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Panels & Workshops

Our year-round series of topical seminars led by experts in the documentary field.


Sat. June 10, 2017 @ 2:00pm
With increasing challenges to the privacy and security of filmmakers, do you know how to protect your digital communications and equipment? This half-day intensive, co-hosted by the International Documentary Association, ITVS and Freedom of the Press Foundation will provide how-to guides and resources for protecting your privacy in the age of mass surveillance.

Sat. June 10, 2017 @ 10:00am
Join us in New York for VR 101 for Documentary, co-presented with the New York Film Academy. This daylong workshop is specifically designed to give nonfiction filmmakers the basic tools to enter the world of VR for documentary. From storytelling to stitching, attendees will receive hands-on experience with the tools used for this developing technology.

Sat. April 1, 2017 @ 10:00am
Virtual Reality has been called "the ultimate empathy machine," but what does this new technology really offer nonfiction filmmakers? This one-day workshop, co-sponsored by the International Documentary Association and the New York Film Academy LA, will explore this brave new world that leaves one hundred years of film grammar behind but introduces a whole new range of possibilities.

Sat. July 23, 2016 @ 9:00am
Join us for a day of an essential survey of current cameras and audio equipment, including features, cost, and performance.

Sat. May 21, 2016 @ 9:30am
Join us for a special event to discover and analyze the qualities that make some documentaries stand above the rest. This three-hour interactive workshop offers an in-depth analysis of recent Academy Award-winning documentaries to reveal what makes them great.

Sat. April 23, 2016 @ 10:00am
Join us for a very special Virtual Reality (VR) Documentary Workshop that features a hands-on approach to the new world of VR, discussing current tools, emerging techniques and methodologies as well as the ethical concerns of this rapidly evolving medium. This daylong workshop is specifically designed to give nonfiction filmmakers practical knowledge in every major aspect of crafting VR in documentary.

Thu. April 21, 2016 @ 7:00pm
Join us for the first ever public event in Los Angeles to explore the many points of intersection between the documentary and VR worlds. This wide-ranging panel discussion will provoke your curiosity and raise as many questions as it answers about the vast possibilities and possible limitations related to documentary and VR.

Thu. November 5, 2015 @ 4:00pm
Free for IDA members on a first come, first served basis. Learn about the latest developments and best practices coming out of the educational distribution and outreach/engagement worlds as, together, we explore these topics with a highly impressive array of panelists.

Tue. October 27, 2015 @ 7:00pm
In partnership with AFI DOCS Join us for a day with keynotes, panels, Q&A, and reception.

Wed. August 12, 2015 @ 7:00pm
Free for IDA members on a first come, first served basis. Find out what the WGAW offers writers working on documentary films and nonfiction projects. The WGAW’s Independent Film Executive Kay S. Wolf and Contracts Administrator Elisabeth Flack will be on hand to answer your questions.