IDA and The D-Word are proud to announce a new partnership designed to take vital conversations from Getting Real ’18 into the online space where we can open them up to the larger community. Starting in July 2019, we will be hosting a quarterly week-long Special Topic on The D-Word with leaders from the industry talking about issues that we find top of mind.
To join the conversation, you’ll need to become a professional member of The D-Word, if you are not already. It’s free and easy to join. Enter “IDA Special Topics” in the “How Did You Hear About The D-Word” field for fast registration.
We’ll be kicking things off on July 22 with Mental Health and the Documentary Business.
The business of making documentaries can be challenging, lonely and fraught with internal and external factors that affect our sense of value, purpose and place in the world. For some, this might mean facing rejections, financial hardships and self-doubt about their value and talent. For others, this might mean experiencing heavy secondary trauma from the stories they tell, and the human pain they witness. Unfortunately, the mental health aspects of documentary are rarely discussed in our public square, reinforcing the loneliness many feel.
Starting July 22nd, IDA and The D-Word are hosting a week-long special topic, in conjunction with filmmaker and psychotherapist Rebecca Day, to open a forum on the subject of mental health and documentary. Our hope is to listen, provide community, share practical strategies for coping with stress and start to change the way this topic is addressed in our business. There will be provision to post your questions, comments or personal experiences anonymously if you prefer.
Discussion topics up next
Budgeting with Robert Bahar: October 2019
Disability 2.0: Has the conversation evolved?: January 2020
DPA: Producing in the Wild West of Documentary: April 2020