As the conference is named Getting Real and this dispatch is of a more personal nature, my job here is to, yes, keep it real. That’s why I must confess: when I'm really enthused about something, I use rhyming expressions. My response to my Wednesday Getting Real experience? It rocks my socks. In fact, it's the bee's knees. All day, I felt the enormity and depth of the wisdom, talent, experience, passion, creativity and intelligence surrounding me, during every panel and presentation, in every gathered audience. Whether or not we find our way in this world depends on people like the attendees

I'm Tracie Lewis. I'm a film lover, adjunct film instructor, filmmaker, storyteller and three-time Getting Real attendee. Getting Real '18 is bigger and better! This conference has grown in several ways since the first one four years ago. This year there are thoughtful panels, fresh ideas, new faces, expanded venues, a younger demographic of attendees and a large group of very helpful volunteers wearing easily identifiable orange tees. There is so much more this year: Carefully curated panels, topics, case studies, funding initiatives and discussions with interesting and engaging facilitators

Tuesday morning, the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood buzzed with introductions, reconnections and reunions as Getting Real 2018 attendees settled into their three-day conference journey. IDA Executive Director Simon Kilmurry offered opening remarks, encouraging everyone to "talk, engage, listen and debate," perfectly setting the stage for Molly Thompson's keynote, which centered around one question: What is a documentary filmmaker? As Senior Vice President of Feature Films at A+E Networks, Thompson has overseen such Academy Award-nominated docs as Life, Animated; Cartel Land; Jesus Camp and

Getting Real ‘18 is almost here! Whether you’ll be joining us in LA or in spirit, you might want to study up on the stellar slate of filmmakers who will be discussing both their work and the issues that matter most to the community. Here are some docs to get real to: American Promise Directed by Getting Real ‘18 keynote Michèle Stephenson, American Promise provides a rare look into black middle-class life while exploring the common hopes and hurdles of parents navigating their children's educational journey. Watch It: Vudu (free with ads), iTunes, YouTube Movies, Google Play, Amazon Call Her

Call For Entries For Best Audio Documentary (Radio/Podcast) are now open! In recognition of the continued expansion of the nonfiction form, we are introducing two new categories for the 34th Annual IDA Documentary Awards. As radio storytelling and podcasting have staked out bold artistic territories, we are debuting the award for Best Audio Documentary. And, as the community has witnessed an impressive body of adventurous work in music documentaries over the past few years, IDA will create a special category devoted exclusively to this genre. "The IDA is proud to support the documentary

Ken Jacobson recently departed IDA, having served just over three years as its inaugural director of educational programs and strategic partnerships. In that short tenure, he added significant value and visibility to the organization, expanding its programming to include intensive master classes and enhancing the profile of the "Conversations with…" series by securing TCM host Ben Mankiewicz to commandeer the evenings. And then there was Getting Real, the groundbreaking filmmaker-to-filmmaker event--developed and produced by Jacobson, Execeutive Directors Michael Lumpkin and Simon Kilmurry and

Hillary got it wrong. Her campaign slogan, "Stronger Together," embossed on a sea of campaign signs at the Democratic convention and emblazoned across banner ads in The New York Times, has the right idea, but, in my mind, puts the two words in reverse order. At least that's the argument I began constructing when I realized that the slogan we coined months ago for the Getting Real 2016 documentary film conference was almost identical to hers. "Together. Stronger." That's our slogan. Of course, the two messages are so similar, why quibble? The difference is subtle, but for those of you not that

"We are standing here to prove that Ukraine is a European country." Editor's note: Over the next few weeks, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the films that have been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with an Oscar® nomination in the documentary category. You can see Winter on Fire on Saturday, February 27 at 10:30p at the Writers Guild of America Theater as part of DocuDay LA. Over the course of just 93 days in 2014, what began as peaceful student demonstrations in Ukraine morphed into a violent revolution. Filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky was on the

"The more people see of me, the more they'll realize that all I'm good for is making music." Editor's note: Over the next few weeks, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the films that have been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with an Oscar® nomination in the documentary category. You can see Amy on Saturday, February 27 at the Writers Guild of America Theater as a part of DocuDay. On September 21, 2015, the IDA screened filmmaker Asia Kapadia's shattering and affecting Amy as a part of the IDA Documentary Screening Series. Now an Oscar-nominee about the

Back in the fall of 2014, the IDA held the first Getting Real Documentary Film Conference. We had no idea of the impact it would make in the field nor the depth of conversations it would spur. The conference aimed, of course, to gather filmmakers, industry professionals, academics, and students who could confront the critical issues facing the documentary community. The three-day conference, held in Los Angeles in partnership with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, succeeded in building a sense of community and pushed the conversation forward on key issues within the field. This