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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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Film still from 'jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy'. Image courtesy of Netflix.
A landmark documentary event presented in three acts directed by Coodie & Chike, from TIME Studios and Creative Control, 'jeen-yuhs' is an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West’s experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.
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Graphic of fire illuminating in layers
About the Event Co-presented with Black Public Media (BPM) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), please join us and Firelight Media on Monday, December 6 at 12pm ET for a technical workshop about applying for the Spark Fund, which offers support to established independent documentary filmmakers who
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Blue graphic with the text "Doc Grant Writing, How to position your film in a changing funding landscape" with black and white images of Dana Mervin, a light skinned woman with dark hair, and Jeff Seelbach, a light skinned man with blonde hair.
IDA's Program Officer Dana Merwin gives an overview of the current grant funding landscape and, with help from Topic's Director of Non-Fiction Programming Jeff Seelbach, outlines what makes for a strong application.
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blurry shadow of a person
This conversation brings together human rights experts, advocates, filmmakers, and mental health professionals to discuss what it means to ethically document survivors' stories, the potential for shared standards across fields, and the meaning of informed consent in a media context.
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A colorful graphic with "grant writing workshop for filmmakers" on it and several faces of the panelists.
Dana Merwin, Program Officer of IDA Grants, and the Director of Institute Granting at Sundance will unpack and analyze the elements that make for a winning proposal.
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Green and blue banner for Getting Real conference with dates September 27-29. 2022.
Getting Real is a biennial conference unlike any other event on the documentary calendar. Now in its fifth edition, this gathering brings documentary filmmakers and industry professionals together in a communal space where they can build lasting relationships, encounter inspiring ideas, and host
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IDA+XRM Media Incubator logo with photos of Nadia Hallgren, Skye Fitzgerald and Smriti Mundhra
About the Event To introduce the IDA+XRM Media Incubator, Director of IDA Funds Poh Si Teng led a discussion on crafting bold character-driven vérité documentary shorts. The program’s mentors Nadia Hallgren ( After Maria), Skye Fitzgerald ( Hunger Ward) and Smriti Mundhra ( St. Louis Superman) share