DOCUMENTARY & JOURNALISM DAY: OVERVIEW

Open to these badge holders: All Access, DOC NYC PRO, First-Time Doc Maker Day Pass.

Breakfast 9:00 – 10 am. Co-presented by Showtime Documentary Films.

Morning Manifesto 10:00 – 10:30 am

Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) and journalist Henrik Moltke share their short film Project X and discuss their collaboration.

Ethics & Objectivity 10:30 – 11:40 am

Documentary filmmakers often grapple with divisive topics that challenge their ability to remain objective. Directors Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America), Dawn Porter (Trapped) Brian Oakes (Jim: The James Foley Story) along with HBO Documentary Films’ Jackie Glover, talk about the challenges filmmakers face to stay impartial and keep within ethical boundaries of filmmaking. Moderator, Leslie Fields Cruz (NBPC/National Black Media)

Courting Controversy 12:00 – 1:10 pm

Documentaries that center on controversial subjects have their own set of difficulties to address – stories themselves are often taboo, truth may be harder to expose, and audiences may be hoping for the unexpected. Directors Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land), Alexandria Bombach (Frame by Frame), Juan Mejia Botero (Death By a Thousand Cuts) and producer Emre Izat (Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale) discuss their experiences with tackling controversy in their work.Moderator, Eric Kohn (Indiewire). Co-presented by Vulcan Productions.

Protecting Yourself 2:00 – 3:10 pm

Documentary filmmakers are not as protected as professional journalists, and therefore need to address certain challenges differently. Filmmaker Lyric Cabral ((T)ERROR), Nancy Schwartzman (Roll Red Roll), Craig Atkinson (Do Not Resist) and Brenda Coughlin (Risk, CITIZENFOUR), present examples and discuss what doc makers need to do to protect themselves, their footage and their sources. Moderator, Cady Borum Chattoo (Center for Media and Social Impact).

The Evolution of Form: Shorts and Beyond 3:30 – 4:40 pm

Paralleling the advancement in technology, documentary form is also expanding. While shorts have always played a role in the nonfiction landscape, filmmakers are finding new and exciting opportunities for short-form storytelling. The New York Times Op-Docs’ Kathleen Lingo, MTV’s Garth Bardsley, POV’s Emma Dessau, filmmaker Donal Mosher (Peace In The Valley) and Producer Shayla Harris speak about these new possibilities. Moderator, Edwin Martinez (To Be Heard)

Happy Hour 5:00 – 6:00 pm

Co-presented by Participant Media.

Open to these badge holders: All Access, DOC NYC PRO, First-Time Doc Maker Day Pass. To buy a pass click here.

DOC NYC PRO is co-presented by Amazon Studios.