Kickstarter
Championing emerging and established voices, equipping filmmakers with the tools, network, and confidence to resource themselves, often beyond conventional avenues of support.
Elise is Head of Film at Kickstarter, mentoring and championing filmmakers worldwide, on fundraising and audience-building strategies. She nurtures emerging talents, with a keen focus on creators from historically underrepresented groups. Since 2020, Elise has also been working as a freelance producer on feature documentaries. Based in New York, she previously worked with Doc Society in London.
Catapult Film Fund
Impact Partners
Supporting doc filmmakers' artistic visions through creative collaboration, business strategy, and bridging the gap between filmmakers and social impact investors.
Kelsey has worked in independent documentary for over a decade and is currently the VP of Production at Impact Partners, a fund that supports powerful documentary films addressing pressing social issues. Since joining IP, she has been involved with the development of 100+ projects and has spoken on panels about funding, distribution, and impact at industry events around the world.
Funding Forum and Dialogue Part 1
Tues, July 16 1-4pm ET. OnlineFunding Forum and Dialogue Part 1
Dive deeper into the world of documentary film funding with our two interactive workshops featuring a lineup of prominent funding organizations. This event is specially designed for filmmakers eager to navigate the funding landscape, uncover new opportunities, and gain real time exclusive insights from leading funding organizations.
On Tues, July 16 from 1-4pm, we welcome representatives from Kickstarter, Catapult Film Fund and Impact Partners. They’ll offer valuable perspectives on the funding process, including criteria and best practices that could move the needle on your film.
Interactive element: Each representative will have one hour with the audience including an immersive “fishbowl” activity (discussion method where one pre-selected filmmaker will share a funding dilemma while others observe, fostering open conversation) and a Q&A session where attendees can pose questions directly to the funders. These intimate settings are designed for interaction and learning, not pitching, ensuring you leave with answers that help propel your project forward.
SCHEDULE
1-1:55pm Kickstarter, Elise McCave
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that empowers filmmakers to fund, build community, and maintain creative control over their projects through direct support from audiences.
2-2:55pm Catapult Film Fund, Megan Gelstein
Catapult Film Fund provides development funding and mentorship to documentary filmmakers at the early stages of their projects, supporting a diverse range of cinematic stories without being tied to a specific social issue agenda
3-3:55pm Impact Partners, Kelsey Koenig
Impact Partners is a film production company that specializes in documentary films with a focus on social issues, providing equity investment and strategic guidance to filmmakers for storytelling that inspires social change.
Special Note: On Wed, July 17 please join representatives from Chicken & Egg Pictures and Sundance Institute for a second in depth interactive session centered on funding. See ticketing information for both events below.
TICKETING
July 16: Tickets are $59 ($45 for IFC Center members) and available at the “Buy Ticket” box above.
July 17: Tickets are $39 ($30 for IFC Center members) and available HERE.
Both days: purchase a Discounted Pass for $85 ($65 for IFC Center members).
Tickets are non-refundable.
If you have questions about registration, please email ticketing@docnyc.net. For questions about accommodations and accessibility, including requests for live ASL interpretation, please email accessibility@docnyc.net.