Media Room
PRESS ReLEASES
DOC CALLS FOR CANADA’S PUBLIC FUNDING INSTITUTIONS TO TAKE ACTION ON RECENT REPORTS HIGHLIGHTING SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES FOR INDIGENOUS, BLACK AND RACIALIZED FILMMAKERS
TORONTO, Friday, November 25, 2022 – Canadian documentary films are consistently celebrated and sold around the world, and they shine a spotlight on Canada for years after a film’s initial release…
DOC LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO ASSESS
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING ACROSS THE DOCUMENTARY SECTOR
TORONTO, Monday September 20th 2022 – At the Toronto International Film Festival’s Industry Conference, the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) announced the launch of “Documentality”: an initiative that seeks to normalize conversations about mental health and well-being in our industry.…
DOC Teams up with Tënk for Docs From The Vault
TORONTO, January 27, 2022 – DOC in partnership with Tënk, is proud to present DOCs from the
Vault showcasing 11 documentaries from DOC filmmakers that have not yet premiered online…
DOC condemns silencing of Documentarian Journalist and Wet’suwet’en land defenders, demands unconditional release
TORONTO, November 22, 2021 – On November 19th, the RCMP arrested fifteen land defenders, allies and legal observers in
unceded Wet’suwet’en territory in northern British Columbia including documentary filmmaker
Michael Toledano and journalist Amber Bracken…
DOC Launches Copro Study
TORONTO, June 7, 2021 – the Documentary Organization of Canada is pleased to release its study Understanding the International Landscape for Canadian Documentaries: Treaty Coproduction, Promotion, and Sales…
DOC Launches DOC HUB
MONTREAL, May 10, 2021 – the Documentary Organization of Canada is pleased to release its virtual community space: DOC HUB…
BIPOC Membership Category Introduced
TORONTO, March 1, 2021 – DOC offers a two-year free membership to new members that identify as Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour…
DOC Welcomes Sarah Spring as the New Executive Director
TORONTO/MONTREAL, December 16, 2020 – Ina Fichman, Chair of the Board for the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) today announced the appointment…
DOC Launches Documentary Production in the Era of COVID-19
TORONTO, September 28, 2020 – The Documentary Organization of Canada is pleased to release its online guide Documentary Production in the Era COVID-19: Best Practices by and for Documentary Filmmakers…
DOC Releases COVID-19 Impact Survey Results
TORONTO/MONTREAL, June 3rd, 2020 – The heightened vulnerability of those working in Canada’s documentary sector as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 is revealed…
DOC IN THE NEWS
POV Magazine: Lisa Jackson Wins BMO-DOC Vanguard Award
May 12, 2021
Filmmaker Lisa Jackson is this year’s winner of the BMO-DOC Vanguard Award from the DOC Institute.
See also: DOC Vanguard award recipient Lisa Jackson celebrates her community, Now Toronto, May 12, 2021
POV Magazine: DOC Launches New DOC Hub Website
May 12, 2021
DOC launched the DOC Hub last week during Hot Docs, offering a first-of-its-kind virtual network to Canada’s documentary professionals.
POV Magazine: DOC Responds to NFB’s Strategic Plan with a Call for Increased Production Spending and Transparency
February 21, 2021
The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) released this week a response to the NFB’s strategic plan. DOC’s concerns mainly consider the ongoing decline in production spending—a point emphasized by filmmakers during the NFB’s cross-Canada consultations held pre-COVID.
News Archives
- February 1st, 2021: On Documentary and CBC’s License Renewal, Barri Cohen, POV Magazine
- December 16, 2020: DOC Appoints Sarah Spring New Executive Director, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- December 16, 2020: Sarah Spring named executive director at Documentary Organization of Canada, Jordan Pinto, Realscreen
- December 11, 2020: Alanis Obomsawin Receives DOC Institute Honours, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- October 26, 2020: Documentary Organization of Canada Releases Guidelines for COVID-Era Production, Marc Glassman, IDA
- September 29, 2020: DOC releases best practices for filmmaking in the era of COVID-19, Playback Magazine
- September 28, 2020: DOC Releases Guide to Filmmaking Amid COVID-19, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- September 28, 2020: DOC releases best practices study for filmmaking “in the era of COVID-19″, Brendan Christie, Realscreen
- July 27, 2020: DOC Seeks Filmmaker Input for COVID-19 Survey, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- June 3, 2020: DOC report highlights ‘heightened vulnerability’ of documentary sector, Jordan Pinto, Realscreen
- June 3, 2020: DOC Releases Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Documentary Productions, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- May 20, 2020: Intuitive Pictures president Ina Fichman named DOC board of directors chair, Jillian Morgan, Realscreen
- May 19, 2020: Ina Fichman Named Chair of DOC Board of Directors, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
- April 30, 2020: POV Interview: DOC’s New Executive Director Michelle van Beusekom, Marc Glassman, POV Magazine
- April 1, 2020: COVID-19 Impacts on Canada’s Documentary Community, POV Magazine
- February 12, 2020: DOC Names Michelle van Beusekom as Executive Director, Patrick Mullen, POV Magazine
Media ContactS
Laura Dueñas
Communications Coordinator, Documentary Organization of Canada
laura@docorg.ca
Sarah Spring
Executive Director, Documentary Organization of Canada
sarah@docorg.ca
Office Telephone: 647-846-7638 x 005
Media kit
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Sarah Spring is the executive director of the Documentary Organization of Canada.
Spring brings to DOC over 15 years’ experience in independent documentary. As the co-founder of Parabola Films, she has produced several award-winning and boundary pushing documentaries including this year’s festival hit No Ordinary Man, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, which corrects the history of musician Billy Tipton through a chorus of voices from transgender artists. Spring also produced Samara Chadwick’s 1999, a meditative essay on collective loss and grief, and Mitchell Stafiej’s study of cult communities, The Devil’s Trap, among other titles.
In addition to her work as a producer, the Montreal-based Spring brings to the role experience from positions in festivals, arts councils, and advocacy groups. She is chair of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), sits on the Montréal Arts Council’s Cinema Committee, is the former Board Chair of DOC’s Quebec chapter, and sits on the Board of the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC Creators.
Documentary Organization of Canada
The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) is the collective voice of Canada’s independent documentary creators. DOC began in 1983 as the Canadian Independent Film Caucus (CIFC) to represent the interests of Canada’s growing community of indie doc filmmakers. Today DOC has over 1100 members across six chapters from coast to coast.
DOC’s National office leads on research and advocacy work that strengthens the ecosystem for documentary production while DOC chapters provide community support, professional development, and networking opportunities. DOC negotiates preferential professional rates and discounts for our members. Every day, we work to create conditions that will ensure that documentaries – and their creators – thrive.