Join us for a full day workshop with all the theory, structure templates, before & after, and successful real life examples from the book "Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo."
Educational Seminars
Our year-round series of seminars, panels and workshops focusing on the art, craft and business of documentary filmmaking. Become an IDA member to access previous seminars online.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to dialogue with one of the documentary community's most influential and knowledgeable decision makers. Hear the inside perspective on all things Sundance, including documentary fupnding strategies. Ask questions and schmooze with colleagues!
IDA is pleased to announce a special evening with filmmaker, R.J. Cutler who will discuss his latest film and share the story of his extraordinary success.
Join us for a special evening with Composer, Miriam Cutler; and Director, Lisa Leeman who are currently at work on the score for the upcoming feature documentary, One Lucky Elephant, the epic story of one man's determined quest to find a permanent home for Flora, the 26 year-old African elephant he adopted after she was orphaned in a culling.
Join moderator, Marjan Safinia, and other friends of IDA for a special evening with filmmaker, Ross Kauffman. Learn about the fascinating journey of "Born into Brothels" from concept to screen to Oscar; discuss challenges, tips, and advice for shooting in foreign countries, co-directing, the value of mentors, making the move from documentary into narrative and the evolution of a career that starts with an Oscar for your first film.
Join us for a special evening with filmmaker and activist, Robert Greenwald at his Brave New Films offices and studio space. Peek inside their operation. Learn about breakthrough techniques for building an audience, fundraising, and distributing your documentary.
The panel discussion will delve into the differences between television/broadcast content and international festival documentaries and how funding works in these different spaces around the world. What does it mean to have broadcast partners versus festival partners? Does one offer more creative freedom than the other? How can we negotiate the drawbacks and best use the opportunities these different forms offer? The conversation will examine broadcasters' priorities and ways they evaluate content that might drive them to co-produce, buy, or broadcast certain films instead of others.
Immersive media vibrates embodiment. It allows the viewer to dissolve into dimensional narratives, making experiences and bodies pliable. The introduction of VR, AR, and interactive exhibitions into practice has given nonfiction media makers new tools to tell expanded narratives. In turn, these same tools, with their capacity to innovate, strengthen the need for accessible storytelling. The disabled community, in particular, calls for a radical restructuring of pre-existing frameworks, from inclusive asset libraries to cripped (accessible) workflows and haptics.
Join Ranell Shubert, IDA Nonfiction Access Initiative (NAI) Funds Program Manager, and Keisha Knight, Director of Funds and Advocacy, to discuss the NAI program and launch of the NAI Nonfiction Media Makers with Disabilities Survey. Ranell and Keisha will present information about the survey, discuss how it was developed, and answer any questions.
Location: Hybrid, virtual on Zoom or in-person at IDA Office in Los Angeles In today’s rapidly evolving political and technological landscape, a legal doctrine as established as fair use, which remains as crucial to documentary filmmakers as the day it was introduced, is not safe from change. As a