship with the natural world around them, they tend to care for it better. With the film, we wanted to inspire people by sharing the story of the people in Zanzibar who inspired us. Hemmings House helped us achieve that.”

Why It Worked

In an increasingly crowded digital world, “how many people get to see your video is the name of the game. Video is something people are drawn to, and it’s pretty shareable, especially if you are thinking about how to share it ahead of time,” Zach says.

“The bigger the platform, the better the exposure… and for NGOs like ours, that translates into greater ability to celebrate our partners, to inspire people to work together, and to generate impact in the field.”