Let’s go in depth into the world of music and sound for feature docs. Hear about collaboration and behind the scenes tips from music teams on some of this year’s leading documentaries.
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM) co-presented by Hulu.
10:00-11:15AM
The Director/Composer Relationship
Join director and composer teams Ben Proudfoot and Katya Richardson(The Last Repair Shop) and Amy Nicholson and Troy Herion (Happy Campers) as they discuss the conversations that lead to rewarding collaborations between director and composers. Filmmaker Tracie Holder will share her perspective and lead the conversation.
Katya Richardson is a Ukrainian-American film composer and pianist based in Los Angeles. Throughout her multidisciplinary work, she is drawn to cinematic textures that bridge the gap between stage and screen. Richardson has written for the LA Philharmonic and premiered her compositions internationally, from Walt Disney Concert Hall to The Royal Opera House in London. In 2016, she composed an orchestral fanfare exclusively for Hollywood Bowl Opening Night. She frequently collaborates with Academy Award-winning Breakwater Studios, and in 2022, garnered a Hollywood Music in Media Award for her score to NY Times Op-Doc, Mink!. Other recent projects include PBS special Keeping the Pinelands, a full-length ballet with British choreographer Russell Maliphant, and music arrangements for the 95th Academy Awards. Notably, she has also worked with A-list composers Danny Elfman on Dr. Strange (2022) and with Rob Simonsen on Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021).
Amy Nicholson is a New York-based filmmaker and commercial director whose projects often explore the essence of Americana with a humorous eye and a warm respect for her subjects. Nicholson’s most recent documentary, a short titled Pickle, won multiple audience awards, was selected for The New York Times’ Op Docs, and was featured on the Criterion Collection alongside Errol Morris’ Gates of Heaven. Pickle was also nominated for an IDA Award and Cinema Eye Honors. Nicholson has produced and directed several features. Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride won the Special Jury Prize at DOCNYC and was held over twice at the IFC Center. Muskrat Lovely premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival and was broadcast on Independent Lens. Nicholson’s films have screened at Hot Docs, Sheffield, Full Frame, DOK Leipzig, BFI London, Camden, Traverse City, Rooftop Films, and the MoMA.
Troy Herion is an Emmy-winning and Cinema Eye-nominated composer, editor, and producer whose scoring has garnered critical acclaim. Films like 306 Hollywood, The Hottest August, and Bulletproof are just a few ofHerion’s extensive list of high-profile projects. His films have screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Toronto, the Berlinale, SXSW, HotDocs,The New York Film Festival, True/False and the MoMA. Herion’s orchestral and theater work has premiered at Carnegie Hall, The Academy of Music, and the Annenberg Center.
An Academy Award®-winning short documentary director and entrepreneur, Ben Proudfoot is the creative force behind Breakwater Studios. The studio’s work has been recognized by the Academy Awards®, The Emmys, The Peabody Awards, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, The James Beard Awards, the Sundance Film Festival, Telluride, and the Tribeca Film Festival among others. Proudfoot was named one of Forbes “30 Under 30” for his leadership and innovation in the brand-funded documentary space. He hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Proudfoot is an accomplished sleight-of-hand magician and has performed at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
11:30-12:45PM
Case Study: Little Richard: I Am Everything
Experience a captivating panel celebrating music icon Little Richard’s legacy and its synergy with documentary filmmaking. Ethnomusicologist Fredara Hadley leads an exploration of the film’s intricate score, remote editing, and the marriage of emotion and editing beats with director Lisa Cortés, composer Tamar-kali, editor Nyneve Laura Minnear, and music supervisor Jonathan Finegold. Discover the craft that turned this documentary into a storytelling symphony, guided by panelist insights on remote collaboration.
Award-winning director and producer Lisa Cortés generates bold, explosive art that shines light on important stories hidden from view. Little Richard: I Am Everything (CNN Films), which she directed and produced, had its world premiere in January 2023 as the opening night selection in the US documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
Nyneve Laura Minnear is an Editor, Writer and Story Consultant based in Brooklyn. She was Lead Editor on Little Richard – I Am Everything for CNN Films/HBOMax, premiering in U.S. Competition at Sundance 2023 and released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures. Other credits include Anita, Cannes 2023; The Vow Series for HBO; 306 Hollywood, the first documentary ever invited to the NEXT section for Innovative Filmmaking, Sundance 2018; (T)ERROR, Emmy, Sundance 2015 Special Jury Award, and Full Frame Grand Jury Award winner; Girl With Black Balloons, DOCNYC Grand Jury Prize; Dan Rather Reports three-year Editor/Producer for the Emmy award-winning series. She cherishes her time as Fellow at the Sundance and Gotham Story Labs and is a passionate guest speaker and mentor at workshops and panels, including KSFEF Diversity Program, and Union Docs. She was an inaugural Steering Committee member for the Alliance of Documentary Editors.
Brooklyn born and bred artist Tamar-kali is a second-generation musician with roots in the coastal Sea Islands of South Carolina. As a composer, Tamar-kali has defied boundaries to craft her own unique alternative sound. Her debut LP “Black Bottom” challenged the alt-rock norm with media calling it “an ambitious new adventure into metal, classical, and progressive styles,”[Sonic Scoop]. The pieces she composes and arranges for her string sextet and voice project, Psychochamber Ensemble, marry the classical music of her Catholic upbringing with post-punk sensibilities. 2017 marked her debut as a film score composer with Dee Rees’ Oscar-nominated Mudbound. Her “expressive and varied score” [Variety] garnered her the World Soundtrack Academy’s 2018 Discovery of the Year Award and has been classified by Indiewire as one of the 25 Best Film Scores of the 21st Century. The soundtrack for her score to Josephine Decker’s psychological drama Shirley was named The Guardian’s Contemporary Album of the Month in June 2020.
Jonathan Finegold is the founder of Fine Gold Music; a music licensing and publishing company. He represents many indie labels/artists/publishers including Westbound (Funkadelic), Anderson Paak, DRAM, and Eminem. His licensing work has been heard in ads for Apple iPhones, Nike, Spotify, Cadillac, and more. Movies & trailer work includes Furios 7, The Big Short, Moneyball, and more. TV shows include: Homeland, Mad Men, Narcos, Westworld, The Chi and more. He has served as music supervisor on many indie films & documentaries. His credits include Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia/CNN Films) and Netflix docuseries Lenox Hill. He works with John Legend’s film/TV production company Get Lifted, where he supered the HBO documentary Southern Rites. Other recent released films include The Truffle Hunters (Sony Classics) which world premiered in 2020 at Sundance and the Spotify podcast Wind of Change. He is currently an adjunct instructor in music business at both New York University and Marymount Manhattan College. He is a Grammy voting member of NARAS for over 20 years and a member of the Guild of Music Supervisors.
Fredara Mareva Hadley, Ph.D. is an ethnomusicology professor at The Juilliard School where she teaches courses on African American music and musics of the world. Her current book project, I’ll Make Me a World, focuses on the rich musical legacies that flow from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Her commentary is featured in several documentaries and her words featured in academic journals and in press including Billboard, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
1:45-3PM
Sound Design in Documentary Filmmaking
Prepare to immerse yourself in the auditory realm as we take an exclusive journey with sound designers Tristan Baylis and Annie Taylor (Retrograde) and Tom Paul (Little Richard: I Am Everything) and moderator Eric Johnson (Trailblazer Studios). Discover how these professionalscraft unique sonic landscapes, from capturing raw audio to creating an immersive auditory experience. Whether you’re an aspiring sound designer or a documentary enthusiast, this panel promises an exciting exploration of the pivotal role sound plays in shaping a film’s narrative and emotional impact.
Annie Taylor is an Emmy nominated Foley Editor who has worked on documentaries such as Retrograde and Amend: The Fight for America. Her goal is to enhance the storytelling with sound, and to have the audience feel immersed in the documentary’s subject with the use of texture, layering, and finesse to create a comprehensive and personalized soundscape.
Tristan Baylis is a British re-recording mixer and sound designer working in the US. Getting his start at Goldcrest post NYC, and he is now with well over 150 television & film credits and 2x EMMY nominations under his belt. Starting in 2016, Tristan Baylis has quickly made a name for himself in the post-production community as a rising talent. Most notably for his work as the dialogue supervisor and dialogue mixer of Trey Edward Shultz ‘Waves’ & Yorgos Lanthimos ‘Poor Things’. Tristan was Emmy nominated for his role as supervising sound editor & re-recording mixer on Matthew Heineman’s ‘The First Wave’ the collaboration has continued to Heineman’s latest documentary ‘Retrograde’ which was also Emmy nominated.
Tom Paul is two-time Emmy Award winning Re-Recording Mixer, Sound Designer, Studio Designer, and Composer. He is one of the most sought-after people working in post production today. His esteemed list of clients include such top directors as Matt Heineman, Errol Morris, Lucy Walker, Joe Berlinger, Penny Lane, Ross Kaufmann, Jeremiah Zagar, Nanette Burstein, Lana Wilson and many others. Recent highlights include Hustle, American Symphony, Little Richard, I am Everything, Mountain Queen, and many more. His studio design work most recently includes being on the design team for Sandbox Films new facility, including a Dolby Atmos Theatrical screening room which doubles as a mix stage and a color-grading theater, with a custom, hand-built, disappearing mix console and color console.
Tom mixes at Studio Tom Paul, his new mix stage in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Tom is a founding partner and the designer of Gigantic Studios.
Since joining Trailblazer in 2003, Eric Johnson has helped the Sound department evolve from a small shop with a local focus to a major player in the industry. He hopes to use the mediums of film, television and video to educate, inspire, and address some of our world’s most challenging issues. Recent projects include A Trip to Infinity – Netflix, 37 Words – ESPN, Keep This Between Us – Freeform/Hulu, Wild Crime – Hulu, and Hazing – PBS.
Eric is a past-President of the Society for Professional Audio Recording Services (SPARS) and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Documentary Fund, the Triangle Advisory Board of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and the Avid Community Association (ACA) Executive Board.
3:15-4:30PM
Case Study: A Trip To Infinity
Moderator Eric Johnson (Trailblazer Studios) leads a sonic exploration of the Netflix documentary A Trip to Infinity with sound designer/re-recording mixer Willie Elias (Trailblazer Studios), writer/director Jonathan Halperin (Room 608 Productions), and editor Alex Ricciardi (Room 608 Productions). In this insightful case study, these professionals will dissect the art of crafting the film’s soundscape. Gain insights into their creative process, techniques, and helpful tips on delivering sound elements to a streamer or network.
Willie Elias is an Audio Post Production Engineer, Sound Designer and Mixer, His clientele ranges from Advertising Agencies, Independent Film Directors, Artists, TV Networks Producers and others. After attending The University of Puerto Rico, Willie continued his Audio and Video Production education by enrolling at The Music Business Institute /The Art Institute in Atlanta. With his sight keenly set upon a career in the Audio industry, he furthered his experience by working as an audio engineer at several Studios in Puerto Rico. His bilingual and Audio engineering skills led him to be hired by Broadcast Video Inc. Miami, where he worked sound design and Mixing for HBO Latin America, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon LA, MTV LA, and Discovery Channel LA as well as Advertising Agencies. Willie Elias currently works as Director of Audio Post, Senior Audio Engineer for Trailblazer Studios in North Carolina for Film, Documentaries, Commercials and TV shows-encompassing sound design and Mixing. Some of his recent Sound Design and Mixing credits include: A Trip to Infinity for Netflix, Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court for Showtime, Between the Rains (2023 Best Documentary Feature at Tribeca Film Fest), The Lady Bird Diaries, The Bermuda Triangle TV Series for History Channel, Wild Crimes for Hulu, Hazing, When Sharks Attack for National Geographic, America’s Hidden Stories for the Smithsonian Network, Kifaruand many other great documentaries.
Jon Halperin is a three-time Emmy winning filmmaker and co-founder of Room 608, a New York-based production company. He has made films and series for Netflix, Amazon, PBS, History, National Geographic, and The Atlantic. His work has screened at festivals around the world. A Trip to Infinity (Netflix) recently won the Emmy for best art direction and graphic design. The film was animated by artists from 10 countries. A 4 1/2 minute scene from the film about an apple, a box and an infinite amount of time was seen 18 million times in one week on TikTok. He is currently working on an animated feature.
Since joining Trailblazer in 2003, Eric Johnson has helped the Sound department evolve from a small shop with a local focus to a major player in the industry. He hopes to use the mediums of film, television and video to educate, inspire, and address some of our world’s most challenging issues. Recent projects include A Trip to Infinity – Netflix, 37 Words – ESPN, Keep This Between Us – Freeform/Hulu, Wild Crime – Hulu, and Hazing – PBS.
Eric is a past-President of the Society for Professional Audio Recording Services (SPARS) and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Documentary Fund, the Triangle Advisory Board of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and the Avid Community Association (ACA) Executive Board.
To experience the DOC NYC PRO lineup, purchase an individual PRO Day Pass (via the Buy Ticket button) to hone in on a specific subject, or benefit from discounted pricing when you purchase Multi-Day Pass Packs to an assortment of topics.
Explore how to navigate the intricate business landscape of documentary filmmaking including inspirational examples of creative funding sources.
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM) co-presented by Frankfurt Kurnit.
10-11:15AM
Access Agreements and Studio Partnerships in Documentary Filmmaking
Join Fox Rothschild LLP entertainment attorneys Daniel Benge, Daniel Spencer, Marc Simon, and producer Scott Kaplan as they discuss the pivotal role of attachment agreements in securing access to subjects and materials. Gain insights into their role in financing and distribution commitments from studios and networks. Our legal experts and producer will detail the role of these agreements in financing and distribution and offer an overview of studio-network structures.
Daniel Benge is a Partner in Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment & Sports Department who works advises clients in the documentary space and the live performance and digital media industries. He has experience counseling writers, producers, agents and corporate clients on a broad range of media projects, including acquisition and entertainment financing, production and distribution.
Daniel Spencer is an Associate, Entertainment and Sports, at Fox Rothschild’s Entertainment and Sports Department who advises clients in traditional and emerging media, including narrative, unscripted and documentary films, episodic series, podcasts, literary publishing, advertising and other digital media content. In the film and television sectors, Daniel counsels clients in all stages of project development, rights acquisition, financing, production and distribution. Daniel represents production companies, producers, financiers, on-camera talent, directors, writers, and other content creators, as well as businesses in the digital, gaming and new media industries. With experience on both the business and creative sides of the entertainment industry, Daniel provides clients a collaborative approach while obtaining favorable terms at the bargaining table. He is passionate about connecting key players with creatives to help bring projects to life.
Scott Kaplan is the CEO of CoverStory, a non-fiction production company. A producer with 20 years of film and series sales and distribution under his belt with 1000+ projects sold to streaming platforms and TV networks around the world. In the past 2 years since shifting to producing, he and his partner Emmet McDermott have produced White Hot the Abercrombie doc (the #1 most watched film on Netflix in April of 2022), Queenmaker (Hulu/MRC) and an unannounced project for Amazon Sports. He founded Domino Content, representing international sales for Showtime’s slate including The Reagans, Love Fraud, Couples Therapy, Red Penguins, Abducted In Plain Sight, and Exit Through The Gift Shop. Before Domino, he held leadership roles at Gunpowder & Sky, Gravitas Ventures and got his start at ICM LA. He holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and a BA from University of Pennsylvania.
Co-presented by Fox Rothschild LLP
11:30-12:45PM
Navigating the Tension of AI’s Ethical and Business Landscape
Step into the dynamic crossroads of documentary filmmaking, AI, and its business impact, where creators wrestle with ethical dilemmas amidst relentless innovation. Eva Kozanecka (Google), Will Tyner (Google), Tess Thorsen (independent AI researcher), and Professor Meredith Broussard (NYU) reflect on how AI might transform artistic approaches to connection and access, power and positionality, agency, and community care with moderator Sian Pierre-Regis. Guided by industry leaders, this discussion will reflect on the entire filmmaking process, with a focus on research and development. Come contribute to shaping a future where innovation, ethics, and business coalesce.
Co-hosted by Firelight Media as part of its Beyond Resilience series
Tess Skadegård Thorsen, PhD (she/her/hers), is a researcher, educator, and consultant, specialized in representation and ethics in tech, media, and film practices. A former managing editor of the Danish journal for gender research, Tess was awarded the 2022 Kraka Award for gender research. Her research has been published internationally including in ‘Women in the International Film Industry: Policy, Practice & Power’ and ‘Black Film British Cinema II’. With a BA and MA in film and media studies from Copenhagen University, and a PhD from Aalborg University, Tess decided to expand her knowledge in the AI/ML space, by joining the 2021 cohort of NYU’s Institute for Public Interest Technology. Having specialized in questions around anti-discrimination and bias identification in tech, particularly AI, in the past years, Tess currently works in the media and tech industry and serves on multiple boards, including on the board of the Danish Pioneer Centre for AI.
William Tyner (he/him) is a director, producer, and founder of DELU Productions. He is also a Researcher at Google where he works across questions of justice, equity, and product inclusion. His latest film is The People’s Way, a feature length documentary that follows Jeanelle Austin, Robin Wonsley, and Toshira Garraway, three Black women in Minneapolis who embark on interweaving journeys to care for their communities and find inner healing in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. William is currently a Firelight Media Documentary Lab Fellow and the recipient of the 2018-2019 Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, Code for America Fellowship, and San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation Fellow. He studied Anthropology at Wesleyan University.
Author of "Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World."
Professor Meredith Broussard
Author of "Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World."
Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of an upcoming book, More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech (MIT Press, 2023), as well as the award-winning 2018 book Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in investigative reporting, with particular interests in AI ethics and using data analysis for social good. She appears in the Emmy- nominated documentary Coded Bias, now streaming on Netflix. Her work has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Institute of Museum & Library Services, and the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School. A former features editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has also worked as a software developer at AT&T Bell Labs and the MIT Media Lab. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Vox, and other outlets. Follow her on Twitter @merbroussard or contact her via meredithbroussard.com.
Sian- Pierre Regis is a filmmaker who directed, produced and self-distributed his debut feature documentary DUTY FREE. Called a “tender love poem from son to mother” by CBS News, the film was released in 30 theaters over Mother’s Day 2021 and fast-became a press magnet garnering coverage from CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, MSNBC, The Tamron Hall Show, AARP; the film was also a #1 Apple News story through the weekend. It will have its debut broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens on November 22 at 10pET.
Prior to filmmaking, Regis was a journalist and on-camera contributor to CNN, HLN, and MTV and founded Swagger, an online lifestyle magazine for millennials with over 1.5 million fans. He is a Firelight Media fellow and Film Independent Documentary Lab Fellow.
1:45-3PM
Fair Use Post-Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith
Delve into a panel dissecting fair use in documentary filmmaking in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in the Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith case. Frankfurt Kurnit attorneys Caren Decter and Melissa Georges, filmmakers Byron Hurt (Hazing) and Melanie Vi Levy (Nathan-ism) detail how this landmark case has reshaped artistic expression and copyright, analyzing implications for documentary creation and distribution. Gain insights into fair use boundaries, opportunities, and responsible navigation strategies. This panel will be moderated by filmmaker and producer Tracie Holder (Means of Productions Films).
Caren Decter is a partner in the Litigation Group at Frankfurt Kurnit, focusing on commercial and intellectual property litigation, and white collar defense. Named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2019 and 2021 40 & Under Hot List and listed as a 2022 Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine, Ms. Decter represents clients in civil and criminal matters pending in state and federal courts around the country. In addition, she advises clients in the finance, legal, consumer goods, advertising, art, and media and entertainment industries — on “business divorces”, contract, fraud, copyright, trademark, false advertising, ADA compliance and other matters.
Chair, Content and Clearance Group, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Melissa Georges
Chair, Content and Clearance Group, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Melissa Georges is Chair of the Content and Clearance group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. She advises award-winning film, television and documentary producers, directors, writers, podcasters, comedians and animators on complex legal issues, such as defamation, fair use, copyrights and trademarks, rights of publicity and privacy, and parody and satire, in order to get their projects cleared and distributed. She also assists in helping her clients obtain Errors and Omissions insurance (E&O).
Tracie Holder is a filmmaker, consultant, producer and film funding specialist. A 2016 Sundance Creative Producers Fellow, Holder leads workshops, tutors and serves on juries at international pitching and training sessions, and is a grant panelist for national and local funders. She is widely regarded as a “go-to” person and all-round resource for artists seeking U.S. funding, having raised more than $3 million in grant funding for her own projects. She was a longtime consultant to Women Make Movies, Development/Funding Strategist for Abby Disney’s Fork Films and former board member of NY Women in Film. Producing credits include Grit, (Hot Docs/POV), Small Town Universe, and Give It a Shot?, currently in production.
Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and adjunct professor at Columbia University. Hurt is the former host of the Emmy-nominated series, Reel Works With Byron Hurt.
Byron Hurt’s acclaimed documentary Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, and broadcast on PBS’ Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens in 2007.
Byron’s film Soul Food Junkies aired on Independent Lens in 2013, and in 2017 the cable news station TVOne.
Byron’s film, Hazing, premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and aired on Independent Lens in 2022. His upcoming documentary, Lee and Liza’s Family Tree, airs on PBS NOVA on November 22, 2023.
Co-presented by Frankfurt Kurnit
3:15-4:30pm
Balancing Storytelling and Financial Stability
This panel explores the art of balancing creative storytelling and financial stability in today’s challenging times. Filmmakers Yael Melamede (Pay or Die), Zara Serabian-Arthur (Meerkat Media), former founding director of If/Then Shorts and producer Mridu Chandra (Becoming Cousteau), director Milisuthando Bongela (Milisuthando) and moderator Dan Cogan (Story Syndicate) delve into unique models of revenue generation that can help filmmakers weather financial storms. An innovative model of cooperative production company ownership that succeeded in supporting filmmakers during recent economic hardship will be presented.
Yael Melamede – Filmmaker. Yael Melamede is the co-founder of SALTY Features – an independent production company based in New York City whose goal is to create media that is thought-provoking, vital, and enhances the world. Melamede’s documentary credits include the Jigsaw Productions/Amblin Entertainment six-part series WHY WE HATE (2019), STRAIGHT/CURVE (2017), WHEN I WALK (News & Doc Emmy Award Winner, 2015), (DIS)HONESTY – THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES (2015), DESERT RUNNERS (2015), INOCENTE (Academy Award Winner, Best Doc Short, 2013), and MY ARCHITECT (Academy Award Nominee, 2004). Yael was an architect before becoming a filmmaker and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Zara Serabian-Arthur is a co-founder of Meerkat Media, an award-winning production company cooperative based in Brooklyn, NY. As a documentary film editor, producer and director, her work has been featured on Hulu (Stolen Youth, series editor), PBS (Public Money, producer), National Geographic (Visual Human, editor), The New York Times (A Long Separation, editor) and The New Yorker (Still She Rises, director and editor), premiered at Sundance (Justice, editor), and distributed theatrically (Dark Money, associate producer and additional editor). Zara is also actively involved in the cooperative and solidarity economy movements in NYC. She has worked on mapping, organizing, and community-based research projects with SolidarityNYC, is a former Board Member of New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives, and a founding member and peer educator with the Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City.
Dan Cogan is one of the most prominent non-fiction producers working today. Both an Academy Award®- and Emmy Award®-winner, Dan founded Story Syndicate with Liz Garbus in 2019. Previously, Dan was the founding Executive Director of Impact Partners. He has produced more than 100 films and series, including Icarus, which won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary; The Cove, which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; and The Apollo, which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary.
Mridu Chandra is BAFTA and Emmy nominated producer of award-winning documentaries and fiction films that cover topics of civil rights, environmental and racial justice, and gender equality. These films have premiered at Sundance, Telluride, and SXSW; aired on PBS, Disney+, HBO and Netflix; and screened for members of the U.S. Congress and the United Nations.
Recent credits include producing Becoming Cousteau (Disney+) for two-time Oscar nominee Liz Garbus and co-producing Cured (PBS, Independent Lens). Her expertise as an archival media researcher and clearance specialist has additionally served numerous films and Broadway productions. She has funded and supported filmmakers worldwide as the founding director of IF/Then Shorts at Tribeca Film Institute, a program now at Field of Vision. She is currently in development to direct Saund Vs Cochran, a documentary about our first Asian Congressman in U.S. history— Dalip Singh Saund. www.mriduchandra.com
Milisuthando Bongela (b.1985, South Africa) is an award-winning writer, editor, cultural worker and artist. Her career began in the fashion industry but the last 15 years has seen her traverse the worlds of music, art, media and film – continually turning towards indigenous knowledge. For 3 years she was Arts Editor for the Mail & Guardian’s Friday section and was host and co-producer of the podcast Umoya: On African Spirituality with Athambile Masola. After 8 years, she has recently completed her first film, a personal essay documentary titled Milisuthando which had its world premier at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. She is an inaugural fellow of the 2020 Adobe Women at Sundance Fellowship.
Co-presented by Frankfurt Kurnit
To experience the DOC NYC PRO lineup, purchase an individual PRO Day Pass (via the Buy Ticket button) to hone in on a specific subject, or benefit from discounted pricing when you purchase Multi-Day Pass Packs to an assortment of topics.
Gain valuable insights on educational distribution, retaining film rights, and exploring innovative distribution ideas to reach wider audiences and make a lasting impact with your storytelling.
In the Festival Lounge, the day starts with Breakfast (9-10AM) and ends with a Happy Hour (4:30-5:30PM) co-presented by Fever Content.
10-11:15AM
Empowering Change Through Partnerships
Join changemakers Evyenia Constantine (Odyssey Impact®), Ray Boyd (Law & Racial Justice Center, Yale University), Brian Walker (Picture Motion), Jenna LeDoux (The Just Trust), and moderator Amelia Hanibelsz (Tell2C Productions) for an illuminating panel discussion that delves into the art of strategic collaboration between documentary filmmakers and nonprofitsto find grant money to help create and support the impact campaign for your documentary film. Explore how powerful storytelling can be harnessed to drive impactful change, learn the strategies for forming and nurturing partnerships that elevate your documentary’s reach and effectiveness in promoting social and environmental causes. Discover real-world success stories and practical insights that will empower you to make a difference through your documentary work.
Evyenia Constantine is the Head of Social Impact at Odyssey Impact® where she leads the impact team, and strategy and execution for all impact campaigns and initiatives. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication where she earned a Master’s degree in Leadership for Creative Enterprises, graduating summa cum laude. She holds a Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from The New School in New York City where she majored in Film and Media Studies, concentrating on all aspects of screenwriting. She holds a certificate in Negotiation Mastery from Harvard Business School. She has produced Award-winning films with KaplaniKid Productions, which have had their debut screenings at the Festival de Cannes.
Evyenia has held positions at various film and media companies, including Media Strategist at Spark Foundry, and handling Acquisitions and Development Strategy for film streaming start-up, Flix Premiere. She is a member of IDA, ACLU, NAACP and the Impact Guild, and a very proud and active member of both The New School Alumni Association and the Northwestern University Alumni Association, where she serves on the Alumni Admissions Council.
Bridging content producers and decision makers with community stakeholders and tastemakers to drive everyday social change around real issues and for real people.
Brian Walker, CEO of Picture Motion, is a versatile change agent with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of culture, digital media, social enterprise, and social justice. Formerly, Brian worked at Participant Media, where he directed social impact and digital strategy for the TEACH and He Named Me Malala campaigns . After his time at Participant Media, Brian served as the first Culture and Entertainment Advocacy Director at Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. Most recently, Brian served as a Stakeholder Engagement Leader with the Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion group at The Walt Disney Company.
In November 2021, Ray Boyd was released from the Connecticut Department of Correction. He was incarcerated at the age of 17 and served 30 years. During his incarceration, in 2015, Ray cofounded the Skills of Socialization (S.O.S.) program at the Osborn Correctional Institute, and in 2018 he cofounded the T.R.U.E. Reentry program at the Cheshire Correctional Institute. The innovative program was the subject of segment aired on 60 Minutes. In April of 2022, Ray was a presenter of Restorative Justice Practices at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ) in Chicago, Illinois. Since his release, Ray has worked at Lewis Real Estate Services and Yale New Haven Health. He currently volunteers his time as a Board Member of CT Stop Solitary Confinement and advocates for second chances for offenders. Ray also volunteers his time with the United States Department of Justice as a speaker with FED Up, Project Safe Neighborhood, and Project Longevity. Ray also lends his lived experience to Odyssey Impact as an Expert Contributor to the Documentary Second Shot by Andrew Michael Ellis. The film is part of a National Campaign to bring awareness to social injustices here in America and abroad.
Jenna LeDoux is the Vice President of Brand & Communications at The Just Trust, an organization dedicated to powering criminal justice reform across the country. She has a background in nonprofit and philanthropic communications – working at both the national and global level – and has also served in various grantmaking roles. Prior to The Just Trust, Jenna led communications for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Justice & Opportunity work. There she supported the organization’s investments in criminal justice reform, housing affordability, and immigration reform, and also ran a multi-issue media grants portfolio. Additionally, Jenna brings nearly a decade of experience in the sustainability sector, running communications and marketing strategy for Fair Trade USA and collaborating with influential consumer brands, movement leaders, and producer communities to help build momentum for responsibly-sourced goods. Jenna holds a degree from UC Berkeley in International Peace and Conflict Studies, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
Amelia is an Award-Winning Executive Producer, Primetime Emmy-Nominated Supervising Producer, Genesis Award-Winning Producer-Director, and most recently, Executive Director of Development at ABC News Studios -Disney, where she focused on developing premium documentary specials and series for Hulu and ABC Broadcast.
Over the past 20+ years, Amelia has acquired extensive experience in discovering, and cultivating new talent for content initiatives on leading media networks such as Hulu, ABC, Discovery, A&E, National Geographic, Animal Planet, The Smithsonian Channel, MTV, and VICE World News.
She is the Founder and Executive Producer of Tell2C Productions, a global collective of award-winning female filmmakers for change. An active member of the Television Academy, Global Impacts Alliance, IDA, and a proud member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia.
A global nomad, having lived and worked in over 10 Countries, Amelia is passionate about empowering diverse voices through authentic storytelling.
Co-presented by Odyssey Impact®
11:15-12:45PM
HOPE
In an industry marked by evolving distribution landscapes, documentary filmmakers find themselves navigating uncharted waters. Join Stacey Reiss (Radical Media), Dawn Porter (The Lady Bird Diaries), for an inspiring and introspective panel discussion led by Sian-Pierre Regis (Duty Free) that addresses the essence of hope in this challenging era. Panelists will share stories of resilience, explore innovative distribution models, and discuss the transformative power of documentary storytelling. Together, we’ll confront the current challenges of documentary distribution and collaboratively chart a course towards a more stable future for our films.
Sian- Pierre Regis is a filmmaker who directed, produced and self-distributed his debut feature documentary DUTY FREE. Called a “tender love poem from son to mother” by CBS News, the film was released in 30 theaters over Mother’s Day 2021 and fast-became a press magnet garnering coverage from CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, MSNBC, The Tamron Hall Show, AARP; the film was also a #1 Apple News story through the weekend. It will have its debut broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens on November 22 at 10pET.
Prior to filmmaking, Regis was a journalist and on-camera contributor to CNN, HLN, and MTV and founded Swagger, an online lifestyle magazine for millennials with over 1.5 million fans. He is a Firelight Media fellow and Film Independent Documentary Lab Fellow.
Stacey Reiss is an Executive Producer at RadicalMedia. She’s an Emmy award winning filmmaker who produces documentary features, narrative films and series. Her credits include The Andy Warhol Diaries (Netflix); The Eagle Huntress (Sony Classics); Spaceship Earth (Neon); The Diplomat (HBO); and The Perfection (Netflix) starring Allison Williams and Logan Browning. Her films have premiered at festivals around the world including Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, Tribeca, SxSW and IDFA. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
2016 Visionaries Tribute Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence
Dawn Porter
2016 Visionaries Tribute Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence
Dawn Porter’s film Trapped premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking. Her documentary Gideon’s Army won the Sundance Film Festival Editing Award and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and an Emmy. Her other films include Spies of Mississippi and Rise: The Promise of My Brother’s Keeper.
[Biography from 2016]
1:45-3PM
The Power of Educational Distribution
Explore the dynamic world of educational distribution as a strategic avenue for documentary filmmakers in a discussion moderated by Sean Weiner (Untitled Filmmaker Organization). Join our panelists Kristin Cooney (Roco Films), Chithra Jeyaram (New Day Films), and Brittany Quirarte (New York Public Library) as they share insights into harnessing this platform to not only generate revenue but also amplify your project’s visibility and social impact. Discover how to navigate the educational distribution landscape effectively, engage with institutions, and make a lasting impression.
As Vice President and Co-Founder of ROCO’s Impact and Engagement division, Kristin Cooney and her team are responsible for executing bespoke screening campaigns to achieve targeted impact goals. Before starting ROCO’s Impact division, Kristin helped to launch ROCO’s Educational Distribution division, where she served as managing director for nine years, growing the educational catalogue from 1 film to several hundred and bringing educational rights to the forefront of the distribution conversation. In her current role, Kristin continues to prioritize educational rights, ensuring that impact and engagement efforts lead to robust and long-term educational outcomes and revenue. Kristin has executed impact campaigns and/or managed educational rights for over 200 films, including Picture a Scientist, The Invisible War, Chasing Ice, The Hunting Ground, Inequality for All, Kiss The Ground, The Right To Read, Chasing Childhood, Girl Rising, Miss Representation, Trapped, Life, Animated, Cartel Land, This Changes Everything, Particle Fever, A Place At the Table and Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
Chithra Jeyaram is a physical therapist turned filmmaker with an MFA in Film from the University of Texas in Austin. She specializes in one-person crew independent documentaries. She identifies as Tamil. Her work prioritizes subverting stereotypes by framing narratives that highlight perspectives, and intricacies that are left out. She is the recipient of Visions Du Reel RoughCut Lab [2023], Chicken and (Egg)Celerator Lab [2022], Brown Girls Doc Mafia Artist Fellowship [2021], Gotham Documentary Fellowship [2020], and Jerome Foundation [2019]. Her work has been featured on PBS, CBSN, Apple TV, Revry, Kanopy, SXSW, and DOC NYC. Now Chithra’s finishing, Our Daughters, a feature documentary that examines identity and adoption in America through an immigrant lens. In addition to directing and producing her work, she edits – Look Like You (2022, Short Narrative), an episode for CBSN Speaking Frankly Series: Symbolic Justice (2020), and 9 Degrees (2019, Short Doc). She is an adjunct faculty at NYU and Vassar. She is an active organizer and member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and Bitchitra Collective.
Brittany Quirarte is an Educator Development Specialist at The New York Public Library’s new initiative The Center for Educators and Schools. This program seeks to use NYPL’s resources and collections to ignite the curiosity, joy, and passion of learning within educators, students, and school communities. CES hosts many film events for teachers including a summer film festival which Brittany helped create and run.
Sean Weiner is a film producer and artist community builder based in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York. Sean is the Co-Director of UFO, a filmmaker support organization built upon a philosophy of inclusion and collaboration that provides short film labs, feature film residencies, and grants opportunities to early career and experienced independent filmmakers. He was the Founding Director of Creative Culture at the Jacob Burns Film Center. Sean is an assistant professor in Film & Media Studies at Purchase College. He has produced, edited, and mentored award-winning films selected by Sundance, Berlinale, and SXSW, and acquired by Criterion, Searchlight, HBOMax, POV, The New Yorker, and New York Times’ Op-Docs.
3:15-4:30PM
Where Will Your Film Be in 20 Years?
Explore the intricate journey of your film’s long-term rights and the preservation of vital materials. Legal expertsSusan Bodine and Nancy Wolff from CDAS, alongside filmmakers Shola Lynch (Free Angela and All Political Prisoners), and Susan Margolin(Obsessed with Light) will navigate the nuances of film ownership, distribution, and safeguarding key elements with moderator and producer Ira Deutchman. Join us in uncovering the secrets to preserving your film’s rights/materials over the years. This isn’t just legal talk – it’s empowerment. Untangle complexities and confidently tackle rights and materials challenges. Whether a newcomer or industry pro, join us to transform your film’s rights into a strategic advantage.
Susan Margolin is a pioneer of digital film distribution and a creator of independent films with 25+ years’ experience. Margolin co-founded independent film distributor New Video/Docurama Films in 1992, and ran the company until she sold it to Cinedigm in 2012. As Co-President there she distributed critically acclaimed, award winning films including Destin Daniel Crettin’s Short Term 12 and Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s Academy Award nominated The Invisible War. In 2016 Margolin launched St. Marks Productions. She produced Nancy Buirski’s A Crime on the Bayou (Starz) and The Rape of Recy Taylor (Starz), Alexandra Codina’s Paper Children (YouTube Originals), Trish Adlesic’s Tree of Life and Executive Produced Judith Helfand’s upcoming Love and Stuff, Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl’s Obsessed With Light and Cheryl Miller Houser and Cynthia Wade’s Generation Startup (Netflix). Margolin serves on the board of directors of Chicken & Egg Pictures, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, BAFTA NY (emerita), and the Documentary Producers Alliance, and on the advisory boards of Hamptons DocFest and NYWIFT. Margolin is a member of the PGA, BAFTA and AMPAS.
Nancy Wolff is a partner at the intellectual property, media and entertainment law firm of Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, LLP located in New York, New York and Beverly Hills, CA. She represents a wide range of creative individuals and companies in all areas of media law, art law, licensing and publishing. Nancy is co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and co-chair of the firm’s Art Law Group. With her deep knowledge of copyright, trademarks, rights of privacy and publicity, and other third-party rights, she handles pre-pub review of books ,podcasts and documentary films as well as transactional matters involving copyright and licensing. She is a Past President of the Copyright Society of the USA (CSUSA) and a member of the ABA IP Task Force on Copyright Reform as well as the ABA IP AI and ML Task Force.
Susan Bodine represents a diverse clientele in the motion picture, television, and digital media industries. Her clients include major and specialty motion picture studios, cable television networks, media lenders, private equity financiers, as well as production and distribution companies, and individual directors, writers, and producers. Sue provides clients with counsel in all phases of development, finance, production, distribution, and rights administration regarding motion pictures, television programming and new media properties. She also handles domestic and international clients’ issues with rights acquisitions, production legal work and film and television sales and licensing. She advises a number of high-profile writers, directors and producers, working with them and their other representatives (agents, managers and business managers) on all aspects of their careers.
Shola Lynch is an award-winning American Filmmaker best known for the feature documentary Free & All Political Prisoners and the Peabody Award winning documentary Chisolm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed. Her independent film body of work and her other collaborative projects feed her passion to bring history alive with captivating stories of people, places, and events. Since 2013 she has also served as the Curator of the Moving Image & Recorded Sound division of the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. In 2016, she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Shola is currently finishing a documentary about the American sprinter, cultural icon and still the current World Record holder, Flo Jo. She is in production on an Apple Original film, Number One on the Call Sheet, which will celebrate Black achievement in the film industry and explore what it takes for Black actresses to find success in Hollywood. She has also been tapped to helm an upcoming documentary on Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Ira Deutchman has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and, in their respective times, helped define the independent film business. He was also a co-founder of Emerging Pictures, the first digital projection network in the United States and a pioneer in delivering live cultural events into movie theaters. Currently Deutchman is an independent producer, and a consultant in marketing and distribution of independent films. He is also Professor Emeritus in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he has taught since 1987 and was the Chair of the Film Program from 2011-2015. His current projects include serving as director/producer of the feature documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff (opened in theaters in August, 2021), producer of the stage adaptation of Joan Micklin Silver’s Hester Street (opens April 1, 2024), producer of Nickel & Dimed, based on the book by Barbara Ehrenreich and directed by Debra Granik (in pre-production) and executive producer of the mini-series based on the novel Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford (in development). In 2017, Deutchman was awarded the Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sundance Art House Convergence for his service to independent film marketing and distribution.
Co-presented by Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP
To experience the DOC NYC PRO lineup, purchase an individual PRO Day Pass (via the Buy Ticket button) to hone in on a specific subject, or benefit from discounted pricing when you purchase Multi-Day Pass Packs to an assortment of topics.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tool that is already starting to transform all kinds of work–documentary filmmaking included.
Documentary makers are perennially under-resourced, so the ability of AI to help on a wide range of tasks is a potential game-changer. Imagine having assistance on drafting grant applications, generating preliminary interview questions, transcribing audio and video recording, synthesizing voices, even creating promotional materials. The possibilities for AI’s use keep expanding.
But using AI isn’t without tradeoffs. Does the time you gain somehow short-circuit the creative process? Because the platform learns from existing examples, do you risk losing some of your project’s uniqueness? And what are the ethical issues that arise from outsourcing work another person might have done?
Explore the promises and pitfalls of AI in this timely DOC NYC PRO webinar, led by accomplished documentary filmmaker and AI expert Philip Shane (Being Elmo), an innovator at the forefront of the intersection between AI and documentary storytelling.
Tickets for this event are $19($14 for IFC members)and are non-refundable.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of any slides after the livestream.
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.
“Traditional” documentary distribution is in a state of disruption – often leaving independent filmmakers on their own to find new and creative solutions to ensure their films reach audiences in an impactful way. Join us for an insightful and honest discussion on strategic planning to explore the complex landscape of creative distribution. Discover real-world strategies for success and tips for overcoming challenges in the ever-changing and often-daunting realm of impact and distribution. We welcome media strategist, filmmaker and author Jon Reiss (Think Outside the Box Office) along with independent producer Lance Kramer (The First Step, City of Trees) who will outline fundamental principles and essential elements to defining, crafting and implementing a successful distribution, impact and marketing campaign.
Highlighted topics include knowing your goals and audience, defining success, creating a hybrid path utilizing various modes of distribution, building partnerships to expand your reach and how to prepare for your film’s release during production.
Tickets for this event are $19($14 for IFC members)and are non-refundable.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of any slides after the livestream.
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.
As documentary filmmakers, it’s essential to understand your role and obligations towards the participants involved in your projects. In this interactive learning experience, we’ll explore the nuances and complexities of ethical responsibility in filmmaking. While there are often no concrete answers to ethical dilemmas, discussing case studies with other filmmakers will provide guidance as you wrestle with dilemmas from your own projects. Do you wonder about what responsibility documentary filmmakers have to their participants throughout the filmmaking process and beyond? Should filmmakers compensate participants? What if a filmmaker doubts the integrity of their protagonist? Join DOC NYC and Stephanie Palumbo from film impact non-profit Peace is Loud in an event geared towards doc filmmakers at all stages of their careers.
Filmmakers Margie Ratliff (Subject), Martina Radwan, (Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow), and Sonia Kennebeck (Enemies of the State) will present one dilemma each during this day-long in person workshop. Erika Dilday, Executive Director of American Documentary, will provide an overview of the current state of ethics in documentary filmmaking. Two ethical frameworks will be presented to guide the conversations: Molly Murphy of the The Documentary Accountability Working Group will share their values-based framework and Lisa Leeman of the Documentary Producers Alliance and USC Film School will present a method of ethical inquiry from which to analyze the scenarios.
We ask guests to bring a compassionate and open mind as we explore these sensitive and complex case studies.
Each dilemma includes dedicated time where filmmakers, in small groups, discuss how they would navigate each scenario, and also a Q&A with the presenter. We will ask everyone to commit to a set of community agreements designed to create an environment of curiosity, kindness, and respect.
10:00 – 10:30 am
Welcome
Join Malikkah Rollins, Stephanie Palumbo and Erika Dilday as we open the workshop with a welcome, community agreements about how we’ll work together throughout the day, and an overview of ethics in the documentary industry.
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects includingDOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities;Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie Palumbo
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie is an organizer, writer, and film producer leading strategic campaigns that use documentary films to build movement power. For more than 20 years, she has worked with grassroots movements to challenge systemic inequities, and joined Peace is Loud in 2016, where she oversees their documentary film impact campaigns and Collective Lens impact trainings, and develops strategies that integrate care into all aspects of documentary filmmaking. Her propensity for archival and story producing propelled her career, where she has worked with award-winning filmmakers including Michael Moore and Martin Scorsese, and spearheaded impact campaigns for groundbreaking documentaries including Knock Down the House,The Hunting Ground, and The Armor of Light. She is also a former assistant editor at O, the Oprah Magazine, and a freelance writer published in The Believer and Vulture, among other outlets.
10:30 – 11:00 am
Ethical Frameworks Examples
Hear from Molly Murphy and Lisa Leeman as they present two ethical frameworks which will be used throughout the day to explore the dilemmas.
Leveraging the power of non-fiction film for social and environmental justice.
Molly Murphy (she/her) joined Working Films in 2001 and now serves as Director of Partnerships and Innovation. She has planned and directed impact campaigns, facilitated partnerships and coordinated coalitions centered on he use of documentaries to catalyze progress on the biggest issues of our time.
Molly has designed and led dozens of trainings, for filmmakers and changemakers, focused on leveraging the power of film to make an impact. In her current role, she is responsible for Working Films’ external relations, forging connections in the documentary film industry and within social justice movements, and lifting up Working Films’ approach and learnings, while building with allies and accomplices to increase collective impact. Molly co-leads Working Films’ fundraising efforts and is part of the team of directors responsible for organizational and programmatic strategy and sustainability.
Molly is a member of the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG). She also serves on the board of Justice for My Sister (JFMS), a nonprofit collective that trains women of color, non-binary youth, and foster youth with a culturally-relevant and trauma-informed approach to tell stories through a gender equity and racial justice lens.
In her spare time, you can find her dancing and singing to music, gardening, playing basketball with her son, and spending time with her friends and family on the coast of North Carolina.
Lisa Leeman believes that documentaries can change the world, one story at a time. Her films illuminate contemporary social issues through intimate character-driven stories that follow people at critical turning points. She is currently directing a follow-up to her groundbreaking first film, Metamorphosis (Sundance, Filmmakers Trophy; POV, 1990). Roger Ebert named Leeman’s One Lucky Elephant one of the best documentaries of 2011. Other credits include Awake; Crazy Wisdom; Out of Faith; and Who Needs Sleep (with Haskell Wexler). Lisa’s work has been supported by Sundance, Catapult, the Producers Guild, AFI, NEA, and the California Humanities Council. She co-chairs the Ethics Subcommittee of the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) and teaches Cinematic Ethics at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. A tenured professor and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she leads workshops for the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase and Global Media Makers.
11:00 am -12:00 pm
Collaborating, Editing and Duty of Care for Documentary Participants
In providing duty of care for participants with traumatic stories, how do we include their voice in the filmmaking and editing processes so as to reduce re-traumatizing them? What are the pros and cons of accepting their editorial input? Do we change the integrity of the story by inviting their contributions? Margie Ratliff will share her insight as both a producer (Subject) and protagonist (The Staircase, 2004).
Margie Ratliff is a producer and key participant of Subject, where she examines her participation in the 2018 Netflix true-crime documentary, The Staircase. After receiving her MFA from Columbia College Chicago in documentary filmmaking, she has worked at companies such as The Gersh Agency and Imaginary Forces in Los Angeles. She is currently starting the non-profit, Documentary Participants Empowerment Alliance, to bring mental health, legal, counseling, advocacy, and mentorship resources to past, present, and future documentary participants. Margie is a globally based independent producer/director of documentary films, marathon runner, and passionate traveler of the world.
12:15 – 1:25pm
Boundaries, Financial Compensation and Caretaking: Navigating a Filmmaker’s Multiple Roles
At what point does the filmmaker/participant relationship end… especially if caretaking, financial and otherwise, has been provided to the participants? If we feel the pull to help our participants, what potential consequences do we face? How do we know if we’ve gone too far in providing support? Veteran DP and director Martina Radwan (Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow), faced these decisions while creating her multi year documentary.
Martina is a German/Syrian filmmaker and cinematographer, based in New York City. Her recent credits include Food and Country, Boys State, Inventing Tomorrow, The Final Year and Saving Face, the 2012 Academy Award and Emmy Winner for Short Documentary, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography. Her directorial debut Spring in Awe won the Media Awareness Award at the Media That Matters Film Festival, as well as Best Editing Award at the Brooklyn Film Festival, both 2004. The film was also part of PBS’ New York Reel the same year. Her second film Aliens Among Us played theatrically at IDA’s DocuWeek and at numerous festivals in 2009.
Martina Radwan is a member of the Academy and BAFTA Documentary Branch.
2:30 – 3:30pm
Conflicting Testimonies: Finding the Truth in Complex Stories
How can filmmakers verify the stories of participants? What if their stories conflict or contradict other evidence? How do you deal with uncomfortable discoveries, ambiguity, or an elusive truth? This dilemma is about fact-checking stories and balancing responsibilities towards various participants and the audience. Respect and care for participants does not require unlimited trust. In fact, thorough research, verification, and reasonable doubt help to create truthful documentary films, which most participants support. Sonia Kennebeck will explore this complexity as experienced during production of Enemies of the State.
Sonia Kennebeck is an independent filmmaker with 18 years of directing and producing experience. Her most recent feature documentary United States vs. Reality Winner premiered at SXSW 2021, and her documentary thriller Enemies of the State was selected for TIFF 2020.
Kennebeck’s first feature-length film National Bird premiered at Berlinale 2016, received the Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize and a 2018 Emmy-nomination for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary.
Foreign Policy magazine recognized Kennebeck as one of 100 Leading Global Thinkers, she was selected as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine, and DOC NYC included her in the 40 Under 40 list of documentary filmmakers. She is the 2021 recipient of the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award.
Sonia Kennebeck is a first-generation college graduate who worked full-time while completing her master’s degree in international affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. She was born in Malacca, Malaysia.
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Closing Reflection / Discussion and Next Steps
Malikkah and Stephanie will lead the audience through a reflection and next steps activity.
As the new Director of Industry and Education at DOC/NYC, Malikkah will oversee a portfolio of projects includingDOC NYC PRO, the festival’s line-up of educational courses and industry networking opportunities;Only In New York industry meetings for filmmakers with works-in-progress; and the40 Under 40 list. Malikkah brings 15 years of experience in education, counseling, and professional development to the role. As a freelance doc producer, WIFV/DC board member, Sundance Collab Community Leader and D Word Ambassador, Malikkah’s passion is rooted in connecting people and building stronger, more collaborative film communities.
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie Palumbo
Director of Film Impact and Innovation, Peace is Loud
Stephanie is an organizer, writer, and film producer leading strategic campaigns that use documentary films to build movement power. For more than 20 years, she has worked with grassroots movements to challenge systemic inequities, and joined Peace is Loud in 2016, where she oversees their documentary film impact campaigns and Collective Lens impact trainings, and develops strategies that integrate care into all aspects of documentary filmmaking. Her propensity for archival and story producing propelled her career, where she has worked with award-winning filmmakers including Michael Moore and Martin Scorsese, and spearheaded impact campaigns for groundbreaking documentaries including Knock Down the House,The Hunting Ground, and The Armor of Light. She is also a former assistant editor at O, the Oprah Magazine, and a freelance writer published in The Believer and Vulture, among other outlets.
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Drinks and Conversation at Oppa Bistro
Join us for 1 free drink at Oppa after the event!
Each guest will receive 1 free popcorn or a drink during the workshop.
Early bird tickets to this event are $79 ($65 for IFC members) through June 29 and $99 ($80 for IFC members) after June 29. 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.
DOC NYC Audience Award winning film 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted a Culture was a crowd pleasing hit at the 2022 festival and the most viewed film in the festival’s history. The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and director Rocky Roggio set a new standard for building upon her impactful subject matter by creating a devoted audience and raising funds through social media. Learning from Rocky’s innovative methods will inspire filmmakers to chart their own path in the social media landscape.
Tickets for this event are $19. If you are interested in purchasing a Spring 2023 Season Pass, which will include live and recorded access to all April & May 2023 PRO programs, click here.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of the slide presentation after the livestream. 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.
Documentary filmmaking has a long tradition of working to effect social change, but what can you do to make sure your work has an impact? How do you craft an impact campaign from start to finish that is tailor made to elevate the issue your film illuminates? Partnering with local and national organizations is a key ingredient to create lasting change, but how do you initiate and sustain these relationships? Join Odyssey Impact’s Evyenia Constantine and director Nailah Jefferson (Descended from the Promised Land: The Legacy of Black Wall Street) who will share their insights on how to elevate your film to inspire action and offer examples of films with effective campaigns.
Tickets for this event are $19. If you are interested in purchasing a Spring 2023 Season Pass, which will include live and recorded access to all April & May 2023 PRO programs, click here.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of the slide presentation after the livestream. 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.
Get your film out into the world! Film festivals are a great vehicle for an audience to discover your film. But there are so many options! How do you know which festivals best suit your film? How can you strategize to save money on submission fees while maximizing impact? Once you’re invited to a festival, how do you make the most of the experience? Jeanelle Augustin, Manager, Film Fellowships and Artist Development at NBCUniversal Media, and filmmaker Set HernandezRongkilyo will offer tips on how to create an intentional and well-honed festival strategy.
Tickets for this event are $19. If you are interested in purchasing a Spring 2023 Season Pass, which will include live and recorded access to all April & May 2023 PRO programs, click here.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of the slide presentation after the livestream. 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.
Curious how to bolster your distribution know-how? Recent shifts in the distribution ecosystem have opened the door to creative and innovative distribution ideas. When filmmakers can’t rely on traditional tactics, new approaches to distribution are needed. Join Nick Canfield (The Reverend) and other guests as we explore how to sell, promote and release your films in a whole new way.
Tickets for this event are $19. If you are interested in purchasing a Spring 2023 Season Pass, which will include live and recorded access to all April & May 2023 PRO programs, click here.
All registrants may participate in the live session, and will also receive access to the recorded event, a written transcript, and a copy of the slide presentation after the livestream. 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.
