Morning Presentations: New Industry Initiatives (with DPA, DISCO, FFA, FWD-Doc)

Presentation 1: Contract Guidelines for Independent Documentary Producers

Presenters: Yael Bridge, Jin Yoo-Kim, Megan Gilbride (DPA)

Independent documentary producers face never-ending challenges to make a living from their work. This is in large part because the documentary industry has no real rules regarding sustainable working conditions and compensation for producers. To address this entrenched problem head-on, the Documentary Producers Alliance is launching the Contract Guidelines for Independent Documentary Producers. The guidelines are a tool for independent documentary producers as they consider and define working relationships with rights holders. These guidelines are the first of their kind, including a recommended rate table for producers, what terms producers should consider within a contract, and a glossary of terms and phrases.

Established in 2016, the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) is a diverse coalition of more than 500 international members, ranging from emerging to Academy Award-winning documentary producers. The DPA sets standards for inclusive, sustainable, and equitable business practices based on research, collective experience, and input from strategic partners, amplifying the voice of documentary producers worldwide, while educating the industry about producers’ essential role from development through financing, production and distribution.

Presentation 2: The DISCO Network
Presenter: Michelle Plascencia (Global Impact Producers Alliance)

The practice of Independent documentary filmmaking is an essential, persistent and innovative form of creative expression and over the past fifteen years, small organizations have sprung up in every region of the world, to enable, protect and champion this influential practice and their makers. DISCO is a group of cultural organizations who have come together to peer-share learnings, collaborate on initiatives and create novel resources for the field. Over time, we have become an informal support and sharing network to collaborate together on some of the systemic challenges facing independent media. DISCO partners work in over 40 countries across Central and South America, the USA + Europe, Africa, the Arab speaking regions, South and Southeast Asia. Join us to learn more about the network, what we are working on, and imagine a collective approach towards building just futures for our field.

Presentation 3: Film Event Accessibility Scorecard
Presenters: Barbara Twist (FFA), Jim LeBrecht (FWD-Doc)

Accessibility must be addressed at every stage of documentary filmmaking, including in exhibition by the festivals and events that showcase work to audiences and during festivals and events that are critical for disabled filmmakers' career progression. Disabled filmmakers overwhelmingly experience inaccessibliity at festivals and film events. In order to address these issues, the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard was developed by FWD-Doc in partnership with Film Event Accessibility Working Group (FEAW) with the support of Film Festival Alliance (FFA), and in association with 1IN4 Coalition. Film event organizers, filmmakers, industry participants, and attendees are invited to participate in the collection of accessibility data. Film events can use the results to improve the film events experience and create a more inclusive accessible field. FWD-Doc and FFA representatives will take us through the Accessibility Scorecard and share with us some of the data that they have collected since its launch in July 2022.

FWD-Doc is a global, intersectional community of disabled creators and allies working in media to build a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable entertainment industry. We cultivate and champion disabled media-makers, and we elevate stories by, for, and about disabled people.

Film Festival Alliance creates a collaborative global community for mission-driven film festivals. FFA advocates for a sustainable and inclusive environment for our industry within the cinema exhibition ecosystem and creates a powerful collective voice for film festivals and the people who run them.