With these shifting realities, as well as significant cuts in funding to PBS' nonfiction programming from the National Endowment for the Arts, what does the future hold for independent documentary films and public broadcasting? What can you do to impact the decisions and changes being made right now?
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.
"Can I see your trailer?" A fundraising trailer can make or break your film. Stop the guess work of what works and what doesn't with this full-day workshop for producers, directors, writers and editors.
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With the growing popularity of documentary film, many have admirably seized on the power of non-fiction storytelling to affect change around social and political issues. But in all the discussion about content and impact, have we forgotten to explore documentary as cinema, as art? In a lively conversation about how they mobilize aesthetic choices to generate meaning, filmmakers discuss stylistic strategies, creative inspirations, story structure, and the tension between form and content.
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Join moderator Lisa Leeman (One Lucky Elephant, Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trunga) as we look at case studies from filmmakers working in the field and hear from industry experts on the best practices of accounting and business management, with a focus on the impact and things to know when filing your taxes.
The Documentary Channel and the IDA have reteamed to create a special Doctalk show from the IDA’s 27th Annual Documentary Awards. This year, the awards show was hosted by Eddie Schmidt, Tiffany Shlain and Josh Fox. This special Doctalk show features exclusive interviews with the nominated feature
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What does it take to mount a successful Oscar campaign, and how much does it cost? What does an award really mean for the future of your film and your career? And what do the new rules really mean for doc filmmakers?
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The Fair Use Doctrine allows for copyrighted materials to be used without permission or payment—under certain circumstances. But what are these circumstances? How is fair use determined? What is the impact the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and its exemptions on documentary filmmaking? And how does using copyrighted material under Fair Use impact documentary filmmakers?
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Join director/producer/writer Lisa Leeman (One Lucky Elephant; Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trunga), in a conversation with directors Kirby Dick (Outrage, This Film is Not Yet Rated), Ondi Timoner (Dig!, We Live in Public) and David Weissman (The Cockettes, We Were Here) to discuss the art and craft of the successful documentary interview.
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IDA's all-day, back-to-back screenings of this year's Oscar® nominated documentary films.
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Can a documentary really change the world? Learn more about the ways and means of producing documentary films with the potential to effect real change.