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Here's What Really Happened

No tweeting. No press. No industry. Filmmakers-only conversations revealing personal insights into the art and business of documentary filmmaking.


“Here’s What Really Happened” are signature sessions from IDA's biennial Getting Real Conference that began as a filmmaker-led solution to combat the lack of transparency that continues to plague the community. These intimate conversations allow filmmakers to speak openly about what actually happened in the production, sales and distribution life of a film. The rules are, everything said in the room, stays in the room. Our goal is to create a safe space for discussion that allows filmmakers to have frank, meaningful discussions without the influence of industry in the room. We believe that one of the greatest resources for a filmmaker is another filmmaker.

In building a more knowledgeable and transparent community together, IDA tours “Here’s What Really Happened” sessions to various festivals and conferences around the world. These private conversations have focused on security/surveillance, sales agents, festival strategies, fact-finding, ethics, work/family life balance, truth-seeking in production, and other themes.

Learn what really happened behind-the-scenes in an upcoming session. It’s personal, it’s intimate, let’s get into it.


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Headshot of Eugene Jarecki; a middle-aged man with thick dark hair and round glasses, wearing a dark button down
Join us for another installment of the IDA Conversation Series, as we highlight the documentary career of filmmaker Eugene Jarecki. The evening will feature a clips program and lively conversation between Jarecki and host of KCRW’s The Document, Matt Holzman.
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Granted unprecedented access to the editors and reporters on the front lines, Emmy® winning and Oscar® nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus' The Fourth Estate follows the inner workings of The New York Times, revealing the challenges, triumphs and pitfalls of covering a president who has declared the majority of the nation's major news outlets "the enemy of the people."
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IDA invites you to a panel discussion featuring the directors and producers of features and programs airing on Netflix.
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IDA invites you to a panel discussion featuring highlighted clips from The Defiant Ones, Spielberg and The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling followed by moderated Q&A and reception.
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Join us for a special edition of the IDA Conversation Series, as we highlight the documentary career of internationally celebrated filmmaker Wim Wenders.
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Kick off the 2018 Awards Spotlight with a screening of National Geographic's One Strange Rock! We will be joined by award-winning producer Jane Root and former astronaut Nicole Stott for a moderated Q&A.
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Join us for a very special double Master Class in New York! In the morning, attorneys Neil Rosini, Jake Levy, and Steven Beer of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo will offer a 3-hour crash course on the legal basics that every maker of non-fiction productions should know. The afternoon workshop, led by filmmaker and archival researcher Sierra Pettengill, will provide practical advice and creative inspiration for nonfiction filmmakers interested in the potential of archival and “found” materials.
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Join us for a special Master Class that will examine the career of the Academy Award-nominated filmmaking team, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, whose creative approach to the verite aesthetic continues to define their 19+ years of filmmaking.