Spotlight Conversation & Mixer at Lunenburg Doc Fest!
Join Atlantic region documentary creators for a conversation exploring changes in the documentary ecosystem over the past four decades as we envision the future, followed by oysters and wine to celebrate DOC’s 40th anniversary. This event is sponsored by the Documentary Organization of Canada and is free and open to the public.
To commemorate this important occasion and to highlight the release of “Getting Real 7”, we are pleased to partner with the Toronto International Film Festival for a celebration during the festival.
Overlooking King Street and the Toronto skyline at sunset, the 40th anniversary celebration will take place in the heart of the festival on the Rooftop of TIFF Bell Lightbox at 5pm on September 12th.
Join us for a 5@7 to commemorate DOC’s history and bright future, and our wonderful community!
DOC extends our heartfelt gratitude to the evening’s sponsors for their generous support:
At the height of a dramatic reconfiguration of Canada’s film and television funding, the Documentary Organization of Canada releases a major report on the state of documentary production in this country. In this session, DOC will share their findings for the first time, and explain why this latest edition of their “Getting Real” reports could be a game-changer for documentary filmmakers.
The panel will feature Kadon Douglas, Executive Director of BIPOC TV & Film, Owen Sherman, Senior Analyst at Nordicity, and Sarah Spring, Executive Director of DOC. The event will feature a special presentation by Mehernaz Lentin, National Director of Feature Film, Telefilm Canada.
Please note that access is limited to TIFF Industry and Conference passholders.
Thank you to our generous partners who have sponsored Getting Real 7!
DOC is extremely grateful to Nordicity for creating this report
DOC will be present at Gimli International Film Festival!
Growing from DOC’s wonderful meetings with local filmmakers at the Available Light Film Festival this past winter, DOC is looking forward to hear from Manitoba doc-makers as part of DOC’s Strategic Goal to connect with and work to strengthen local Chapters. In this session, DOC National Executive Director Sarah Spring will receive feedback from documentary filmmakers in Manitoba. This will be an opportunity to share ways that DOC National can better serve the documentary sector in the region as DOC shapes the next round of National programs to support filmmakers.
DOC will be present at Gimli International Film Festival!
Growing from our wonderful meetings with local filmmakers at the Available Light Film Festival this past winter, attending Gimli to connect with Manitoba doc-makers is part of DOC’s Strategic Goal to connect with and work to strengthen our local Chapters.
DOC will be present at Gimli International Film Festival!
Growing from our wonderful meetings with local filmmakers at the Available Light Film Festival this past winter, attending Gimli to connect with Manitoba doc-makers is part of DOC’s Strategic Goal to connect with and work to strengthen our local Chapters.
Having launched an initiative to normalize conversations about mental health in the Canadian documentary field in 2022, the Documentary Organization of Canada and the team at DocuMentality, with the financial support of the Canada Media Fund, conducted a series of focus groups to assess well-being among documentary industry professionals nationwide.
This report is Canada’s first in-depth analysis of mental health and well-being in the production sector. This session will share the results of the DocuMentality report with filmmakers in Manitoba and seek input for what filmmakers want to see change in order to center well-being and good mental health in their work.
DOC will be present at Gimli International Film Festival!
Growing from our wonderful meetings with local filmmakers at the Available Light Film Festival this past winter, attending Gimli to connect with Manitoba doc-makers is part of DOC’s Strategic Goal to connect with and work to strengthen our local Chapters.
DOC’s principal mandate is to advocate on behalf of documentary creators for a sustainable, equitable, inclusive, fair and functional film industry. This discussion aims to ensure that filmmakers in Manitoba are informed of Federal Policy changes that affect them at ground zero, such as Bill C-11 and changes on the horizon for the cultural funds from Heritage Canada. This discussion will also be led by Joy Loewen, CEO of National Screen Institute
About the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
Propelled by a visionary network of donors, private and public organizations, board members and staff, the National Screen Institute supports creators from across Canada to tell unforgettable stories. Through industry-informed training and mentoring in film, television and digital media, students and alumni find their voice and place on the global stage, inspiring us to shape a better world.
We are committed to training participants from a diverse community of voices including Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+), people with disabilities, those outside large urban centres, those from regional and remote areas and various religious groups.
Following the positive reception of DOC’s Hot Docs panel about our report on mental health in the documentary sector, we are opening the discussion up to all members across the country to share the results of the report, and discuss next steps.
The session will be led by Rebecca Day, Malikkah Rollins, and Marina SerrĂŁo of Film in Mind who are trained therapists with a background in documentary film.
Please note that there is no registration link. Zoom link will be opened when the session starts. You can add the event to your calendar, which has the zoom link, so that you don’t forget!
The Documentary Organization of Canada Atlantic Chapter has partnered with the Lunenburg DOC Fest and DOCTalks Festival & Symposium to present a series of nine conversations in 2023. The next three conversations will take you deeper into the world of Community Engagement & Alternative Distribution.
Hundreds of documentary films are pitched to broadcasters each year, but most do not receive a CRTC regulator broadcast-streaming license and/or government film agency funding. This lack of access to financing and distribution has led many independent producers to engage with community partners to create, finance and distribute their documentary films using a cross-sector approach. Join us in June as we present three documentary media conversations: i) Collaborating in a Community of Creators, ii) Producing Social Impact Films, and iii) Alternative Distribution in Canada.
Alternative Distribution in Canada
Becky Tennyson and Patrick Watt manage two non-profit, CRTC regulated, community TV stations that collectively reach an estimated 800,000 households across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada. They will share information about their community TV stations and a new documentary film strand being planned called DOCTalks Presents.
Florence Lamothe and Naomie Decarie are with TĂ«nk, a not-for-profit, independent subscription-based streaming platform, dedicated to the promotion of documentary cinema, and available online across Canada. It was launched in Quebec in February 2020 and they will discuss TĂ«nk’s mission and operations.
The Documentary Organization of Canada Atlantic Chapter has partnered with the Lunenburg DOC Fest and DOCTalks Festival & Symposium to present a series of nine conversations in 2023. The next three conversations will take you deeper into the world of Community Engagement & Alternative Distribution.
Hundreds of documentary films are pitched to broadcasters each year, but most do not receive a CRTC regulator broadcast-streaming license and/or government film agency funding. This lack of access to financing and distribution has led many independent producers to engage with community partners to create, finance and distribute their documentary films using a cross-sector approach. Join us in June as we present three documentary media conversations: i) Collaborating in a Community of Creators, ii) Producing Social Impact Films, and iii) Alternative Distribution in Canada.
Producing Social Impact Films
Hannah Minzloff is a social impact producer who will share her knowledge and experiences about community-based partnerships, funding, distribution and audience engagement through the lens of three documentary media projects. Six primrose – the power of food to build community, Dementia Dad & Me – family experiences with dementia, and Wicked Bodies – queer community eating disorders.
There are quite a few changes to the CMF’s 2023-2024 Guidelines that impact documentary filmmakers. DOC has invited the CMF to a special DOC-only session so you can hear from and ask questions directly to one of the CMF’s Directors of Content, Mireille Darveau.
This will be a bilingual session with French – English simultaneous translation.
