In session one, we’re joined by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon (BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, Documented, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes) and Jaime Meyers Schlenck (9to5: The Story of a Movement), who join moderator (and DOC NYC feature programmer) Karen McMullen to talk about the editor’s role in shaping the narrative arc of a film–its pacing, its moments of tension and climax, the evolution of its characters, and other topics. How does the documentary editor’s role contribute to the film’s storytelling? What emerges in the edit room that might not have been evident during production? And in this moment: how might the limitations of producing during a pandemic–including the ubiquitous use of Zoom calls and the increase in subject-gathered footage–influence the editor’s role in the months to come?

In our second session, DOC NYC‘s Director of Industry & Education, Caitlin Boyle, moderates a conversation with editors Tyler Walk (Welcome to Chechnya, Where to Invade Next, How to Survive a Plague) and Miranda Yousef (The New Bauhaus, Daughters of the Sexual Revolution, Inequality for All) as they discuss the intimate collaboration between editor and director; the trust and shared language that develops over the course of post-production; and the opportunities and challenges of working collaboratively when editor and director can’t share space in an edit room.

In our final session, Karen McMullen moderates a conversation with Emmy-nominated sound editor Glenfield Payne (Sweetbitter, Master of None); music editor Annette Kudrak (Boardwalk Empire, Drive, Chicago); and producer Nicole London (Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool) join to talk about the role of sound and music in documentary storytelling. Bringing their experience in both nonfiction and fiction content, our panelists discuss the impact of music and sound editing on the development of a film’s tone and narrative thrust, and where tactics for docs and fiction converge and diverge.

Following our panel programming, live attendees will be paired with presenters in small-group settings for virtual breakout question-and-answer sessions.

In our first session, DOC NYC’s features programmer Jessie Fairbanks moderates a conversation with Director/DP Rachel Lears (Knock Down the House, The Hand that Feeds) and cinematographer Iris Ng (A Better Man, Stories We Tell), cinematography in fast-paced, emotionally charged, and unpredictable environments, including on the campaign trail and among survivors of domestic violence. The session will discuss best practices in establishing rapport between cinematographer and subject; preparing and selecting equipment; and shifting gears in dynamic scenarios.

In session two, we discuss filming during the Covid-19 pandemic. What precautions must be put in place? How can a DP create safety protocols for their whole crew? How can DPs work with directors and producers who are working remotely and not on-set? How are DPs navigating issues of PPE, equipment sterilization and insurance? Veteran cinematographer Jerry Henry (Netflix’s forthcoming High on the Hog, The Rachel Divide, Exit Through the Gift Shop), who is currently shooting on three separate doc projects, joins from Los Angeles, as does DP Shana Hagan (The Kingmaker; 63 Up; Generation Wealth), and DP Bryan Chang (Brasslands, Island Soldier, Into the Streets) joins from Brooklyn. All discuss planning for shoots; pivoting in high-risk environments; safety protocols; and the importance of trust between director and DP.

In our final session, Mo Scarpelli (Anbessa, Frame by Frame) joins from Rome to discuss directing and lensing her latest documentary feature, El Father Plays Himself, which premiered at Visions du Réel in April 2020. Set in the Amazon, the film follows the production of a narrative film, whose director has cast his own father in the lead role. Variety called the film part of “a tradition of nonfiction films about the blood, sweat and tears of feature production,” in which Scarpelli “delves provocatively into how and why we tell stories, and at what cost.” In conversation with DOC NYC Features Programmer Jessie Fairbanks.

Following our panel programming, live attendees will be paired with presenters in small-group settings for virtual breakout question-and-answer sessions.

In our first session, Multitude Film’s Anya Rous (Always in Season, Pray Away) moderates a conversation with Sian-Pierre Regis and Meredith Chin (Duty Free) and Jasmín López(Silent Beauty), about launching a first documentary production. The conversation will address the process of turning personal stories into a feature documentary narrative; identifying filmmaking partners to advance a creative vision; and securing the funds necessary to lock a finished film and bring it to market.

In our final session, Yuqi Kang shares the story of her first feature, A Little Wisdom, which debuted in 2018 at SXSW and went on to garner awards at festivals internationally, including at DOC NYC. She is joined by Lindsay Lindenbaum, whose first feature, Tomboy, was slated to premiere at SXSW in March, and whose three previous short films have won student and new filmmaker awards at festivals nationally. Both speak with moderator Rose Vincelli Gustine of the SVA MFA program about bringing their first films to fruition, including envisioning the story, thinking through structure, finding funding and navigating release.

In our final session, Yuqi Kang shares the story of her first feature, A Little Wisdom, which debuted in 2018 at SXSW and went on to garner awards at festivals internationally, including at DOC NYC. She is joined by Lindsay Lindenbaum, whose first feature, Tomboy, was slated to premiere at SXSW in March, and whose three previous short films have won student and new filmmaker awards at festivals nationally. Both speak with moderator Rose Vincelli Gustine of the SVA MFA program about bringing their first films to fruition, including envisioning the story, thinking through structure, finding funding and navigating release.

Following our panel programming, live participants will be paired with presenters in small-group settings for virtual breakout question-and-answer sessions.

In our first session, Ford Foundation’s Chi-hui Yang joins to talk about JustFilms, which provides grants to filmmakers for social justice storytelling, and funds the 21st-century arts infrastructure that supports it. And Merrill Sterritt from Cinereach discusses the Cinereach Foundation’s organizational programming grants, including to groups like Indie Memphis and Detroit Narrative Agency, whose regional support of nonfiction storytellers amplifies the work of documentary media makers across the United States.

In session two, Jenny Raskin shares Impact Partners’ unique equity investment funding model, in which filmmakers and investors work together to reach mass audiences, generate revenue and showcase important social-issue storytelling. She’s joined by Steve Cohen of Chicago Media Project, who describes its community philanthropy structure, in which its individual donor-members pool their charitable giving to support filmmakers through grantmaking.

In our final session, Erika Cohn and Angela Tucker talk about funding their 2020 feature documentary, Belly of the Beast, and its impact and distribution activities. They chart their diversity of funding sources, including institutional grant support, private donations, and a broadcast co-production partnership. Lucila Moctezuma, Program Director at Chicken & Egg Pictures and one of Belly of the Beast’s funders, joins to talk about Chicken & Egg’s support of the film’s outreach work—and its broader mission to support women nonfiction filmmakers whose films catalyze social change.