A Few Notes from Getting Real
My experience thus far at the International Documentary Association's Annual Getting Real Conference
Welcome to this week’s Wednesday edition of The Backlot. Every week, we will share news, updates, interviews, and discussions from the film industry. In the mid-week newsletters, we will alternate between our Status of Documentary Film series and other deep dives into the industry.
NOTE - The mid-week version of the newsletter will be free for the next few weeks before moving to a paid subscription in May. The Sunday version of this newsletter will remain free.
This week is a bit shorter than most because I will be sharing just a few of my thoughts from the International Documentary Association’s Getting Real conference.
🎞️ Journaling and Thoughts From Getting Real
🎞️ A Few Updates from the Industry
Over the past few days, I’ve been participating in the International Documentary Association’s Getting Real conference in downtown Los Angeles. The conference has included a number of talks from keynote speakers, workshops on topics such as artificial intelligence, and networking events with other filmmakers.
Truthfully, it’s been an incredibly insightful and inspiring conference. I’ve gotten to meet filmmakers from all over the world, talk with innovators who are giving the industry incredible new tools and experts who are helping people understand the status of doc-making.
As many of you know, we’ve been running a series here on The Backlot about the status of the documentary film industry. The series is dedicated to uncovering the truth of where we are really at in this industry and what the future holds for documentary filmmakers.
Going into this conference, I was really nervous to hear about the feelings and general perceptions about the industry from people who were actually in it.
Throughout the week, I’ve had many conversations about these feelings with fellow doc-makers, producers, and distributors about the state of documentary films. One thing that has surprised me the most about these conversations and group discussions is hope.
The number of people in this industry who are hopeful about the future is astounding—so much so that I have already walked away from this event with more desire, dedication, and belief in the future of filmmaking.
It’s also been incredible to witness and learn about the sheer amount of innovation happening in documentary film. Individuals and organizations from all over the world are taking action to build a better future for filmmakers, uplift underrepresented communities, and provide access for audiences worldwide.
The documentary film industry truly feels like it is in the midst of a renaissance, an awakening, and from the seeds of these innovations, a revolution.
Over the next decade, I believe we will see new systems become established, communities engaged and represented, and a better network built on the foundation of these changes.
This is not to say we’re tearing down the old structures. In fact, I just left a workshop with United Screens, who discussed this idea—not destroying, just building better—an uplifting of the standard of our industry and what we represent as filmmakers.
I think that's truly at the root of the things I've felt this past week.
In the last few years, in all aspects of this industry, many have been put in precarious situations. We’ve had our backs against the wall, searching for new ways of doing things and looking to change our ideas around cinema.
Although this has been terrifying, I believe it’s also the reason for this renaissance and revolution.
The documentary film industry, in particular, has been placed in a position where innovation is absolutely necessary for its survival. Instead of caving to the sheer anxiety of these demands, we’ve taken things in stride and decided to build, support, and change our industry for the better.
Obviously, the industry's status still has a lot of nuance, and we have a long way to go, which we will continue to explore over the next few months. But for now, I am writing to say I am excited about the future.
There are people who are doing some truly incredible things in this industry, and I can't wait to see what we become.
I will be talking more in-depth about my experience in next week’s version of The Backlot. For now, enjoy the rest of your week, and will be back for the Sunday Evening version of the Newsletter.
Mid Week Updates
This week’s updates from the world of filmmaking…
Participant Media, the production company focused on films that inspire social change, has announced its shutting down. You can read the full statement from founder Jeff Skoll here.
NOTE - At this festival, the news broke before the opening remarks and has been a major topic in daily conversations because Participant is known as one of the major funders and production companies in the documentary space. We will continue discussing the implications of this announcement in the future of the doc series
The Sundance Film Festival is reportedly looking to move out of Utah in 2027, and its team is currently looking for new locations to hold the world-famous event.
The team behind Cinema for Gaza has announced a new line of t-shirts and other apparel items to raise aid and resources for medical support inside Gaza. You can find the items here.
Peter Jackson has restored a rarely-seen Beatles documentary called Let It Be. The film, which was documented just before the band’s breakup, will be released on Disney+ on May 8th, according to the streaming service.
On Sunday, we’ll be discussing …
🎞️ Why It’s Okay to Not Know Anything - Debunking the False Knowledge Concept
🎬 The Power of Filmmaking Groups
🗞️ Three Movie Recommendations