'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.
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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
We first meet our protagonists seated together on a brightly lit set, their figures visible in the gap between a pair of dark curtains. Two hands come into view and clap together a film slate: Take One, Scene One. “In this film, I will try to tell the story of Olfa’s daughters,” declares director Kaouther Ben Hania, in a voiceover. “The two youngest, Eya and Tayssir, still live with her. The two eldest, Rahma and Ghofrane, were devoured by the wolf.” Loaded with poetic license, this phrase draws on the figurative to offer a cipher that holds the truth about their fates. Naturally, multiple
IDA’s Logan Elevate 2023 grantees attended one of the most celebrated gatherings of documentary filmmakers, producers, and enthusiasts from around the globe, IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam). This festival is known for pushing the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling, and it is seen as a melting pot of creativity, inspiration, and collaboration. This blog post aims to capture the essence of the cohort’s time at the festival, sharing the invaluable insights gained, connections forged, and the indelible impact of the IDA Logan Elevate Grant on our documentary filmmaking journey.
The pioneering American filmmaker William Greaves (1926–2014) produced, directed, shot, and edited more than 100 experimental, documentary, and social issue–based films. His four Emmy nominations cap a lifetime as a successful songwriter, dancer, and actor; he was a member of the Actors Studio and had featured roles in independent, Black-cast movies of the late 1940s.
In July 2021, a letter calling attention to my unlawful and unjust dismissal from my teaching position of 14 years at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and demanding my reinstatement was circulated internationally. It was signed by many colleagues in the documentary world. I am indebted to them for their support and solidarity. But to really understand what happened to me and to Boğaziçi University, one needs to understand what happened prior and since. Back in January 2016, I began actively working on my fourth feature documentary film, Nuclear alla Turca , researching, writing, and