Beyond the Screen of Fathers Matter Series

Recognizing the underestimation of fathers' active presence and the prevalent issues of low child support and high child abuse rates, Heartlines - the Center for Values Promotion in South Africa initiated the entertainment-education (E-E) intervention by producing Fathers Matter series to communicate these concerns effectively and advocate for transformative changes in social norms surrounding fatherhood and paternity. This research investigates the collaboration between film production professionals and social change professionals in shaping the development and content of the series, addressing the question: How does the collaboration between film production professionals and social change professionals shape the development and content of the film series Fathers Matter, which aims to reshape societal norms surrounding fatherhood in South Africa? The study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach that combines content analysis of the Fathers Matter series and in-depth interviews with six experts, including social change professionals and media professionals involved in the makings of Fathers Matter. The analysis is guided by a thematic method and incorporates theories of E-E strategy, the E-E media mapping model (Bouman, 2021), and storytelling to derive research findings. Notably, the findings highlight the substantial impact of E-E collaboration on the content of Fathers Matter through the practice of negotiated authority and power over the decision-making process. The results suggest that Fathers Matter effectively leverages resources from sustained relationships between collaborators fostered through E-E collaborative efforts characterized beyond trust and respect. Overall, this paper contributes to the existing body of academic literature on E-E interventions by providing valuable insights into the collaboration processes, power dynamics, and the integration of diverse professional expertise in producing E-E media products. The findings also encourage further research on promising forms of E-E intervention in broader areas beyond health communications, emphasizing their potential to create a positive societal impact.