Convenings
DFPI convenes documentary filmmakers, industry professionals, and researchers both on campus and in the wild. Regular convening activities include the annual Documentary Ideas Symposium and DFPI’s collaboration with the Camden International Film Festival’s Town Hall, in addition to smaller convenings related to fellows’ research.
Documentary Ideas Symposium
The Documentary Ideas Symposium is an annual convening of filmmakers, executives, organizational leaders, journalists and research scholars to explore the challenging issues facing the global documentary film sector.
The April 2025 convening focused on ethical practice. Documentary films play a crucial role in justice, revelation, and accountability by sharing untold stories and confronting power imbalances. Serving as essential instruments of communication, journalism, and art, they often provide compelling entertainment as well. However, throughout the filmmaking process, from conception to exhibition, filmmakers and their distribution partners must navigate complex moral, legal, and journalistic considerations, especially when working in high-risk environments or with vulnerable subjects. This year’s inaugural symposium examined ethics in documentary from a variety of perspectives from “duty of care” to AI. This was an invitation-only event. Read the convening report, "Documentary at Risk: Strategies for Ethics, Sustainability, and Innovation in a Time of Disruption," at the link below.