Sundance’s hold on worldwide documentary market trends remains in full force, even if its status is now based more on historical precedence than actual sales of films with available rights. For the upcoming 2024 edition (January 18–28), the programmers—headed again by Kim Yutani—seem to have steered clear of anything that might be as controversial as Jihad Rehab (2022; also known as The UnRedacted ) or as ethically questionable as Beyond Utopia (2023). The film selection of Eugene Hernandez’s first edition as festival director leans into ongoing trends such as biographical documentaries of
Latest Posts
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, my passion for video production was ignited in childhood while accompanying my father, a national public network announcer, to TV studios. Enrolling in Visual Arts at a prestigious local university, I simultaneously pursued language education in French, English, and Italian while honing videography and photography skills. Further studies in Video Design and Filmmaking at the European Institute of Design in Rome enriched my knowledge. Returning to Colombia, I delved into the advertising industry, contributing to projects for renowned brands. A documentary filmmaking
Founded in 2005, Doc Society became the British Film Institute’s documentary partner in 2018, administering money raised through the UK’s National Lottery. Luke Moody oversees the three key programs that comprise the BFI Doc Society Fund, all of which are for UK-based filmmakers.
This Monday, we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy of the Civil Rights movement. Check out our curated list of documentary films and series on Dr. King and the civil rights era.
'Hard to Swallow' is an independent docuseries fronted by Tunde Wey, a chef and writer known for projects addressing race and class inequity. I’ve been producing 'Hard to Swallow' with Tunde for more than four years, and this diary recounts incredible highs, devastating lows, and our tumultuous relationship with the television industry. 'Hard to Swallow' is funded by the Ford Foundation and Pop Culture Collaborative, and supported by IFP (now the Gotham) and SFFILM. At the time of publication, we are editing the fourth of twelve episodes and planning a screening tour for 2024.
The global IDA membership is comprised of professionals working in varying roles in the non-fiction field. We are documentary workers, professionals, thought leaders, and field shifters from across the globe with a united passion for the non-fiction form. We celebrate the work of our members during our own International Documentary Awards and other festivals around the world. With the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, we are delighted to celebrate members who have a film in the festival as directors, writers, producers, and other roles. Our team gathered the list below. If you are an IDA member
In her more than two dozen films, Deborah Stratman has explored various ways in which history, science, ideas, locations, and psyches (both individual and collective) intersect, often through cinematically unorthodox methods. Her newest work, Last Things (2023) , is a terrific showcase for this tendency. Despite running only 50 minutes, the film’s thematic reach is ambitious, as it encompasses Earth’s entire geological history and possible futures. Stratman asks the viewer to approach this topic from the point of view of the Earth itself, imagining what time might look like from the
IDA and Nonfiction Access Initiative are thrilled to announce the first cohort of 21 selected projects for the Direct Access Fund. The 21 selected projects were chosen from 111 applicants from 25 different countries.
As the theatrical market for arthouse and documentary films continues to recover from the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may not seem like the most opportune time to open a new cinema. But timing is what you make of it. Community, resilience, and innovative thinking matter a whole lot too—and those qualities have helped power the successful first year of Firehouse, DCTV’s 67-seat, single-screen cinema for documentary film. Opened in late 2022, Firehouse Cinema has become a welcome and welcoming addition to the documentary landscape in New York City. Founded by Jon Alpert and
DOC NYC touts itself as “America’s Largest Documentary Film Festival,” as its tagline states. But for some, bigger isn’t always better. With 114 feature documentaries and 129 short films; an industry conference called DOC NYC PRO; honoree lists such as 40 Under 40 and Documentary New Leaders; and its famous Short List film program and Visionaries Tribute event (known to insiders as “The Prom”), DOC NYC is a sprawling event. Over the past 14 years, it has grown into an outsized destination for documentary filmmakers, with big promises of exposure, validation, and most of all, awards buzz during