Convenings
The DFPI team works to convene documentary filmmakers, industry professionals, researchers, and more at film festivals, conferences, and on campus.
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 will be 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 will examine ethics in documentary from a variety of perspectives from “duty of care” to AI. This is an invitation-only event.