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Doc U: Shooting Overseas - Making Your Doc on Foreign Soil

By IDA Editorial Staff


In this increasingly globalized world, more and more documentary filmmakers are finding themselves traveling to all parts of the globe to get their story. Even if you're not covering the most recent civil conflict on the other side of the world, shooting in a foreign country can be intimidating, frustrating and rife with pitfalls for even the most experienced filmmakers. With the right preparation and local partners, filming overseas can be the experience of a lifetime. So on Friday, June 15, we are hosting Doc U of doc filmmakers who have traveled the globe and film commissioners whose job it is to make filming in their countries as straightforward as possible.

This panel is moderated by IDA Board Member Senain Kheshgi (Project Kashmir). Panelists, including filmmakers Laura Nix (The Light In Her Eyes (Syria)), Amanda Pope, co-director with Tchavdar Georgiev The Desert of Forbidden Art (Uzbekistan & Russia), Till Schauder (The Iran Job (Iran)) and Katherine Fairfax Wright (Call Me Kuchu (Uganda)), will take the time to discuss the logistics of overseas doc filmmaking. The filmmakers will be joined by George David, General Manager of The Royal Film Commission (Jordan), and Thandeka Zwana, Production & Development Executive at the National Film and Video Foundation (South Africa).

This panel will take place at the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) Locations Show, the industry’s premier platform for bringing together the full scope of industry professionals, at the LA Convention Center. From independent filmmakers to industry veterans, this is the one location where the production community has access to the vast range of incentives, production locations, and business and support services essential to the industry. Once the panel has ended, wet your whistle at the Variety—LAFF cocktail party on the Expo floor from 6 – 7:30pm. The first 150 attendees of the panel get a free drink ticket for the cocktail party!

To attend this panel and register for a pass to the AFCI Locations Show, visit www.afcilocationsshow.com/register-attend. Click on the "Register to Attend" button, and fill out the information requested. Make sure to select IDA as the organization with which you are affiliated! You'll create your own account by entering a password you can remember. Once you’ve created your account, you'll receive an email confirmation with information on how to pick up your pass. Use your login/password again later to access your account online, or via the show's mobile site. It's all free!