Presented by the Nonfiction Access Initiative, this panel centers on the disabled experience as a creative force central to mapping and expanding the field of immersive media. Contending with the virtual and practical infrastructure that brings it into our lives, leaders in the field of immersive accessibility come together to build a critical scaffolding around accessible, immersive storytelling.
Webinars & Workshops
IDA’s year-round webinars and workshops provide in-depth insights into the documentary world. These panels feature IDA members sharing their stories and experiences, ranging from industry professionals to emerging filmmakers. Each panel offers something special, covering topics from development techniques and funding to festival and distribution strategies. Explore IDA’s Webinars and Workshops to watch previous recordings.
In this IDA members-only workshop, veteran marketing expert and researcher Fred Greene will give a brief presentation on different moments filmmakers can position and present themselves in their projects. Greene will follow this talk with a series of short strategy sessions with pre-selected projects workshopping their written materials, and conclude with an audience Q&A.
As Western festivals and funding entities attempt to be more equitable and supportive of indigenous and non-Western filmmakers, they continue to exert pressure on filmmakers’ expectations of the commercial viability and artistic merit of their films, even if the filmmakers are tackling local topics.
Led by producer Maya E. Rudolph of Louverture Films, whose experience ranges from Netflix docuseries (The Andy Warhol Diaries) to more experimental festival fare (The Tuba Thieves, Sundance ‘23; Cablestreet, Sundance ‘19) and post-supervising independent features (The Lovers), this session starts with a presentation and includes a 30-minute audience Q&A.
In this 90-minute workshop, Gabriella Ortega Ricketts, IDA’s Manager of Artist Programs and working archival producer (The Andy Warhol Diaries [2022], Aum: The Cult at the End of the World [2023]), will walk filmmakers through the process of handling archival materials from research to organization and licensing.
In this workshop, IDA’s Director of Artist Programs Abby Sun walks filmmakers through the process of developing a film festival strategy that takes the particular expectations, needs, and prospects of your individual film into account.
The Enterprise Documentary Fund Production Grant application will open on March 2, 2023. In preparation for the open call, the IDA Funds Team held a public info session and gave a general overview of the fund.
When presented with a seemingly infinite number of possibilities, documentary filmmakers sometimes find themselves frozen in indecision about the direction of their project. In those moments of indecision, the emotional core of the film can get lost.
In this two-hour workshop, entertainment attorney Chris Perez will clarify and simplify questions about fair use. Chris, who is a partner at Donaldson Callif Perez, current co-president of the IDA Board, and co-writer of Clearance and Copyright, 5th Edition and The American Bar Association’s Legal Guide to Independent Filmmaking, will use his extensive experience helping documentary filmmakers navigate clearance issues to break down the do’s and don’ts of fair use.
How much does it actually cost to make and finish a film? How do I find co-conspirators to make and finish films with? How do I fundraise? What materials, access, and ideas do I need before I get started? How do I describe my film?