Today’s documentary landscape is rapidly evolving with new avenues and pitfalls around every corner. DOC FUNDAMENTALS, our annual six session professional development series, responds each year to the changes we see in the field and is geared towards preparing emerging and mid-career independent filmmakers with all the foundational knowledge they need to complete a feature documentary. Join us for a weekend in June and follow the trajectory of a recent documentary hit from its pre-production and planning stages to post-production and all the way to distribution. This year’s Documentary Fundamentals course is led by Elan Bogarin, co-director of 306 Hollywood. Her latest feature will serve as our case-study across all sessions that will cover PLANNING, SHOOTING, EDITING, FINANCING, and RELEASING your documentary. Each session features a range of exciting, advanced and award-winning professionals from the field and many from this film who represent all aspects of producing a documentary feature. It is perfect as a primer or a way to refocus and rethink your project in today’s changing landscape! You can attend all sessions with a SERIES PASS or just tackle the hurdles where you need help with a single session.

The full series pass includes access to all of the 2019 Documentary Fundamentals sessions listed below and the public screening of 306 Hollywood. You can also tailor your Doc Fundamentals attendance to your personal needs and select each course a la carte for $25/session.

After premiering opening night at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Bogarin’s 306 Hollywood received critical acclaim, was a Cinema Eye Winner for ‘Unforgettable Nonfiction Subject,’ and was named Best of the festival at Hot Docs. The AV Club noted that it “makes a strong case that nothing is too ordinary to be transformed and elevated by art” and The Verge called it “one of the more universal and relatable films you’re ever likely to see.” 306 Hollywood transforms dusty fragments of an unassuming life into an epic metaphor for the nature of memory, time, and history.

UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians, after receiving countless requests from folks who desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking and has received feedback that this course does the trick! Each year we select an array of guests that represent the best of the field with contemporary approaches to navigating with best practices.

“Overall a great balance between breadth & depth; I feel very encouraged & equipped with the basic knowledge of how turn my projects into more serious endeavors.”

“The focus of the sessions on brass tacks issues like funding, logistics, legal & business matters, organizing production flow, and how to find & work with collaborators was excellent; it’s the most helpful information that can be shared in such a relatively limited amount of time & it conveys a trust in session participants that they will find their own way through”

“I really enjoyed the concept of breaking a single documentary down over several focus points. Looking forward to future courses! Thank you!”

Elan Bogarín’s feature 306 HOLLYWOOD, premiered on opening night of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival as the first documentary ever included in the festival’s NEXT section. It played over 60 festivals, won multiple awards, was released theatrically through the Sundance Creative Distribution Fellowship, was broadcast on POV (PBS) and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Elan was chosen for Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Film, DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40, and was awarded Emerging International Filmmaker at Hot Docs. Elan co-founded The Wassaic Project, and was nominated for the Gotham + Spirit Awards for producing BIG FAN which premiered at Sundance. Elan is the co-director of El Tigre Productions where she creates innovative non-fiction films and produces digital content for the world’s leading museums, platforms, and brands such as Google, MoMA, The Getty, The Whitney, and The New York Times. She has received support from organizations including Sundance, Artemis Rising Foundation, NYSCA, Latino Public Broadcasting, and IFP.