Cielo Saucedo

A pale, black haired person with bob sits on wooden stairs in a white dress with a black, fishnet long-sleeve top over it..

Cielo Saucedo is an disabled artist from a family of migrant farm workers. They work with computer generated imagery, non-fiction writing and sculpture to disrupt notions of humanism and make space for disabled mind-bodies and ecologies. Technology mediates their artistic production with the wax and wane of their ability.

Articles

Photograph of two men seated at a two-top in a cafe.

Producer’s Diary: ‘Hard to Swallow’ (November 2016–September 2023)

Fri, 01/12/2024

Column

A still from And So It Begins by Ramona S Diaz an official selection of the Premieres Program at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Cine Diaz.

Films from IDA Members at Sundance 2024

Fri, 01/12/2024

Blog

A film still with holographic colors shows a figure in a field.

“I Think Linearity Is a Trap”: Deborah Stratman Discusses ‘Last Things’

Wed, 01/10/2024

Online Feature

NAI Direct Access Fund Grantees

Tue, 01/09/2024

Blog

An Independent Spirit: Dara Messinger Discusses DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema

Fri, 01/05/2024

Online Feature

Film still from 'Eat Bitter,' showing the silhouette of a man with arms outstretched, on a small boat.

Inside DOC NYC: Power, Profit, and Community at America’s “Largest” Doc Fest

Fri, 12/29/2023

Online Feature

Tayssir Chikhaoui, Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui

Reenactments and Reversals: The Plot Twist in Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘Four Daughters’

Thu, 12/21/2023

Feature

IDA Logan Elevate 2023 Grantees at IDFA

IDA Logan Elevate 2023 Grantees at IDFA

Wed, 12/20/2023

Blog

Greaves wearing a black hat with a blue jean jacket and blue jeans, with cast and crew in Central Park during shooting of Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 1⁄2 (2003).

Reality Ink: A Review of ‘William Greaves: Filmmaking as Mission’

Tue, 12/19/2023

Column

April 15, 2016. In front of Bakirköy Women’s Prison, where my colleague and dear friend Esra Mungan, a professor of psychology at Boğaziçi University, was imprisoned. The writing on my fingers reads: “Freedom for Pens,” meaning freedom for those who express their thoughts in writing, which is a basic right.

Field Recording: We Do Not Accept!

Mon, 12/11/2023

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Notes From the Reel World, Fall 2023

Mon, 12/11/2023

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IDA Member Spotlight: Polina Herman

Thu, 12/07/2023

Blog

A group photo of ten filmmakers posed in an outdoor, industrial area.

Making a Production: Meerkat Media

Wed, 12/06/2023

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Letter from the Editor: Fall 2023

Wed, 12/06/2023

Column

In the distance, a young man stands on the edge of a mountain and looks across a wintery valley.

“Mongolia Felt Very Familiar”: Martina Radwan Discusses ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow’

Mon, 12/04/2023

Online Feature

Letter from the Editor, November 2023

Wed, 11/29/2023

Column

Black and white portrait of Nani Walker, who has shoulder-length hair and is wearing a black blazer.

A West Coast Perspective With Global Focus: Nani Walker Discusses L.A. Times Short Docs

Wed, 11/29/2023

Online Feature

Film still from 'To Kill a Tiger.'

“Unflinchingly Brave and Pro-Justice”: Nisha Pahuja Discusses ‘To Kill a Tiger’

Tue, 11/28/2023

Online Feature

Victoria Islamic Center members gather for the groundbreaking ceremony for their new mosque, in episode two of A Town Called Victoria.

The Feedback: Li Lu’s ‘A Town Called Victoria’

Mon, 11/27/2023

Column

Still image from 'Life Is Beautiful,' depicting filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly operating a camera and looking over his shoulder.

“I Want You To See My Life”: Mohamed Jabaly Discusses ‘Life Is Beautiful’

Thu, 11/23/2023

Online Feature

Still from 'Nowhere Near,' depicting the upper half of a Filipino man's head in front of a blue background. Courtesy of the Flaherty.

“We Can Nourish Each Other”: A Conversation with the Fall Flaherty NYC 2023 Programmers

Fri, 11/17/2023

Online Feature

Film still from 'The Disappearance of Shere Hite'

Faith in the Creative Impulse: Nicole Newnham Discusses ‘The Disappearance of Shere Hite’

Fri, 11/17/2023

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Yamagata film festival group

Back up the Mountains: Yamagata 2023

Fri, 11/17/2023

Online Feature

Dominique Silver in KOKOMO CITY, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

“The Audacity To Be Loved”: D. Smith Discusses ‘Kokomo City’

Mon, 11/13/2023

Online Feature

Attendees of the Victoria Islamic Center pray in a temporary building after an arson destroys their mosque.

Exclusive: Clip from Li Lu’s ‘A Town Called Victoria’

Thu, 11/09/2023

Blog

A Brown, badass, butch dyke is shooting a scene with queer rights protesters (offscreen) on the streets of New Delhi, with a video camera on a monopod and headphones covering her ears.

IDA Member Spotlight: Sonali Gulati

Thu, 11/09/2023

Blog

Attendees of the IDA and DAE cocktail party at IDFA 2022. Courtesy of DAE

We Must Address Abuse in the Documentary Industry

Sat, 11/04/2023

Online Feature

Logan Elevate 2023 Grantees

IDA Announces Logan Elevate 2023 Grantees

Thu, 11/02/2023

Blog

Film still from ‘The Script,’ depicting actors in an empty room on a soundstage. Image credit: Pete Quandt. Courtesy of Brit Fryer

“Who Is an Expert”: Brit Fryer Discusses ‘The Script’

Thu, 11/02/2023

Online Feature

Image Credit: Wouter Jansen. Film still from 'Malqueridas.'

“We Cannot Underestimate the Collective Power of Those Who Have No Access to Power”: Tana Gilbert Discusses ‘Malqueridas’

Thu, 11/02/2023

Online Feature

Film still from ‘Happy Campers.’ Courtesy of Amy Nicholson, Myrtle & Olive

Exclusive: Clip from Amy Nicholson’s ‘Happy Campers’

Thu, 11/02/2023

Blog

Interior of Stray Cat Film Center, a storefront microcinema in Kansas City

Hungry for More: A New Crop of Independent Film Organizations Thrives in the Great Plains

Wed, 11/01/2023

Online Feature

Film still from 'Altares.' Courtesy of Colectivo Los Ingrávidos

“Spans on a Bridge” Shorts Program: Lost (and Perhaps Found?) in Translation

Fri, 10/27/2023

Online Feature

A group of Getting Real Fellows watches a panel at Getting Real 22. Image credit: Urbanite Media

A Year in Review: IDA Getting Real ’22 Fellowship

Fri, 10/27/2023

Blog

Photograph of Sky Hopinka (left) and Jon Sesrie-Goff (right) in conversation, at HSDFF. Image credit: Aaron Brewer. Courtesy of HSDFF

From Sundance to Spa City: Hot Springs 2023

Thu, 10/26/2023

Online Feature

A person sits in a director's chair at a festival, holding a microphone.

Letter from the Editor, 2023 October

Wed, 10/25/2023

Column

Jay, a Dominican man with a goatee and reading glasses perched on top of his head, sits in a wheelchair holding a digital camera. Alexis, a white woman with dark brown hair stands next to him but a bit behind, holding headphones attached to a large camera on a tripod. They are smiling softly, looking at the camera, and wearing light jackets on a boardwalk in front of a river on a sunny day with clouds in the blue sky.

Producer’s Diary: ‘Fire Through Dry Grass’ (August 2019–October 2023)

Tue, 10/24/2023

Column

Photograph of Darcy McKinnon delivering a keynote talk at the Filmmaker Forum. Courtesy of HSDFF

Documentary Is Our Public Square: Keynote Address from Hot Springs’ Inaugural Filmmaker Forum

Tue, 10/24/2023

Online Feature

Jacqueline Blocker, person with long dark hair and silver hoop earrings

“Reflected as the Beautiful People That We Are”: Nailah Jefferson Discusses ‘Descended from the Promised Land’

Mon, 10/23/2023

Online Feature

Photograph of Carrie Lozano, a Latinx woman wearing glasses and a patterned shirt. Courtesy of ITVS

“We Have to Differentiate Ourselves”: Carrie Lozano Discusses ITVS’s Role in Public Media

Thu, 10/19/2023

Online Feature

investec

Making a Production: Grain Media

Tue, 10/17/2023

Feature

Film still from Reality Winner, of Reality Winner reuniting with her family after being released from prison. Image credit: E.J. Enríquez

Exclusive: Clip from Sonia Kennebeck’s ‘Reality Winner’

Mon, 10/16/2023

Blog

Film still from 'Your Friend, Memphis,' depicting a smiling young white man in a checkered shirt, raising his left arm, in a crowded stadium.

Exclusive: Clip from David P. Zucker’s ‘Your Friend, Memphis’

Thu, 10/05/2023

Blog

Film still from 'Your Friend Memphis': the silhouette of a person's back, as they look out to a sunset over the ocean.

The Feedback: David P. Zucker’s ‘Your Friend, Memphis’

Wed, 10/04/2023

Column

Photograph of Susan Bodine, Mary Harron, Mira Nair, Ira Deutchman (L to R) at a Missing Movies panel at Tribeca.

Seven Reasons Why Documentaries Go Missing

Tue, 10/03/2023

Online Feature

A person sits in a director's chair at a festival, holding a microphone.

Letter from the Editor, September 2023

Thu, 09/28/2023

Column

A film still depicting a tree with red buds in the middle of a lush landscape.

A Dedicated Space: Open City 2023

Wed, 09/27/2023

Online Feature

BRIC Announces BRIClab 2023–2024 Artists-in-Residence

Thu, 09/21/2023

Blog

Film still from 'Copa 71'. Woman soccer player holding up World Cup trophy in a stadium filled with fans and her team on the field with her.

“One Tiny Little Block”: Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine on ‘Copa 71’

Sun, 09/17/2023

Online Feature

still from 'Silence of Reason'

“Geographies of Survival”: Kumjana Novakova Discusses Her Sarajevo Film Festival Human Rights Award-Winning ‘Silence of Reason’

Tue, 09/12/2023

Online Feature