International Documentary Association

06/08/2026

In this essay, filmmaker Everardo González questions the narrative promises of the true crime genre and calls on a new kind of ethics in telling stories with what he dubs a “documentary of loss.” Read more at .

In this essay, filmmaker Everardo González questions the narrative promises of the true crime genre and calls on a new kind of ethics in telling stories with what he dubs a “documentary of loss”

06/06/2026

The Getting Real ’26 program is now available to view online! We are just under 7 weeks away from Getting Real ‘26. If you haven’t purchased your passes, today is the day! https://www.documentary.org/gettingreal26/program

We have some amazing speakers, including veteran documentary filmmaker and executive Mandy Chang, Congolese filmmaker, educator, and ancestral ecologist Petna Katondolo, and chats with nonprofit cooperative Tikkun Olam Productions, as well as two of documentary’s foremost thinkers, Set Hernandez and Leonard Cortana.

06/06/2026

The 16th edition continued the London fest’s commitment to experimental works as well as archival presentations that insist on their own urgency. Read more at .

The 16th edition continued the London fest’s commitment to experimental works as well as archival presentations that insist on their own urgency

06/05/2026

Join as we reveal the results of our “Greatest Docs of the 21st Century” poll. June 11, 2026, 1 PM PT.

https://www.documentary.org/event/greatest-docs-21st-century-list-unveiled

In December 2025, Documentary organized a poll of the documentary community (both IDA members and past contributors to the magazine) to assess which documentaries they deemed the “greatest” released this century. The hour-long virtual event will serve as an exclusive preview of the magazine’s 2025 poll results and will feature special guests unveiling the 25 projects that topped the list. Learn more and RSVP today.

06/05/2026

On Monday, June 15, at 10 AM PT, Getting Real Conference Director Abby Sun, Conference programmers Lisa Valencia-Svensson and Meghan Monsour, and IDA Membership Manager Anisa Hosseinnezhad, will give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the research, themes, and design shaping Getting Real ‘26. Plus tips and tricks on how to best prepare for this year’s conference. RSVP today!

The documentary world is expanding, and Getting Real ’26 is here to examine what that means. This summer, we will explore what it might mean to bridge the gap between industrial reality and the expanding world of documentary filmmaking. What does documentary look like when we follow it beyond the ...

06/04/2026

Today, IDA is taking part in Protect My Public Media Day. We’re joining organizations across the country in calling on Congress to restore federal funding for local public media stations. Join us: https://bit.ly/4oaceGd

06/04/2026

Daily diaries from a first-time director navigating the Visions du Réel financing market, praising the event’s intimacy and her “comrades-in-stress.” Read more at .

Daily diaries from a first-time director navigating the Visions du Réel financing market, praising the event’s intimacy and her “comrades-in-stress”

05/31/2026

Second Nature director, Drew Denny, and co-producer Jennifer Steinman-Sternin talk taking theatrical distribution into their own hands to get their q***r nature doc seen. Read more at

Second Nature director, Drew Denny, and co-producer Jennifer Steinman-Sternin talk taking theatrical distribution into their own hands to get their q***r nature doc seen

05/28/2026

Želimir Žilnik discusses six decades of work from his early films to Eighty Plus, and their piercing, political critiques of Yugoslavia and modern-day Serbia. Read more at Documentary.org.

Želimir Žilnik discusses six decades of work from his early films to Eighty Plus, and their piercing, political critiques of Yugoslavia and modern-day Serbia

05/27/2026

As mergers and media corporations squeeze doc divisions, veteran nonfiction producers seek partners and pivots. Read more at Documentary.org.

As mergers and media corporations squeeze doc divisions, veteran nonfiction producers seek partners and pivots