Join us for a full day workshop with all the theory, structure templates, before & after, and successful real life examples from the book "Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo."
Educational Seminars
Our year-round series of seminars, panels and workshops focusing on the art, craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Become an IDA member to access previous seminars online.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to dialogue with one of the documentary community's most influential and knowledgeable decision makers. Hear the inside perspective on all things Sundance, including documentary fupnding strategies. Ask questions and schmooze with colleagues!
IDA is pleased to announce a special evening with filmmaker, R.J. Cutler who will discuss his latest film and share the story of his extraordinary success.
Join us for a special evening with Composer, Miriam Cutler; and Director, Lisa Leeman who are currently at work on the score for the upcoming feature documentary, One Lucky Elephant, the epic story of one man's determined quest to find a permanent home for Flora, the 26 year-old African elephant he adopted after she was orphaned in a culling.
Join moderator, Marjan Safinia, and other friends of IDA for a special evening with filmmaker, Ross Kauffman. Learn about the fascinating journey of "Born into Brothels" from concept to screen to Oscar; discuss challenges, tips, and advice for shooting in foreign countries, co-directing, the value of mentors, making the move from documentary into narrative and the evolution of a career that starts with an Oscar for your first film.
Join us for a special evening with filmmaker and activist, Robert Greenwald at his Brave New Films offices and studio space. Peek inside their operation. Learn about breakthrough techniques for building an audience, fundraising, and distributing your documentary.
In this panel, moderated by filmmaker Charlie Shackleton, representatives from an array of archives will discuss these challenging issues, while also highlighting the ways in which archives can serve the independent filmmaking community.
Don’t know what E&O insurance is? Seth Cohen and Bob Jellen from HUB International will start with a virtual 30-minute Zoom presentation on insurance for documentaries, during which all of the above questions will be answered.
Filmmakers of color often encounter pushback from the industry around how to tell our stories our way. We are nudged to sacrifice our vision, our creativity, and sometimes even the truth, in the name of commercial viability and mass audience appeal. How can we be supported to tell stories outside of the dominant gaze, if most formative spaces for international artists are trying to make a film “accessible” to a mass audience?
Join Emmy®-winning filmmaker Lindsey Dryden and filmmaker & writer Kyla Harris in a workshop on Disability Justice, disabled-led creativity, and accessibility in the film and TV industry.