Award-Winning Filmmaker Joe Berlinger to Join International Documentary Association Board of Directors

Los Angeles, CA (August 29, 2016) – The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced today that award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger will join its Board of Directors.

Berlinger is an Academy Award and seven-time Emmy nominated and Peabody and Emmy-winning filmmaker and has been a leading voice in nonfiction film and television for two decades. Berlinger's films include the landmark documentaries BROTHER'S KEEPER, the PARADISE LOST Trilogy, which helped lead to the recent release of the wrongfully-convicted West Memphis Three, and METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER, a film that re-defined the rockumentary genre. CRUDE, about oil pollution in the Amazon Rainforest, won 22 human rights, environmental and film festival awards. Six of Berlinger's documentary features have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, including his Emmy-winning 2012 Paul Simon documentary UNDER AFRICAN SKIES and, more recently, for CNNFilms, WHITEY: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. JAMES J. BULGER. He has also received multiple awards from the Directors Guild of America, the National Board of Review and the Independent Spirit Awards. He has created, directed and produced countless hours of television including the critically-acclaimed Sundance series Iconoclasts and Oprah’s Master Class for the Oprah Winfrey Network Berlinger’s latest feature documentary, TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU, capturing renowned life and business strategist and best-selling author, Tony Robbins, in a revelatory cinéma vérité film going behind the scenes of his mega once-a-year seminar “Date With Destiny,' and giving an insider look at how one man can affect millions, was recently released worldwide by Netflix.

“Two years ago, at the inaugural Getting Real 2014 documentary conference, Joe Berlinger spoke movingly about the power of the IDA community rallying to support him as he dealt with law suits from Chevron in response to his film CRUDE,” said IDA Board President, Marjan Safinia. “Having witnessed first hand the impact and value of an organization and community that supported him in his hour of need, Joe told the conference audience that he was motivated to give back. It was that same day that we started a conversation about him joining the Board of Directors at IDA. It makes me tremendously proud that he will now be taking his seat at the table on the eve of our second Getting Real Conference. Joe has fought in the trenches as a filmmaker, is a fearless, outspoken advocate and a tremendously gifted storyteller. I’m delighted he will be bringing his talent, wisdom and leadership to his new role at IDA.”

Berlinger, who will also feature at IDA’s upcoming Getting Real ’16 conference in Los Angeles, said, “With the explosion of platforms, there has never been more opportunities for documentarians; but, with documentarians doing much of the investigative reporting today, the risks have also never been greater. Joining the IDA board gives me an opportunity to help grow an organization that has really helped me navigate these very issues over the years.”

IDA’s Getting Real ’16 conference will take place in Los Angeles September 27-29, 2016.