Moving pictures that move people.

Award Winning Film Production and Photography for Human Rights Impact Communication.

thegoodmessage is your ethical imagery service provider.

Global image production and licensing for Human Rights driven documentation and campaigns.

Assign thegoodmessage for your photography or film project documentation and get striking images that serve your purpose and vision.

We set standards in ethical image production and storytelling.

Client experiences:

Danny Burns

Programme Director at Institute of Development Studies (IDS, UK)
„Tobias was a joy to work with. His professionalism, attention to detail, and constructive responses to feedback were exemplary. His ability to quickly grasp what we were trying to do was really important. We think that the film he made, captured the complexities of a very sensitive subject – conveying both the sobering nature of children’s working lives and the inspirational work that they were able to do. We are extremely happy with the collaboration and will certainly look for opportunities to work with Tobias again.“
Julieta Tourne

Head of Communications and Brand at Fairtrade International
“If you are looking to tell your organisations’ story in a way that is moving and people will remember, you are at the right place. Tobias is both able to develop a strong concept and long-term vision, while also zooming in and paying attention to every detail. From the music that it is used, to the last frame your audience will see. Bonus: he is fun to work with.”
Mohamed Aly Diabaté

Documentary filmmaker, Photojournalist, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
“His undeniable professionalism and exceptional creative vision greatly contributed to the success of the project. I highly recommend Tobias for his proven skills in digital communication, filmmaking and photography. His ability to combine technical expertise and creativity makes him the ideal collaborator for high-quality projects.”
Anu Rai

Marketing and Communication Manager at Network of Asia & Pacific Producers
“Tobias has always been one step ahead in digital communications. With an eye for detail and a passion for creating authentic and impactful content, his work has always been sought after by everyone in the Fairtrade system. His photography and filmmaking skills have powerful language that resonates with and speaks to the emotions of the targeted audiences.”
Marcelo Crescenti

Head of Communication at Fairtrade Germany
“Tobias not only has the technical know-how, but also the necessary sensitivity to produce wonderful images and accompany projects in the global South - a rare combination.”

Thank you to our partners:

Featured Production:

Team: Saumya Khandelwal, Tobias Thiele
Country: Nepal, Bangladesh

This production showcases how NGOs and institutions can benefit from working with a small, highly specialised agency for ethical film making in sensitive contexts.

The Institute of Development Studies requested a film to promote their innovative participatory research CLARISSA where working children themselves lead the study and their pathway to overcome the worst forms of labour.

Rather than focusing deeply on the issue of child labour itself, the film shows the innovative methodology to encourage an audience of researchers and decision makers to consider this participatory action research rather than the traditional pre-structured approach.

The interested audience should be pointed at the research outcomes on the programme’s website to get more familiar with the concept and understand its benefits.

This demanding goal led to a very open and constructive concepting stage, a team setup with fantastic photojournalist Saumya Khandelwal as the film’s host and narrator and an agile production in scenes of night clubs, toxic leather production and inspiring interviews.

Client
Institute of Development Studies

Year
2024

Awards and Selections:

2024:

Courage Film Festival
CinemaKing International Film Festival (CIFF) - South Asia

for “Chain Reaction - Child Labour Revisited” documentary film for the Institute of Development Studies, UK.

2023:

German Critics’ Award 2023

German Critics’ Award 2023 (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for Richard Bargel - Dead Slow Stampede.

2022:

4th Dimension Independent Film Festival (Indonesien)
Swedish International Film Festival SIFF
London Eco Film Festival
Courage Film Festival
Boden International Film Festival (Schweden)
Luleå International Film Festival (Schweden)

for the docuseries FARMERS for Fairtrade as staff member of Fairtrade Deutschland. Co-Producer Thorsten Kleinschmidt, Fairpicture. This documentary and the activities are partly funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).