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William Cheng

Headshot of adult of East Asian descent with medium-light skin; short hair; dark blue polo shirt; in front of grassy field

William Cheng is a writer, pianist, and gamer. He is a professor of music at Dartmouth College and a founding co-editor of the Music & Social Justice Series with the University of Michigan Press.

Articles

Moses Bwayo and his wife Nulu Bwayo posing together in front of a house and garden
Field Recording: We Are Removing a Dictator
Column
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Image of an announcement of the 2024 Wyncote Fellows, with headshots of the 12 fellows in the upper right hand corner, the Wyncote Foundation logo, and the logos of the 12 partner organizations at the bottom.
Exclusive: PBS Indies Nominate Twelve 2024 Wyncote Fellows, Hosted by AmDoc at PBS Annual Meeting
Blog
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black and white photo from the Victor Jara Collective featuring a man holding a small microphone up to another man wearing a hard hat standing against a row of brush
Dreaming to Change the World: The Victor Jara Collective and the Legacy of Third Cinema
Feature
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Abby Sun (Director of Artist Programs, IDA) and Dominic Asmall Willsdon (Executive Director, IDA) on the stage at the closing night of Getting Real ’24 conference.
Sheffield DocFest and IDA Announce Alternate Realities Collaboration
News
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Sebastian Pardo and Riel Roch-Decter in an office setting
Making a Production: Memory
Feature
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Notes From the Reel World, Spring 2024
Column
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Letter From the Editor, Spring 2024
Column
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Photograph of the back of an audience, watching a screen hung on a black wall in front of them.
The Reemergence of the Millennium Film Workshop
Online Feature
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Left to Right: Sapana Sakya (Talent Development & Special Projects Director, CAAM), Stephen Gong (Executive Director, CAAM), Zeyba Rahman (Director for the Building Bridges Program, Doris Duke Foundation), Donald Young (Director of Programs, CAAM), Dominic Asmall Willsdon (Executive Director, IDA). Photograph courtesy of Vanessa Skopeo, Urbanite LA.
New Film Fund to Elevate U.S. Muslim Stories Announced by the Center for Asian American Media and the Doris Duke Foundation
News, Blog
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Through a reflected mirror, Kirsten Johnson holds a camera up to her face.
“Any Human Who Films Is Already Part Machine”: Kirsten Johnson Searches for the Ineffable
Feature
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Screenshot of a black screen and two Mac images. There is a textbox with written statements.
“When Hope Is Weary”: Jemma Desai Questions What We Choose to Ignore
Feature
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The Dilemma of Documentary Proof: Archival Producers Alliance Co-founders Discuss How AI Will Change Archival
Feature
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Black and White image of an Asian man. He is wearing black glasses and smiles at the camera. He has shoulder-length black hair and is wearing a dark sweater and button-down shirt.
IDA Member Spotlight: Stephen Maing
Blog
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Statement Against Violence and Intimidation
Advocacy
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Two people dressed in black stand on a stand in front of a full audience of spectators.
CPH:DOX 2024: Visibility and Interdependency
Online Feature
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Image with the headshots of the 7 grantees and fellows of Bitchitra Collective's 2024 cohort.
Bitchitra Collective Announces Inaugural Sriyanka Ray Grant Winner and Six 2024 Fellows
Blog
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Two women sit at a banquet booth. They are laughing and smiling at each other.
Exclusive: Clip from Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green’s ‘Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s’
Blog
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Collage of the IDA 2024 Logan Elevate Grantees
IDA Announces 2024 Logan Elevate Grantees
Blog
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Still image from 'Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus' depicting Sakamoto, an elderly Asian man wearing tortoiseshell glasses and with a fall of white hair over his forehead.
“More Interesting to Keep the Mistake”: Neo Sora Discusses ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus’
Online Feature
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A couple sit in a dark restaurant, looking up at something out of frame.
“Transcending Mere Political Analysis”: Midi Z Discusses ‘The Clinic’
Online Feature
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TikTok #MicroDocChallenge What is Democracy?
TikTok #MicroDocChallenge on #Democracy
Blog
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Two women lay on a bed with blue floral bedsheets.
The Preview: Seven Documentaries to Catch at CPH:DOX 2024
Column
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A photo of an androgynous person of Asian descent with a light smile at the camera. They have a dark shaved head and brown eyes and are wearing a pink velvet v-neck. The photo frames a photo print from a Polaroid camera; the print is lying flat on a silver texture, with a cat's paw gently lying on the top right corner of the print.
IDA Member Spotlight: Xiaolu Wang
Blog
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Two Black people are embracing in a close hug.
Sundance 2024: Utterances of Black Love
Online Feature
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Still image from 'No One Asked You,' depicting a white woman with long blond hair in front of a protest holding large cardboard cutout faces of US Supreme Court justices.
Exclusive: Clip from Ruth Leitman’s ‘No One Asked You’
Blog
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Two IDA members standing in front of a black step and repeat with white ida logos. Person on left is wearing all black, person on right is wearing a blue jean jumpsuit with glasses.
Membership Upgrades FAQ
Blog
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A woman wearing a patterned red shirt stands in a window, which shows a reflection of a rugged mountainous landscape.
Exclusive: Clip from Emily Mkrtichian’s ‘There Was, There Was Not’
Blog
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Film still from 1489. Courtesy of True/False
“A War Without Rules”: Shoghakat Vardanyan on IDFA Best Film Winner ‘1489’
Online Feature
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Image featuring two men sitting next to each other at a table in a school room.
“Sometimes There’s Boiling Energy”: Collaborative Improvisations in Antoine Bourges’ Docufiction
Online Feature
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Two figures wearing dark shirts and glasses sit at a square table. They are surrounded by bookshelves, and are each drinking a mug of tea.
IFFR 2024: Pleasures on Display
Online Feature
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Black background with green, yellow, and red waves on the left side. White IDA logo in top right corner. White text: IDA Staff Recommends: Documentaries to Watch During Black History Month 2024
IDA Staff Recommends: Docs to Watch During Black History Month
Blog
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Still image from 'Beyond Utopia,' showing five members of a North Korean family sitting on a couch.
Why We Wrote an Open Letter to ‘Independent Lens’ About ‘Beyond Utopia’
Column
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Happy Birthday IDA. 42 years of docs.
IDA Turns 42: Join or Renew Your Membership This Week to Enter the Raffle
Blog
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Black and White image of a woman with brown skin smiling at the camera with her head tilted. A woman with white skin smiles at the camera. She has mid-length, straight black hair and is wearing a black top.
IDA Member Spotlight: Nehal Vyas
Blog
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Film still from Uncharted
IDA Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund Supports Three Projects with $75,000
News, Blog
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Chris Smalls, wearing a black shirt and black hair wrap, appears in Union by Brett Story and Steve Maing. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Martin DiCicco
“This Fight Is Yours”: Stephen Maing, Brett Story, and Chris Smalls on ‘Union’
Online Feature
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Still of a group of people in white dresses, conducting a ritual in a darkened studio.
“Prioritizing Intuition and Mystery”: Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross Discuss ‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’
Online Feature
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Photograph of an elephant suspended from a sling, being loaded onto a ship.
With Sundance Boost, Even Original Documentaries Could Make a Comeback in 2024
Online Feature
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A person sits in a director's chair at a festival, holding a microphone.
Letter from the Editor, January 2024
Column
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Behind-the-scenes photo inside a house. Pedro sits in front of the camera with Set holding a boom microphone next to cinematographer Richard Hama.
Embodying Accessibility: Six Tips for Incorporating Access Into Your Filmmaking
Online Feature
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Film still from While We Watched. Courtesy of Cinetic Media
A Broken System: Vinay Shukla’s ‘While We Watched’ and Other Recent Indian Documentaries Face Challenges At Home
Feature
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Two figures sit at a small round table, which has a candle on it.
“As Authentic as Any Psychic Interaction Can Be”: Lana Wilson on ‘Look Into My Eyes’
Online Feature
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BTS shot of four figures against a mountainous backdrop.
“A Symphony of Echoing Voices”: Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó on ‘Agent of Happiness’
Online Feature
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Still image from 'The Mother of All Lies,' showing a closeup shot of half of an old woman's face. She is holding a figurine covering her mouth.
“I Write Stories Using Light”: Asmae El Moudir Discusses ‘The Mother of All Lies’
Online Feature
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Still image from 'Agent of Happiness,' depicting three male figures seated on the steps of an ornate temple. All three are wearing robes in a deep maroon.
The Preview: Seven Documentaries to Catch at Sundance 2024
Column
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A man sitting in front of a color grading suite looks at the camera. He has short black hair and brown eyes and is wearing a black T-shirt.
IDA Member Spotlight: Andrey Negrón
Blog
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Photograph of a white man with curly brown hair and a neat mustache, standing in the middle of a glass-walled corridor.
“The Ladder of Creative Risk”: Luke Moody Discusses the BFI Doc Society Fund
Online Feature
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President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Martin Luther King, Jr. at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Documentaries to Watch: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Updated 2023)
Blog
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Photograph of two men seated at a two-top in a cafe.
Producer’s Diary: ‘Hard to Swallow’ (November 2016–September 2023)
Column
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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
Blog
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