Updated on June 8, 2026–Safety Planning Training for Documentarians
June 8, 2026
Censorship is not always overt. In fact, many democracies that openly espouse values of freedom of speech and expression often engage in more covert forms of censorship and suppression. Of late, this is what the world of independent nonfiction filmmaking has been experiencing. A film might quietly lose its funder for unspoken reasons. Individual funders are quietly pulling their names off credits for films exploring strong political themes. Streamers are either sunsetting their documentary arms or primarily funding celebrity, sports, and true crime documentaries. For all of these reasons, documentaries that investigate, probe, and tell urgent stories are often the ones left struggling to be completed, much less to be seen by the world.
Beginning in November, 2025, IDA partnered with the Journalism Protection Initiative (JPI) and the Documentary Film program at the Newmark J-School to host an all-day Risk Assessment training in New York. After that great success demonstrated a clear need for this ongoing resource for nonfiction filmmakers, IDA once again partnered with JPI and expanded a second iteration of the training to be hosted in Los Angeles.
With increased support and sponsorship from the Golden Globe Foundation, IDA and JPI once again hosted an all-day training for nonfiction filmmakers at the beautiful Golden Globe Foundation office in West Hollywood on Friday, May 29. Experts engaged IDA members and other filmmakers working on sensitive projects on how to consider four aspects of safety: legal, digital, psychological, and physical. Structured in phases – before, during, and after production (including the film's premiere) – safety planning experts detailed frameworks and questions to help filmmakers apply these strategies to their specific projects. Following this, breakout groups used real-world scenarios to help filmmakers create and pitch safety plans to the experts. This exercise emphasized the critical importance of staying prepared while remaining adaptable to changing circumstances, especially in long-form nonfiction.
Session experts flew to Los Angeles for the program from across the United States, including our lead facilitator, Kate Parkinson from the Journalism Protection Initiative (JPI), who designed the all-day training in collaboration with me, Maria Santos, IDA’s Artist Services Manager. When thinking about the day's design, this event is about more than simply sharing information, though that’s a big part of it. It was about modeling one of the foundational tenets of psychological safety - avoid isolation, especially when the work is precarious and intimidating. We wanted the filmmakers to feel a sense of camaraderie with their filmmaking peers and experts in the safety-planning arena. For this reason, we invited Jen Nelson from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) to focus on legal safety; Ariel Ritchin from the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma (GCJT) to focus on the psychological safety aspect; and Davis Erin Anderson from the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) to focus on the daunting digital safety challenges involved in making films. Together, they brought different perspectives, approaches, and expertise, creating a program where filmmakers could experience how each aspect requires its own dedication but also intersects. One aspect informs the others, and all of them affect the overall risk level of the projects at different stages.
After the training, the filmmakers and experts ended the day with a decompression reception. Participants raised many difficult and urgent scenarios as they sought advice on their specific projects. It’s necessary to confront these sensitivities, and it was crucial that we do so as a cohort. I leave you with the final words from one of the participants, producer and lawyer Carra Greenberg, who reflected on the main takeaway from the program: “We are not alone. We are empowered and supported by the law, by a community of people who value the stories we are trying to tell and get out there. [I learned that] we have resources and that utilizing those resources is a way to remind ourselves of our agency in a time when it's crucial to remember.”
IDA will continue to invest in programming and knowledge-sharing that empower filmmakers to keep making their films.
May 6, 2026
Participants for this training are selected based on their project's current needs and their availability to attend in person. Space is limited, but IDA members interested in attending can fill out this interest form by Monday, May 11, 2026. If you need more time to decide or figure out travel plans, please indicate your interest by emailing artistservices@documentary.org. ***ACCESSIBILITY: The building is accessible from the parking lot by ramp. Restrooms have braille signage and are gender neutral. Please email us at access@documentary.org if you have any other questions about access to this event.
Nonfiction filmmakers continue to be the lifeline for stories that would otherwise go untold, thanks to their bravery and perseverance in uncovering the truth. As we face growing authoritarian influence over media and information all across the world, we must support filmmakers in continuing to make impactful work ー work that is responsibly made and protected from threats of censorship. For this reason, International Documentary Association (IDA) is once again partnering with the Journalism Protection Initiative (JPI) to host a Safety Planning workshop for documentary filmmakers on May 29 at the Golden Globes Foundation*** in Los Angeles.
The session will be led by Kate Parkinson, the Risk & Safety Manager at the Journalism Protection Initiative, who has worked as a foreign correspondent and documentary producer. She brings firsthand experience of the physical, digital, legal, and psychological risks journalists face. That perspective now shapes her work at the Journalism Protection Initiative, where she helps strengthen safety and resilience across journalism education and practice. Kate will be joined by representatives from other organizations working in the safety protocol space, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The speakers include Jennifer Nelson, Ariel Ritchin, and Davis Erin Anderson.
While keeping the needs of nonfiction filmmakers top of mind, the intensive full-day program will provide resources for safety planning and go deep on the four specific aspects of safety: physical, digital, psychological, and legal. With hands-on exercises and plenty of time for peer connections, we anticipate a mix of mid-career filmmakers who can share their experience and those who are emerging in the space and just beginning to manage the challenge of working in an environment of heightened risk.
The program begins at 8:30 a.m. PT with coffee and snacks for the early risers. The training starts promptly at 9 a.m. and ends by 6 p.m., with many breaks throughout. Lunch is provided, and a reception will follow at the end of the day.
In partnership with:
