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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260724T100000
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UID:10003067-1784887200-1785083400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:The Magical Image:  Special Effects as Documentary Method
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46T0dWTytwA” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Special Effects in nonfiction have always been a way of thinking—not just a way of finishing. But in 2026\, when AI can generate any effect on demand and the spectacular becomes benign\, the question changes: what does it mean to slow down and work with effects that reveal the hand\, the labor\, and the ethics of representation itself? Led by artist and educator Carl Elsaesser\, this three-day workshop explores effects not simply as spectacle\, polish or illusion\, but as documentary method shaping how reality is perceived and disguised. \nAcross three days\, we’ll be studying and experimenting with both in-camera and post-produced interventions—rear projection\, masking\, blur/redaction\, matte/compositing\, reenactment\, and “visible seams”—as nonfiction methods for exploring memory\, portraiture\, protection and political critique. The goal is not to resolve whether an image is “real\,” but to understand what reality effects can make possible—and what it costs. Through screenings\, discussion\, demonstration and hands-on exercises\, Carl\, accompanied by a diverse lineup of wonderful guests\, will guide participants through an examination of how these techniques have been used historically\, their evolving use and how these effects continue to function politically and aesthetically today. \nRather than treating effects as in opposition to documentary truth\, the workshop approaches them as tools to confront thorny relationships between visibility and concealment\, evidence and speculation\, memory and reconstruction. Across the weekend we’ll be probing questions like: what does a manipulated image allow a viewer to confront? What kind of history and experience becomes imaginable through compositing or reenactment? What does the line between the real and the manufactured image say about our relationship to the truth? What are the ethical\, aesthetic and political stakes of image mediation? \nCarl will lead participants through the practical\, conceptual and experiential impacts of effects used in a non-fiction context. Guest speakers include James N. Kienitz Wilkins\, who will explore the use of digital effect in his practice\, as it interacts with unreality and the uncanny; Sharon Lockhart\, who will discuss the production of perspective\, and the affective impacts of durational and in-camera effects in her filmmaking; and Courtney Stephens\, who will elaborate on the history and the erotics of the special effect in her cinema. Drawing from experimental nonfiction\, essay film\, political cinema\, magic & illusionism\, and hybrid documentary practices\, participants will leave with a deeper understanding of effects as nonfiction strategies. \nSpecial thanks to partner Rockaway Film Festival! Look out for a partner screening with the fest later this year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on July 15\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until July 15. After July 15\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]No animation software is required for participation in this workshop. \nIn order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of July 15\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Section” tab_id=”1781182352324-698be9aa-6635″][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, July 24th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Carl Elsaesser \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Guest 1  \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Carl additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, July 25th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with James N. Kienitz Wilkins \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Creative work-in-progress session with Carl \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Carl\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, July 26th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Sharon Lockhart \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Courtney Stephens \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Carl\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163435″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Carl Elsaesser is an experimental filmmaker whose work blends genres and materials to critically investigate the overarching presence of history without losing sight of individual experiences of human connection. He is interested in framing a film practice through ritualistic and slow processes—thinking with a project as something akin to skin or clothing\, worn throughout his day as he teaches class\, walks through the city or countryside late at night\, or calls a friend across the world. His films have screened widely at festivals and institutions including the Berlinale\, New York Film Festival\, Cinema du Réel\, European Media Art Festival\, the National Gallery of Art\, and the Criterion Channel. He has been honored with grants and residencies including a 2026 Creative Capital Award\, a Guggenheim Fellowship\, the Minnesota State Arts Board grant\, a MacDowell Fellowship\, and residencies at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation\, Hewnoaks\, and Squeaky Wheel Media Center. His work has been featured in publications such as LA Review of Books\, Millennium Film Journal\, and FilmExplorer.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”152992″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Courtney Stephens is the director of four feature films. The American Sector (with Pacho Velez) documents slabs of the Berlin Wall installed around the US. Terra Femme\, composed of amateur travel footage shot by women in the early 20th century\, was a New York Times critic’s pick and has toured widely as a live performance. John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (with Michael Almereyda) explores the life of neuroscientist and psychedelics pioneer John C. Lilly\, and Invention is a hybrid fiction film about an esoteric healing device. Both The American Sector and Invention were named among The New Yorker’s best films of the year. Her work been exhibited at MoMA\, The National Gallery of Art\, The Barbican\, Fondazione Prada\, Jeu de Paume\, ICA London\, in film festivals including the Berlinale\, Rotterdam\, Locarno\, Viennale\, New Directors/New Films\, IDFA\, Visions Du Réel\, and the New York Film Festival\, and has been released theatrically in the US and France. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship\, a Fulbright Scholarship\, three MacDowell Fellowships\, and grants from the Sloan Foundation\, California Humanities\, and the Foundation for Contemporary Art. She has co-curated the miniature cinema Veggie Cloud since 2014\, and organized film programs for The Getty\, Museum of the Moving Image\, Flaherty NYC\, The Filmmaker’s Cooperative\, and Human Resources. Her writing has appeared in Film Comment\, BOMB\, Filmmaker\, The New Inquiry\, and Cabinet.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163481″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]James N. Kienitz Wilkins is a filmmaker and writer based in NYC. Feature-length work includes Public Hearing (2012)\, Common Carrier (2017)\, The Republic (2017)\, The Plagiarists (2019)\, Still Film (2023)\, and The Misconceived (2026) which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam  and as the opening night selection of the Museum of Moving Image First Look festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163482″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sharon Lockhart (b. 1964) is an American artist living and working in Los Angeles. Working with communities to make films\, photographs\, and installations that are both visually compelling and socially engaged\, Lockhart’s practice involves collaborations that unfold over extended periods of time. Celebrated for her highly conceptual yet effortlessly elegant work\, Lockhart’s practice often involves architectural elements\, extensive periods of research\, and long-term relationships with her subjects and collaborators.\nSelected solo exhibitions of Lockhart’s work include Contemporary Art Centre\, Vilnius (2019); Fondazione Fotografia\, Modena\, IT (2018); Museu Berardo\, Lisbon\, PT (2017); the Arts Club of Chicago\, Chicago\, US (2016); Kunstmuseum Luzern\, Luzern\, CH (2015); Bonniers Konsthall\, Stockholm\, SE (2014); CCA Warsaw – Ujazdowski Castle\, Warsaw\, PL (2013); Los Angeles County Museum of Art\, Los Angeles\, US (2012); The Israel Museum\, Jerusalem\, IL (2011); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art\, San Francisco\, US (2011); Kunstverein in Hamburg\, Hamburg\, DE (2008)\, Walker Art Center\, Minneapolis\, US (2006); and the Museum of Contemporary Art\, Chicago\, US (2001). \nShe has been included in the biennials of Liverpool\, UK (2014)\, Shanghai\, CN (2014)\, Sydney\, AU (2006)\, and at the Whitney Museum of American Art\, New York\, US (2004\, 2000\, 1997) as well as the FRONT International Triennial\, Cleveland\, US (2018).  In 2019 she received the Grand Prix d’Honneur at the Marseille International Film Festival. She was selected to represent Poland at the 57th Venice Biennale.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163557″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]“Cardone” is an award-winning professional magician and variety entertainer with over 3\,000 performances for private\, corporate\, celebrity\, and nightclub audiences. A published songwriter and musician\, he was the bass player for the internationally touring rock band The Toilet Boys and is also known as a renowned escape artist — recognized as the first man in modern history to perform the deadly Milk Can Escape at Coney Island. \nFeatured in two international award-winning documentary films as both a magician and occult scholar\, Cardone recently appeared in the Amazon Prime series Underground Magic. His latest project is the book “A Pox on Thee!”\, an exploration of the ancient art of malediction\, published by Underworld Amusements. He holds a BFA in Acting Performance from Carnegie Mellon University.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/the-magical-image-special-effects-as-documentary-method-2026-07-24/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/giphy-8.gif
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260626T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260628T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260402T211439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260527T153047Z
UID:10003061-1782468000-1782653400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Embracing Adrift:  The Documentary Travelogue
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46T0dWTytwA” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]What does it mean to move through a place with a camera—not to capture it\, but to engage with its present\, histories\, absences\, and afterlives?  In this workshop\, filmmaker & media artist Jean-Jacques Martinod invites participants to look anew at the documentary travelogue as a speculative\, political\, and poetic form.  \nThe travelogue\, an extension of the diary form\, has long served as a structuring device for filmmakers; changing landscapes and passing time offer a visible and legible analog to the development of a narrative and the journey taken by its protagonists. Drawing from his own practice between fieldwork and reflection\, Martinod approaches travel not only as discovery\, but as a process of listening\, wandering\, and attunement to what lingers beneath the visible. The travelogue as a form then encounters the unexpected\, the mistake and the incomplete into the creative process.  \nWe’ll be exploring questions like: how does travel structure the way we construct a film\, and how does filming shape the way we travel? How can the camera register what is no longer there? What kinds of narratives emerge when we relinquish mastery over location and embrace the unexpected? How might the travelogue become a space for reimagining relationships between land\, history\, and the moving image? \nAcross the weekend\, Martinod and guests will share methods for working with landscape as archive\, failure as a generative process\, and travel as an act of participatory worldmaking. Argentine film collective Antes Muerto Cine will present and discuss their unique approach to integrating chaos and mistakes into their work. Tiffany Sia will critically unpack the thorny colonial history of the travelogue\, and look to the future of the form. Participants will also be invited to share their own travel-based projects—whether rooted in distant journeys or the overlooked terrains of the everyday—in the context of a group feedback session. Together\, we will explore the travelogue as an open form\, and against romantic notions of the wandering auteur or the confessional diarist\, we embrace failure\, drift\, and the incomplete as methodology. \nNo prior filmmaking experience is required—just a curiosity for movement\, memory\, and the unstable boundaries between document and dream.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on June 17\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until June 17.  After June 17\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]No animation software is required for participation in this workshop. \nIn order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of June 17\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, June 26th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Jean-Jacques Martinod \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Remote session with Antes Muerto Cine \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Jean-Jacques additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, June 27th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Creative session OR work-in-progress with Jean-Jacques \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Khalik Allah \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Jean-Jacques\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, June 28th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Tiffany Sia \n12:30am – 2:00pm Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163023″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jean-Jacques Martinod is a filmmaker\, media artist\, film curator\, abyssological researcher\, and clandestine anarchivist. His work is engaged within extended modes of noetic and intersubjective experience\, manifest in an ongoing practice of experimental documentary cinema: the human/non-human\, folk mythology\, anemic memory\, sur-regional biomes\, hydra techno-logics\, and the poetic mediation of living worlds and their extended cohabitants. Martinod’s work has been showcased in leading festivals\, museums\, and cinematheques worldwide\, including the IFFR International Film Festival Rotterdam\, FIDMarseille\, Sheffield Doc/Fest\, Frontera Sur\, First Look at MoMI\, CIFF Camden\, Novos Cinemas Pontevedra\, PHI Centre Montreal\, Cinemateca do MAM Rio de Janeiro\, Cinemateca Nacional del Ecuador\, Cinemateca de Bogotá\, and the European Media Arts Festival\, among many others.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163024″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””] Tiffany Sia (b. Hong Kong) is an artist\, filmmaker\, and writer based in New York whose work examines how images and material culture shape power\, governance\, and imagined geographies. Her practice traces the apparatus underwriting film/video\, attending to what remains unseen or illegible within the visual record. Author of On and Off-Screen Imaginaries (Primary Information\, 2024)\, her films have screened at TIFF\, MoMA Doc Fortnight\, and the New York Film Festival. She has held solo exhibitions at Artists Space\, the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University\, and Mudam Luxembourg. Overt Listening\, her first feature film and a forthcoming body of work\, will be presented at Kunsthalle Wien (Fall 2026) and KW Institute for Contemporary Art\, Berlin (Spring 2027).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163034″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Antes Muerto Cine is a film collective based in Buenos Aires\, dedicated to the production of documentary and experimental cinema. We met in a riot in the public university\, recording images and sounds to shake and discuss the reality we inhabit.\nSince then\, we seek that our practice dialogue with past and future experiences to noticeably rescue the absurd and everyday beauty that is shipwrecked in chaos. We like movies that are alive\, those that are made with care in the privacy or in the street\, those that are invented drawing conclusions on the fly\, those that play.Because we believe that films are also their mode of production\, we understand friendship as a creative policy. Our projects were part of MoMA’s Doc Fortnight\, Mar del Plata International Film Fest\, Ji.Hlava DIFF\, FID Marseille\, Márgenes Cine\, DocLisboa\, Visions Du Réel\, BAFICI\, RIDM\, É tudo verdade\, FICUNAM\, Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse\, New Horizons IFF\, Festifreak\, Transcinema\, DOCBSAS\, SEMINCI\, FIDOCS\, Open City\, Frontera Sur among other festivals. And they have received support for its realization from Berlinale Talents\, Buenos Aires Youth Art Biennial\, BoliviaLAB\, AcampaDOC\, Labex\, Migrant Film Festival\, INCAA – National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts\, National Endowment for the Arts\, Cultural Patronage of BsAs and National University of the Arts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”163241″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Khalik Allah is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker who practices Camera Ministry with an eye as open as his heart. The resulting work has been described as “street opera” and noted for its beautifully visceral humanity. After a number of short films that reflect relationships between formed through portraiture\, Allah advanced his artistry with the feature Field Niggas (2015)\, shot at nighttime on the corder of Harlem’s 125th St. and Lexington Avenue. This corner also served as thesis for his first photography book Souls Against the Concrete\, published by University of Texas Press in 2017. Allah continued with Black Mother (2018)\, an ecstatic expression of reverence and realities across Jamaica. This award winning fil has been seen in festivals\, museums and schools around the world; further released in the UK and the US through distributors Dogwoof and Grasshopper Film. Allah’s films are available on the Criterion Channel. Khalik is currently at work on his second photo book from 125th and Lexington.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/embracing-adrift-the-documentary-travelogue-2026-06-26/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Travelogue-Workshop-gif.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260605T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260607T180000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260402T210012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T145344Z
UID:10003048-1780686000-1780855200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals 2026: Emergent City
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]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 nuts-and-bolts knowledge they need to complete a feature documentary. \nWe’re overjoyed that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals course is led by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg\, the directing duo behind the observational documentary feature Emergent City\, a timely and unflinching insight into local politics and the political process. “The best New York City-based documentary in a decade” according to Hell Gate\, Emergent City is a masterclass in verite and participant management\, with incredible access to the multiple layers of a local story with far reaching resonance. You’re invited to follow along and trace the trajectory of this recent documentary all the way from development and pre-production stages to production and post-production\, through its festival run\, distribution and continued exhibition life. \nEmergent City will serve as a case-study across each session\, including DEVELOPMENT & FINANCING\, VISUAL LANGUAGE\, WORKING IN THE FIELD\, POST PRODUCTION and FINDING AN AUDIENCE\, and ultimately could serve as a possible model for your own documentary. \nEach session features a range of exciting\, experienced and award-winning professionals from the field\, who contributed to bringing Emergent City to life\, and who represent all aspects of producing a documentary feature. It is perfect as a primer or as a way to refocus and rethink your project in today’s changing documentary landscape! You can attend all sessions with a SERIES PASS or just tackle the hurdles where you need help with a single session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”BUY SERIES PASS – ALL ACCESS” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]The full series pass includes access to all of the 2025 Documentary Fundamentals sessions listed below and the public screening of Emergent City. You can also tailor your Doc Fundamentals attendance to your personal needs and select each course a la carte for $35/session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout Emergent City \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””] \nOver a decade\, within the borders of a single Brooklyn community district\, a microcosm of American democracy emerges. Residents of Sunset Park face a tangled web of rising rents\, a legacy of environmental racism and the loss of the industrial jobs that once sustained their community. When a global developer purchases Industry City – a massive industrial complex on the waterfront – and begins to transform it into an “innovation district\,” a battle erupts over the future of the neighborhood and of New York City itself. \nEmergent City is an observational civic epic. It sheds light on power and process\, illuminating systems and giving viewers a front row seat to the public and private spaces where the city is shaped. With extraordinary access\, it tracks an ensemble of participants including the local council member\, Industry City’s developers and community members with divergent stakes. The film explores the profound intersections of gentrification\, climate crisis and real estate development\, and asks how change might emerge from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many outcomes are constrained by money\, politics and business as usual. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nAbout Doc Fundamentals \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Reflections from past participants of Doc Fundamentals:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text] \n“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.” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“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” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“I really enjoyed the concept of breaking a single documentary down over several focus points. Looking forward to future courses! Thank you!” \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nSchedule \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 1: Friday\, June 5″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]SESSION 1: Project Conception | 60 mins\n(Opening Session – Directing\, access\, vision of the film and overall idea of the film) \nFILM SCREENING | Emergent City | 95 mins[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 2: Saturday\, June 6″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]\nSESSION 2: Research\, development\, & financing | 11am – 12:30pm \nSESSION 3: Creating a visual language (Cinematography\, Archival & Graphics) | 2pm – 3:30pm \nSESSION 4: (Access\, Working in the field) | 4pm – 5:30pm \n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 3: Sunday\, June 7″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]SESSION 5: (Post-production: Editing\, Music & Sound) | 2pm – 3:30pm \nSESSION 6: (festival strategy\, distribution & Impact) | 4pm – 5:30pm[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162386″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kelly Anderson is a Sunset Park based documentary filmmaker whose most recent film is Rabble Rousers: Frances Goldin and the Fight for Cooper Square (w. Ryan Joseph and Kathryn Barnier). Her 2012 film My Brooklyn\, about the hidden forces driving gentrification\, was broadcast on PBS’ America ReFramed. Kelly produced and directed Every Mother’s Son (PBS\, 2004\, w. Tami Gold)\, about mothers whose children were killed by police\, which won the Tribeca Audience Award and aired on POV. She produced and directed Out At Work (HBO\, 2000\, w. Tami Gold)\, which premiered at Sundance. Kelly chairs the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162394″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Arthur Sterrenberg is a New York City based filmmaker\, editor and co-founder of the Meerkat Media Collective whose work has screened at Sundance\, Tribeca\, IDFA\, CPH:DOX and broadcast on PBS\, HBO\, Netflix & Hulu. \nJay’s two decade documentary editing career began with collaborations with DCTV’s Jon Alpert & Matt O’Neil on the HBO documentaries Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (2008)\, Wartorn (2010) and Oscar nominated Redemption (2012). He also edited the Oscar shortlisted films Dark Money (dir. Kimberly Reed\, 2018) and After Maria (dir. Nadia Hallgren\, 2019) and a has had a long collaboration with filmmaking duo Shaul Schwarz & Christina Clusiau – Narco Cultura (Sundance 2013)\, Emmy-winning Trophy (CNN Films\, 2017)\, Emmy-nominated FLY (Nat Geo\, 2024) and the 2020 Netflix doc series Immigration Nation\, which won a Peabody Award and Best New Documentary Series at the Independent Spirit Awards. \nAs a director\, his films find cinematic ways to explore process & democracy. A believer in collective filmmaking\, he co-directed many independent films with the Meerkat Media Collective including Stages (2010)\, Consensus: Direct Democracy at Occupy Wall Street (2011) and Brasslands (2013). His solo directorial debut was the observational short film Public Money (POV\, 2018) which paved the way for the feature-length collaboration with Kelly Anderson: Emergent City (POV\, 2025).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162393″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brenda Àvila-Hanna is a filmmaker and educator born and raised in Mexico City and currently based in Central California. Her films mostly focus on transnational stories\, spaces and identities. Brenda is a recent fellow for the Sundance Documentary Producing Lab\, Points North\, BAVC’s National MediaMaker\, NALIP and DocsMX. Brenda was in the inaugural cohort of DOC NYC’s “Documentary Industry New Leaders” and was a 2021 Rockwood/Just Films Fellow. She is a producer of the ITVS supported documentary EMERGENT CITY  (Dir. Kelly Anderson & Jay \nSterrenberg)\, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS. Brenda is also a producer of the Sundance Institute supported HOW TO CLEAN A HOUSE IN TEN EASY STEPS (Dir. Carolina Gonzalez)\, currently in festivals. She is also a co-producer of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (Dir. David Alvarado)\, winner of the U.S. Documentary Audience Award and Festival Favorite Award at Sundance. Brenda received an M.A. in Social Documentation from UCSC\, where she teaches various storytelling courses. She is a Board Member of the Watsonville Film Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162392″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sean Hanley is a documentary cinematographer versed in longitudinal vérité projects but with a knack for creative non-fiction and experimental techniques. His work has therefore screened across a spectrum of festivals\, from Sundance to MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight. Recent credits include Judd Ehrlich’s Jane Eliott Against the World (2026\, Sundance)\, Debra Granik’s series CONBODY vs. Everybody (2024\, Sundance)\, and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg and Kelly Anderson’s Emergent City (2024\, Tribeca). He has held a long and productive collaboration with experimental documentarian Lynne Sachs starting with Your Day is My Night (2013\, MoMA Documentary Fortnight)\, Tip of My Tongue (2015\, Closing Night of MoMA Documentary Fortnight)\, and Contractions (2024\, NYTimes OpDocs). He is a member of the Documentary Cinematographer’s Alliance and the Meerkat Media Collective.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162391″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Betty Yu is an award-winning filmmaker\, socially engaged multimedia artist\, photographer and activist born and raised in NYC. Yu integrates documentary film\, photography\, installation\, new media platforms\, and community-infused approaches into her practice. Betty’s films and multimedia work has focused on labor\, immigration\, gentrification\, abolition\, racism\, militarism\, transgender equality among other issues. She is a co-founder of Chinatown Art Brigade\, a cultural collective using art to advance anti-displacement fights. Ms. Yu’s documentary “Resilience” about her garment worker mother fighting sweatshop conditions screened at film festivals including the Margaret Mead Film Festival. \nHer work has been exhibited and screened at the Brooklyn Museum\, Queens Museum\, NY Historical Society\, Museum of the City of NY\,  Artists Space/ISP Whitney Museum\, The Highline\, Tenement Museum\,\, 2019 BRIC Biennial\, Apexart\, Pace University Art Gallery\, Transmitter Gallery\, 601 Artspace\, Five Myles\, Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center\, Bullet Space\, Carriage Trade\, Old Stone House and MAXXI in Rome. “The Garment Worker”\, an interactive installation\, was featured at Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive Showcase. Her multimedia installation\, “Resistance in Progress”\, highlighting housing activism in Flushing was featured at the Queens Museum. Betty had her first solo exhibition\, “(Dis)Placed in Sunset Park” at Open Source Gallery. Ms. Yu won the Aronson Social Justice Award for her film “Three Tours” about U.S. veterans returning home from war in Iraq\, and their journey to overcome PTSD. Her photography and art college book\, Family Amnesia: Chinese American Resilience was released in Summer 2025. \nHer work has received coverage in outlets including New York Times\, CNN\, HBO VICE News Tonight\, i-D Vice Media\, Art Forum\, ARTNews\, Sinovision\, Hyperallergic\, E-Flux\, F-Stop Magazine\, The Eye of Photography Magazine\, La Belle Revue Art Journal & Studio International.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162390″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Alex Mallis is a Cuban-American\, Jewish filmmaker raised in New Hampshire now living in Brooklyn\, NY. His short films have been distributed by PBS\, Criterion\, The New Yorker\, and The Atlantic. His debut feature The Travel Companion premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and is being distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories. His short documentary Shut Up And Paint (2022) was awarded Grand Jury Prize at IFF Boston and Big Sky Documentary Film Festival\, shortlisted for the 95th Academy Awards\, and broadcast nationally on POV. Alex received an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College (CUNY) and is an active member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and the Meerkat Media Collective.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162389″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gisela Fullà-Silvestre is a Barcelona-born\, New York–based composer\, sound designer\, re-recording mixer\, and vocalist whose work spans award-winning film\, television\, and music. Her projects include Academy Award–nominated and major festival premieres (Sundance\, Tribeca\, Berlinale\, SXSW)\, as well as the Emmy Award–winning ¡Atención! Murdered Next Door\, with releases on PBS and Netflix. She also performs as NOIA\, an experimental pop project acclaimed by Pitchfork and The New York Times\, and is a 2022 NYFA Women’s Fund Fellow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162388″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Zara Serabian-Arthur is a documentary editor and producer\, and a co-founder of Meerkat Media\, an award-winning production company cooperative based in Brooklyn\, NY. Her work has been featured on Hulu\, PBS\, National Geographic\, The New York Times\, and The New Yorker\, premiered at Sundance\, and screened theatrically. Recent credits include Stolen Youth (Hulu\, series editor)\, Art21: Between Worlds (PBS\, editor)\, and Justice (Sundance\, editor). As an editor\, Zara is committed to telling complex stories with empathy and care\, exploring power\, resilience\, and the possibility of transformation. Across both her filmmaking and her organizing within cooperative and solidarity economy movements\, she works to shift dominant narratives toward mutualism\, economic democracy\, and more just futures.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162496″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Robert Salyer is Director of Outreach and Impact at American Documentary\, Inc.\, leading national outreach campaigns and partnership development for award-winning films and impact initiatives. He spearheads the Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue project\, a long-running effort that empowers PBS stations and local partners to foster meaningful civic dialogue around urgent social issues. To date\, he has supported the impact campaigns of more than 70 POV films\, encompassing a wide range of issues and engaging audiences across the country. \nWith more than 25 years of experience in documentary film and community media\, Robert previously spent much of his career at Appalshop\, Inc.\, where he directed and produced films focused on Appalachian culture. His credits include work with CNBC\, HBO\, Greenpeace\, and Lost Nation Pictures\, among others.  His films have screened widely in the U.S. and internationally\, including at MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight and Festival Film Dokumenter in Yogyakarta\, Indonesia. \nRobert has been deeply involved in media education and youth training. He taught documentary filmmaking at Kentucky State University\, served as a longtime instructor with the Appalachian Media Institute\, and facilitated a U.S. State Department–funded media exchange with Indonesian filmmakers. He has worked as a community organizer with the Virginia Organizing Project and mentored emerging filmmakers through NYU Tisch’s summer immersion program.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162387″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sylvia Savadjian is a New York based film publicist. Work includes festival PR for Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look\, DOC NYC\, Full Frame\, staff roles at Kino Lorber\, Maysles Documentary Center and HBO in publicity\, marketing\, acquisitions and programming.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162724″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Stephen Maing is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker\, cinematographer and editor based in New York City. His films UNION (P.O.V./Criterion Channel) and CRIME + PUNISHMENT (Hulu) both won Special Jury Awards at the Sundance Film Festival and were shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. His most recent film THE GREAT EXPERIMENT\, is an ambitious cinematic exploration of one of the most volatile and perplexing eras of American history & identity. He has collaborated closely with whistleblowers in the NYPD\, dissident citizen reporters in China\, Amazon worker-turned-organizers in Staten Island\, journalists exposing illicit cartel-run gold mining in the Amazon rain forest and leakers in the State Department. He was story producer and an editor on the Oscar-winning short doc ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS (Netflix) and executive producer on the P.O.V. feature doc EMERGENT CITY. His films seek to expand the aesthetic form and limits of longitudinal nonfiction filmmaking. They are visual investigations of societal phenomena\, complex power structures and the fascinating individuals who challenge them. Maing has received fellowships from The Guggenheim Foundation\, United States Artists\, Sundance Institute\, NBC Original Voices\, and was recipient of the IDA’s prestigious Courage Under Fire Award.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-2026-06-05/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/7gif.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260515T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260517T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260324T125314Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T153013Z
UID:10003045-1778839200-1779024600@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Beyond the Feed:  Expanding the Art of Audio Non-Fiction
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46T0dWTytwA” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]After a period of commercial growth and seemingly endless interest and investment\, the last few years of the podcasting industry has seen a decline in opportunities for creators new and old. What could be seen as an industry in contraction can alternatively be thought of as an opportunity for artistic evolution. Join award winning podcast producer and documentary artist Mitra Kaboli for this 3-day workshop\, as she explores the new horizons of the contemporary audio documentary landscape. \nAlongside a select group of esteemed guests\, Mitra will guide participants through a world of sonic exploration\, in which audio work is conceived and considered within an expansive artistic framework. Elevated beyond its commercial value and leaving behind the podcast feed\, this workshop takes the audio documentary form and reaches for new possibilities in research\, format\, performance and distribution. We’ll be rifling through the rich lineage of podcasting and sound-based storytelling through sound to investigate what forms of audio presentation are available to sound artists and audio producers in the current landscape. \nThis workshop is intended to provoke out-of-the-box thinking\, inspire creativity and encourage an expansive approach to the potentials of audio techniques. Through a variety of hands-on activities\, artist talks and deep listening exercises\, we’ll be diving into questions like: what is the state of the podcasting industry and where can we go from here? How can we share and uplift our work beyond the podcast feed? What tools\, techniques and networks are available to sound artists and audio documentarians? What makes a story told through sound so compelling? \nThe workshop centers emerging and established artists from the intersecting worlds of sound art\, audio documentary and the podcasting industry\, and we’re lucky to be joined and guided by a few of them. Mitra Kaboli will be taking the lead\, guiding us over the bridge between our familiar podcast feed and the ever-expanding possibilities of sound-based documentary. Interdisciplinary artist Aaron Edwards will discuss multi-modal performance and field recording practices. Viv Corringham\, one of the foremost practitioners of the soundwalk\, will walk participants through her practice and the ideas that guide it. Composer\, vocalist and performance artist Gelsey Bell will share expert insight from years of research into vast artistic applications of the voice. Participants will also get the opportunity to share their own work in the context of a group discussion and feedback session\, hopefully leaving the weekend with tangible learnings and productive advice. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on May 5\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until May 5.  After May 5\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]No animation software is required for participation in this workshop. \nIn order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of May 5\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, May 15th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Mitra Kaboli \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Aaron Edwards \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Mitra additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, May 16th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]11:00am – 11:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n11:30am – 1:30pm Session with Viv Corringham \n1:30am -3:00pm Lunch \n3:00pm – 5:00pm Session with Gelsey Bell \n5:00pm – 5:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Mitra\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, May 17th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, ear training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Creative session OR work-in-progress with Mitra \n12:30pm – 1:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Mitra\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162177″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Mitra Kaboli is an award-winning audio producer\, sound designer\, and multimedia artist working professionally in radio and podcasting since 2012. Mitra was one of the original members of the Peabody Finalist podcast\, The Heart. Her work has been featured on ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts\, the BBC\, Making Contact and NY Mag’s Tabloid. In 2022\, she hosted and produced the critically acclaimed podcast\, Welcome to Provincetown. Currently\, Mitra is an adjunct professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and at Hunter College.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162178″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Aaron Edwards is an interdisciplinary director\, story editor and writer working across text\, stage and narrative audio. His writing\, podcasting and performance work has appeared at places like BAM\, Lincoln Center\, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Tribeca Festival. He’s based in the Hudson Valley.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162179″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Viv Corringham (voice\, electronics\, field recordings) is a US based British vocalist and sound artist\, who has been described as “a vital force in improvised music since the late 1970s” (Corey Mwamba\, BBC Radio 3) and “a vocalist of stunning virtuosity” (Louise Gray\, The Wire). She makes concerts\, soundwalks\, workshops and installations. Her practice explores relations between voice\, place and walking\, responding with sung improvisations to both natural and urban soundscapes. Corringham has received international recognition and awards including two McKnight Composer Fellowships through the American Composers Forum. She is a certified facilitator of Deep Listening\, having played and studied with composer Pauline Oliveros. In 2024 this practice took her to Mexico\, Spain\, Germany and the Listening Academy in Hong Kong. Notable live performances have occurred in festivals at Queen Elizabeth Hall\, London\, Hong Kong Arts Centre\, Fonoteca Nacional de Mexico\, Issue Project Room New York and Tempo Reale Florence. Her recent album “Soundwalkscapes” (Vol. 1: January to June) on Flaming Pines label (Bandcamp’s Best Field Recordings 2024) has been well received. The Wire wrote that “Corringham voices the depth of place.” Her definitive contribution to sound art practice is the 20 year ongoing “Shadow-walks”\, which create layers of time and space\, combining recordings from shared and solo walks along the same path with her improvised sung response. They have occurred in 18 countries\, are taught in many sound art classes and have been the focus of articles in books and publications.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162180″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gelsey Bell (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary performance creator\, composer\, and vocalist. Her recent works include the experimental opera mɔɹnɪŋ [morning//mourning] (2023)\, commissioned by the HERE Arts Center and presented in the Prototype Festival; Cairns (2020)\, a soundwalk for Green-Wood Cemetery; the musical one-act Archaeopteris (2025)\, commissioned by Wet Ink; and thingNY’s collaboratively written opera Mouthful (2024). She is the Co-Artistic Director of thingNY and Varispeed. She has released multiple albums\, including the recent mɔɹnɪŋ [morning//mourning]\, Skylighght\, and Heads Together. She has received awards from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts\, Opera America\, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music\, the Japan Foundation\, NYSCA\, and others. Performance highlights also include Dave Malloy’s Natasha\, Pierre\, & the Great Comet of 1812 (Broadway) and Ghost Quartet\, Robert Ashley’s Celestial Excursions and Improvement\, Darius Jones’s Samesoul Maker\, and others. She has a PhD in performance studies from NYU\, is part-time faculty and the program director for the Master of Music Performer-Composer program at the New School\, and has published articles in TDR/The Drama Review (for which she is a Contributing Editor)\, The Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies (for which she is an Associate Editor)\, Tempo\, Performance Research\, and others.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/beyond-the-feed-expanding-the-art-of-audio-non-fiction-2026-05-15/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/46064a16-770b-4991-8083-2a5ac1144b43_6000x4000.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260501T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260503T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260302T133030Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260425T210446Z
UID:10003037-1777629600-1777815000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:An Audience Yet to Come:  Projective Documentary  and The Essay Film
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46T0dWTytwA” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]“You didn’t know\, and couldn’t know\, and didn’t care\, safe in your pram”\n— A Diary for Timothy (1945)\, Humphrey Jennings \nWhen we make a documentary\, we rarely know who will ultimately watch it. Films travel through time\, across contexts and generations. They may be seen years—or decades—after they are made. So how do we speak to or project to an audience we cannot know? \nIn this workshop\, essay filmmaker\, critic and scholar Kevin B. Lee (Transformers: The Premake\, Afterlives) will explore this idea of “projective documentary”\, asking  how filmmakers address audiences that are distant\, unknown\, or yet to come. A pioneer of the desktop documentary and a master of the essay film form\, Kevin will guide participants through ways of thinking about documentary as a conversation across time. \nEssay films often speak directly—to a person\, a community\, a future viewer\, or even to someone who may never respond. This act of address allows filmmakers to reflect on the present while imagining how it might be understood in the future. What does it mean to document our moment with viewers we cannot yet see? And how might the way we speak shape how that future understands us? \nAcross three days of artist talks\, screenings\, and feedback sessions\, participants will examine different ways documentary filmmakers have addressed their audiences—from wartime letter-films to contemporary desktop documentaries. Together we will think about how voice\, form and structure can help create films that endure beyond the moment in which they are made. \nThe workshop will revolve around questions such as: \nWhat does it mean to make a film for someone who cannot respond? \nWho gets to speak—and who is spoken for? \nHow might we represent the present for viewers in the future? \nDo we ever truly know who our films reach? \nWhat forms work best when addressing an unseen or unknown audience? \nHow might emerging technologies\, including generative AI\, change how we imagine the future viewer? \nWhat happens when images are generated rather than captured? \nJoining Kevin for the workshop is a group of invited filmmakers\, thinkers and researchers working across moving-image practice. Film scholar Jane Gaines will bring a historical approach to projective documentary. Filmmaker Gala Hernández López will join remotely to discuss how AI and digital culture shape her approach to documentary and essay filmmaking. And Lynne Sachs will walk participants through her extensive experience with the essay form. Participants will also be encouraged to share their own work in the context of a creative feedback session with Kevin. \nRegister below\, spots are limited. Hope to see you there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on April 21\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until April 21.  After April 21\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]No animation software is required for participation in this workshop. \nIn order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of April 21\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, May 1st” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Kevin B. Lee \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Jane Gaines \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Kevin additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, May 2nd” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Lynne Sachs \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Remote Session with Gala Hernández López \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Kevin\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, May 3rd” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 12:30pm Creative work-in-progress session with Kevin \n12:30am – 1:30pm Wrap-up discussion and final thoughts[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161747″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Kevin B. Lee is the Locarno Film Festival Professor for the Future of Cinema and the Audiovisual Arts at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). A filmmaker and media researcher\, he has produced nearly 400 video essays exploring film and media. His award-winning film Transformers: The Premake introduced the “desktop documentary” format. His recent work includes the feature film Afterlives (2025)\, which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and DocLisboa. He co-leads the Swiss National Science Foundation research project “The Video Essay: Memories\, Ecologies\, Bodies”. Lee is a 2018 Sundance Institute Art of Nonfiction Grantee and has screened his work at the Museum of Modern Art\, Berlinale\, and International Film Festival Rotterdam.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161748″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gala Hernández López is an artist\, filmmaker and researcher. Her interdisciplinary practice combines filmmaking with the creation of video installations\, performances\, and publications. More specifically\, her work critically analyzes new modes of subjectivation produced by computational capitalism. She examines the imaginaries circulating in virtual communities\, the desires conveyed by disruptive technologies\, and new reactionary techno-utopias as shared fictions that populate our collective unconscious. Her works are based on research\, combining materialist analysis with poetry\, intimacy\, and dreams with the aim of dissecting fantasies of unlimited techno-scientific control over reality. Her work has been presented at international festivals and institutions such as Cannes\, Berlinale\, Rotterdam\, IDFA\, DOK Leipzig\, Cinéma du Réel\, Curtas Vila do Conde\, IndieLisboa\, Berlinische Galerie\, Palais de Tokyo\, Sarajevo Film Festival\, Vancouver Film Festival\, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma\, Camden Film Festival\, Courtisane\, transmediale\, Kurzfilmtage Winterthur\, FRAC Île-de-France\, among others. Her film La Mécanique des fluides won the César for Best Documentary Short Film in 2024. She regularly gives workshops\, lectures\, and talks at venues such as Beaux-Arts de Marseille\, Freïe Universität\, Kunsthochschule Kassel\, Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf\, Beaux-Arts de Paris\, The Photographers Gallery\, Locarno Film Festival\, Harvard University\, Goldsmiths University of London\, University of British Columbia and University of Michigan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161929″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jane M. Gaines is Professor Emerita of Literature and English\, Duke University and currently Professor of Film\, Columbia University. She is the author of three books\, Pink-Slipped: What Happened to Women in the Silent Film Industry? (University of Illinois\, 2018)\, Contested Culture: The Image\, the Voice\, and the Law (North Carolina\, 1991)\, and Fire and Desire: Mixed Race Movies in the Silent Era (Chicago\, 2001). In 2018\, Prof. Gaines received the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Distinguished Career Award and in 2023\, an Honorary doctorate from University of Stockholm. A founder of the Visible Evidence conference on documentary\, she continues to publish on documentary activism\, intellectual property in the internet age\, the history of piracy\, and has critiqued the “historical turn” in film and media studies as “What Happened to the Philosophy of Film History?” and “Eisenstein’s Absolutely Wonderful\, Totally Impossible Project\,” in Sergei M. Eisenstein: Notes for a General History of Cinema. Forthcoming is What Happened?: Documentary Media and the Dilemmas of Historical Time. The online resource\, Women Film Pioneers Project\, published by the Columbia University Libraries\, launched as a pilot project in the future of publishing in 2013.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161935″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Lynne Sachs is a filmmaker and poet living in Brooklyn\, New York. She has produced over 50 short and feature-length films. Sachs creates cinematic works that defy genre through the use of hybrid forms and cross-disciplinary collaboration\, incorporating elements of the essay film\, collage\, performance\, documentary and poetry. Her films explore the intricate relationship between personal observations and broader historical experiences. With each project\, Lynne investigates the implicit connection between the body\, the camera\, and the materiality of film itself. Lynne discovered her love of filmmaking while living and studying in San Francisco. During this time\, she produced her early\, experimental works on celluloid which took a feminist approach to the creation of images and writing— a commitment which has grounded her body of work ever since. Lynne’s films have screened at MoMA\, Wexner Center for the Arts\, New York Film Festival\, Sundance\, Punto de Vista\, and DocLisboa. Retrospectives of her work have been presented at Museum of the Moving Image\, Ambulante\, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema\, Cámara Lúcida\, China Women’s Film Festival\, Cork Int’l Film Festival\, Costa Rica Int’l Film Fest\, and Oberhausen. In 2021\, Edison and Prismatic Ground Film Festivals honored her body of work in the experimental and documentary fields.  Tender Buttons Press published Lynne’s Year by Year Poems in 2019\, and Punctum Books published Hand Book: A Manual on Performance\, Process and the Labor of Laundry written by Lynne and playwright Lizzie Olesker in 2025.  In 2026\, the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Berkeley Art Museum/ Pacific Film Archive gave Lynne their annual Persistence of Vision Award which honors “filmmakers whose achievements go beyond the boundaries of the traditional film form.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/an-audience-yet-to-come-projective-documentary-and-the-essay-film-2026-05-01/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/gif.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260425T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260510T163000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260212T181130Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260508T214715Z
UID:10003031-1777111200-1778430600@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Critical Care:  The Documentary Clinic
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Register!” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#FFFFFF” outline_custom_hover_background=”#ADADCC” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000CD” shape=”round” align=”center” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fairtable.com%2FappdVEm0GuHIuyDJF%2FshrotfkacOtCNAy0O”][vc_column_text css=””]Are you stuck or spiraling on a documentary project currently in development? Would some feedback and counsel from an experienced producer help take you to the next level? \nWe know that documentary filmmaking can be a lonely endeavor\, especially in the development and early production phase\, and sometimes we all need a little therapy particularly in a climate of increasingly scarce resources and support. Independent filmmakers are left alone to research\, develop\, write grants\, pitch and fundraise their project\, when this is the time when support\, constructive feedback and creative guidance can be the most transformative. We’re delighted to offer this intensive workshop to filmmakers in such a position\, providing a space for focused consultation with experienced creative producers who have best practices and experiences navigating the ever-changing landscape of independent documentary. \nOver three days\, emerging filmmakers will work closely with industry professionals and a cohort of peers to address the obstacles commonly faced by non-fiction practitioners working alone. Participants will have the chance to fortify their project’s framework\, to consider their filmmaking methodology\, clarify creative direction and adjust priorities for next steps. Together we’ll hone the craft of producing compelling teasers\, media samples\, loglines\, synopses\, and director’s statements with a focus on figuring out what to prioritize when shooting and what to look for when reviewing footage for producing these necessary materials. Our goal is to help participants identify areas in need of growth and provide tools to help answer creative and practical questions\, so participants can refine the scope and vision of the project\, and draw a roadmap for further development. \nThe first day of the workshop kicks off with individual 1-on-1 meetings with industry mentors\, who will provide tailored feedback and advice for each participant and their project. This day is proposed as a remote/in-person hybrid day\, allowing participants from out of town to participate online. After a 2 week gap\, giving participants the time to digest feedback and work on their project\, we’ll gather in person for a two-day intensive. On day 1 each participant will pitch their projects to the whole cohort. On the final day of the workshop the participants will be split into groups led by a mentor to guide them through a specific aspect of the development process\, adapted to the participant group and their needs.  \nParticipants will submit project materials ahead of the workshop in order for industry mentors to familiarize themselves with the project ahead of time. This workshop is tailored towards non-fiction filmmakers with an independent project between development and early production\, without a producer. Registration for this workshop will function on a first-come-first-serve basis\, potential participants will need to fill out a REGISTRATION FORM so we can ensure the submitted projects for the program are at the appropriate stage for this level of feedback and development. \nOnce we receive the completed form\, we’ll be in touch within 72 hours to confirm the eligibility of the project\, and will send on a registration link. Prospective participants are advised to please read the full schedule before submitting the form\, as accepted participants will be required to attend every session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””] \nWho is eligible? \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]This workshop is designed for independent non-fictions filmmakers with a project in development or early production\, with no producer attached. We want to be sure that projects are at an appropriate stage\, so we are asking folks to fill a short REGISTRATION FORM before registering to join. \nWe will follow up with you once we review the form and send you a registration link with a payment portal and collect a short statement of interest and bio along with some informal project materials to share with instructors so they can get to know your work in advance. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_btn title=”REGISTRATION FORM” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#FFFFFF” outline_custom_hover_background=”#ADADCC” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000CD” shape=”round” align=”center” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fairtable.com%2FappdVEm0GuHIuyDJF%2FshrotfkacOtCNAy0O”][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nSchedule \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”WEEK 1\nSaturday April 25th (in-person/remote hybrid) – 1-ON-1s” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 11:00am Welcome & workshop introduction  \n11:00am – 1:30pm 1-on-1 sessions (x5) \n1:30pm – 2:30pm LUNCH \n2:30pm – 5:00pm 1-on-1 sessions (x5)[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”WEEK 2\nSaturday May 9th (in-person) – PITCHING” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome\, Introduction \n10:30am – 1:00pm Participants present/pitch work with the group and receive feedback (x5) \n1:00pm – 2:00pm LUNCH \n2:00pm – 4:30pm Participants present/pitch work with the group and receive feedback (x5) \n4:30pm – 5:00pm Wrap up discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday May 10th (in-person) – GROUP WORK\, BREAKOUTS” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Introduction \n10:30am – 12:30pm FOCUSSED BREAK OUT GROUP  #1  \n12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch \n1:30pm – 3:30pm FOCUSSED BREAK OUT GROUP  #2 \n3:30pm – 4:00pm Final thoughts\, conclusion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161605″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Paul Dallas is a Toronto-born writer\, producer\, and director based in Brooklyn. He co-wrote the HBO docu-drama REALITY\, winner of a 2023 Peabody Award. Producing credits include the documentaries HALSTON (CNN Films/Amazon) and the 2024 NAACP Image Award winner INVISIBLE BEAUTY (Magnolia Pictures)\, both of which premiered at Sundance. He also produced the acclaimed indie comedy THE PLAGIARISTS\, a New York Times Critics’ Pick\, and he Co-producer of THE MISCONCEIVED (IFFR 2026). He served as archival producer on HBO’s ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA\, which is nominated for the 2026 Academy Award for Documentary Short. Paul’s latest short DIVISION premiered at True/False 2026 and was selected for New Directors/New Films 2026. His writing has appeared in Artforum\, BOMB\, Extra Extra Magazine\, Filmmaker Magazine\, IndieWire\, the Village Voice\, and he has programmed films for BAM Cinema\, the Guggenheim\, and Maysles Documentary Center. He is a 2025 MacDowell Fellow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”162297″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Su Kim is an Academy Award-nominated\, two-time Emmy and two-time Peabody Award-winning producer and executive producer known for her compelling nonfiction storytelling. Her acclaimed work includes Hale County This Morning\, This Evening (Oscar nominee)\, Free Chol Soo Lee (Emmy winner)\, Bitterbrush\, and Midnight Traveler (Emmy winner). Her films have premiered at top-tier festivals such as Sundance\, Berlinale\, Tribeca\, Telluride\, and the New York Film Festival\, and have been distributed by PBS\, Hulu\, The Criterion Channel\, Magnolia Pictures\, Cinema Guild\, and MUBI. Kim is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences\, BAFTA\, the Television Academy\, and the Producers Guild of America. She is a former Women at Sundance Fellow and the recipient of the 2022 Sundance Amazon Studios Nonfiction Producers Award. Her recent projects include Sansón and Me\, Suburban Fury\, and The Tuba Thieves\, continuing her dedication to bold filmmaking.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801eac56-3cdc”][vc_column_text css=””]$475 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801eac56-3cdc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until April 11th. After April 11th\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801eac56-3cdc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801eac56-3cdc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of April 11th\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/critical-care-the-documentary-clinic-2026-04-25/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025.07.14-Summer-Documentary-LabP1088643-scaled.jpg
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260313T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20260128T144124Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T142302Z
UID:10003027-1773396000-1773581400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Animating the Real: Documentary & the Imagined Image
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46T0dWTytwA” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Across this 3-day workshop\, animator and filmmaker Maggie Brennan will guide us through how animation offers filmmakers a radical tool for expressing our realities. In a sense\, animation surpasses the promise of the moving image\, allowing us to make visible what isn’t and to render a reality we live and feel but can’t always see. Through its myriad and evolving techniques\, it offers us the ability to create unique emotional forms or representations across time and consciousness. \nMaggie’s practice is rooted in how an imagined universe can offer new perspectives on reality\, and can communicate inner worlds\, dynamic emotions and personal truths more faithfully than recordings of the real world. In this workshop\, we’ll be diving into the many ways in which animation can be applied to documentary forms to either visualize or disentangle concepts that are often difficult and otherwise impossible to communicate. \nUsing animation in non-fiction can have poetic\, theoretical\, ethical and comedic effects on a film\, each of which will be explored in the sessions proposed in the workshop. We’ll be tackling questions like: how does a filmmaker determine what should and shouldn’t be portrayed by a recorded image and when is animation an appropriate solution? What are the new technologies available to animators\, how are they changing our relationship to animation and what new problems (ethical\, artistic etc.) do they bring? What are the limitations of photography and video footage that animation can help surpass? How can someone’s memory or recollections be visually narrativized? How can feelings or sensations be transformed into an image? \nMaggie will be joined by a range of experienced filmmakers and animators to help walk participants through these questions and many more. Kathryn Hamilton (a.k.a. sister sylvester) will dig into the ethics and aesthetics of new media and digital animation techniques\, taking a critical eye to contemporary scientific innovation and its representation. Yehui Zhao (May The Soil Be Everywhere) will delve into the ways in which animation may assist filmmakers in unraveling the poetic\, reaching for representation of ideas that move beyond the literal. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Flee) will spend a session answering questions on the ethical nuances of animation involved in his creative process. Participants will also be encouraged to share their work with Maggie in a session dedicated to constructive feedback and involved discussion. \nSeats are limited\, so sign up today! \nThis workshop is supported by Labocine and the Science New Wave[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on March 3\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until January 14.  After January 14\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]No animation software is required for participation in this workshop. \nIn order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of January 14\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, March 13th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Maggie Brennan \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Kathryn Hamilton aka sister sylvester \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Maggie additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, March 14th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 12:30pm Creative feedback session with Maggie \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Yehui Zhao \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Maggie\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, March 15th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Remote session with Jonas Poher Rasmussen \n12:30pm – 1:00pm Wrap up with Maggie[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160946″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Maggie Brennan is a Queens-based animator / director / writer / musician / etc. She is the creator of “Agoraphilia\,” a series for Adult Swim SMALLS\, which she also animated\, directed\, co-wrote\, and scored. She wrote\, directed\, animated\, and scored the short film “Our Bed Is Green\,” which premiered at SXSW and went on to play numerous festivals worldwide. She also wrote\, animated\, and voiced a micro series for A Studio Digital\, and her comics have appeared in publications like The New Yorker\, The Fader\, and Inverse. She is currently working on her next animated short\, “Venerations\,” which has been awarded grants from NYSCA and The Jerome Foundation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161463″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jonas Poher Rasmussen made his feature debut with the portrait film ‘Noget om Halfdan’ (2006). ‘Searching for Bill’ (2012)\, a mix of documentary and fiction\, won the Nordic Dox Award at CPH:DOX and the international competition at DocAviv. He also directed the documentary ‘What He Did’ (2015)\, which was nominated for the film critics’ Fipresci award at Thessaloniki Film Festival.\nThe animated documentary ‘Flee’ (2021) received the Cannes Festival’s Official Selection stamp at its special digital edition in 2020. The film opened at Sundance Film Festival to warm reviews\, winning the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize\, and subsequently received several prominent awards\, including for best feature film at Annecy. Other festival heavyweights include Telluride\, Toronto\, New York and Chicago\, as well as awards and nominated at prominent US ceremonies such as the Gotham Awards and the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. More awards include the Nordic Council Film Prize and two awards at the European Film Awards for best documentary and best animation. ‘Flee’ was nominated in three categories for the Oscars 2022: International Feature Film\, Feature Documentary and Animated Feature.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161390″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Yehui Zhao is an award-winning filmmaker and artist whose work explores migration\, decolonization\, heritage\, and regeneration. Her work takes root in the feminist legacies of the global south\, drawing inspiration from revolutionary history\, womanhood and daughtership\, and undocumented collective memory. Yehui’s films have been shown at True/False\, Dokufest\, DOC NYC\, UnionDocs\, Prismatic Ground\, Brooklyn Academy of Music\, Asian American International Film Festival\, and other programs. Yehui has published paintings\, prints\, and writing at Brooklyn Rail\, Brooklyn Review and Action\, Spectacle. She is a recipient of the IDA Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund\, the New York State Council on the Arts grant\, and the York Women in Film and Television Scholarship. Yehui holds an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. Yehui is an Adjunct Professor at Marymount Manhattan College in the Communication and Media Arts Department.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161527″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””] \nKathryn Hamilton aka sister sylvester is a multimedia artist. Her most recent works\, Constantinopoliad\, won the Interactive award at CPH:DOX 2025\, and Drinking Brecht\, an interactive documentary\, premiered at IDFA 2024. Both continue to tour internationally. In collaboration with Deniz Tortum she created the VR documentary Shadowtime\, (’23) which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and toured to festivals including IDFA\, GIFF\, Thessaloniki Film Festival and SXSW; and the film Our Ark which premiered at IDFA (’21) and has screened at festivals internationally. In her live work she creates visual essays and books that become performances\, spatial narratives that play with spoken and written text to create communal reading experiences. Most recently Constantinopoliad (live)\, with a score by Nadah El Shazly\, was commissioned by the Onassis Foundation\, and premiered at National Sawdust in NYC (‘23) as a site specific work in the Onassis Library\, Athens\, and at the Internationaal Theater of Amsterdam; and The Eagle and The Tortoise showed as a work-in-progress at National Sawdust NYC\, and premiered at IDFA On Stage (‘22)\, and in NYC as part of Under The Radar 2024. She is a Creative Capital fellow\, a current resident at ONX Studio; a 2019 MacDowell Fellow; an alumnus of the Public Theater New Works program and CPH:DOX lab. She co-teaches a bio-art class at Colorado College\, and has also taught and lectured at MIT\, Princeton\, UCCS\, Columbia University\, and Boğaziçi\, Istanbul. \nHer work has been called ‘genuinely subversive’ by Time Out NY; ‘imaginative and original’ by New York Times; ‘pulse-raising’ by Exeunt Magazine\, ‘apocalyptic’ by artforum\, and an ‘otherworldly\, intimate\, off-kilter\, queer artistic orgasm’ by Life Magazine\, Greece. \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/animating-the-real-documentary-the-imagined-image-2026-03-13/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/nionDocs.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260208T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20251210T182454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T154858Z
UID:10003022-1770372000-1770557400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:It’s all Rhythm:  Finding Poetry in the Edit
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row border_color=”#0000cd”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1506970411844{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: rgba(255\,255\,255\,0.66) !important;*background-color: rgb(255\,255\,255) !important;}”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text] \nThis workshop is SOLD OUT. \nPlease sign up for the waitlist below to receive updates regarding any openings or similar future opportunities. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_btn title=”Sign Up” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#FFFFFF” outline_custom_hover_background=”#0000CD” align=”center” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fairtable.com%2FappdVEm0GuHIuyDJF%2Fpag0qcKMi3EFgak9A%2Fform”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]“Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm.” – Virginia Woolf \nJoin us for this 3-day workshop\, led by acclaimed director-editor Iva Radivojević (When the Phone Rang\, Evaporating Borders)\, as we explore putting form to raw material in the editing room\, and the significance of rhythm for the editing process of non-fiction filmmaking. \nFilm editing is much like writing words on paper for poetry\, or arranging notes on a partition for a piece of music. Every film or story\, like a song or a poem\, has its own shape\, its own heartbeat\, its own rhythm. Components like language\, character\, space and movement might act as guides towards finding a musicality or choreography of a film. In this workshop we’ll be exploring the ways in which rhythm is fundamental to the editing process\, and asking how different rhythms impact a film’s style and meaning. \nWorkshop sessions will prompt participants to ask themselves questions like: what’s the story\, its shape and what tempo does it call for? What rhythms already exist in my material\, and how can I be attentive to it when reviewing footage? What tools are at my disposal to infuse rhythm into the editing process? How can factors like tempo\, cadence and duration affect the tone\, style and storytelling of my film? How does editing relate to language (my language\, the film’s language\, cinema language)\, and how does the meter of different dialogue affect the editing process? \nIva will propose a series of prompts and exercises based on her experience both as director and editor to provoke reflection and discussion on the subject of rhythmic editing. She’ll be joined by a diverse group of guest facilitators including: filmmaker Deborah Stratman will unpack how she approaches rhythm when editing her films\, the poet Corina Copp will speak to the cadence of language\, and editor and music editor Jay Rabinowitz (longtime Jim Jarmusch collaborator) will reflect on a career in the editing room. \nWe hope this 3-day intensive will inspire participants with new ideas and fresh approaches to editing their own material. We’ll be providing a supportive environment\, encouraging participants to share their own work for constructive feedback and instructive exchange on works-in-progress. Seats are limited\, so be sure to sign up soon![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on Jan 28\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until Jan 28  After Jan 28\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of January 28\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, February 6th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Iva Radivojević  \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Creative work-in-progress with Iva \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Iva additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, February 7th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Deborah Stratman \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Corina Copp \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Iva\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, February 8th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Jay Rabinowitz \n12:30am – 1:30pm Final thoughts/discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161095″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Iva Radivojević is an artist and filmmaker who currently divides her time between Athens and Lesbos. Iva’s films have screened at the New York Film Festival\, Locarno FF\, New Directors/New Films\, Rotterdam IFF\, CPH:DOX\, Jeonju IFF\, Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival\, DocLisboa\, Museum of Modern Art (NYC)\, Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. She is the recipient of the Sundance Art of Non-Fiction Fellowship\, Guggenheim Fellowship\, NYFA and Princess Grace Film Fellowships. Her new book When The Phone Rang was recently published by red herring press in the UK. She’s a PhD candidate at Villa Arson in Nice. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161098″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Artist and filmmaker Deborah Stratman makes work about power\, experience\, history and belief\, exploring how places\, ideas\, and society are intertwined.  She regards sound as the ultimate multi-tool and time to be supernatural.  Recent projects have addressed freedom\, surveillance\, public speech\, sinkholes\, levitation\, orthoptera\, raptors\, comets\, the electromagnetic spectrum\, evolution\, extinction\, exodus\, sisterhood and faith.  Stratman’s films and artworks have been exhibited and awarded widely. She is a recipient of Fulbright\, Guggenheim and United States Artist Fellowships\, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts\, Sundance Art of Nonfiction Award and grants from Creative Capital\, JustFilms\, Jeonju Cinema Project\, Graham Foundation\, Harpo Foundation\, Shifting Foundation and the Wexner Center for the Arts. She lives in Chicago where she teaches at the University of Illinois.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161097″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Corina Copp is a poet\, writer\, translator\, and curator invested in the movement across artistic discipline in relation to material collaboration\, itinerancy\, recuperation\, and process. She is the author of the poetry collection\, The Green Ray (2015\, Ugly Duckling Presse); and the North American translator of the memoir\, My Mother Laughs (2019\, The Song Cave)\, and the play\, Night Lobby\, both by filmmaker Chantal Akerman. She has written about film\, art\, and literature for Frieze\, Cabinet\, Film Comment\, BOMB\, Film Quarterly\, Metrograph Journal\, America: Films From Elsewhere (2019\, The Shoestring Press)\, and elsewhere. In 2021\, she founded Rotations\, a film-screening series focused on the detours of nonfiction feminist filmmaking and artist cinema. She received her MFA in Playwriting at Brooklyn College – CUNY and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She lives in LA\, where she is Special Faculty at the California Institute of the Arts School of Film/Video.  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161096″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jay Rabinowitz (ACE) has enjoyed a long creative collaboration with Jim Jarmusch. Their work together includes The Limits of Control\, Broken Flowers\, Coffee and Cigarettes\, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai\, Year of the Horse (which received an American Cinema Editors Award nomination)\, Dead Man\, Night on Earth\, and the “INT. TRAILER. NIGHT.” segment of the Ten Minutes Older series of short films. Jay was an apprentice and assistant editor on Jim’s earlier films\, Down By Law and Mystery Train.\nHis credits as film editor also include Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream\, Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life; Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There; Curtis Hanson’s Academy Award-winning 8 Mile; Paul Schrader’s Academy Award-winning Affliction; Keith Gordon’s Mother Night; Lodge Kerrigan’s Clean\, Shaven; Shirin Neshat’s Women Without Men; and Oren Moverman’s Rampart. \nHe also functioned as music editor on Explicit Ills; Bomb the System; Weapons; Big Bad Love; Requiem for a Dream; When Pigs Fly; The Limits of Control; Broken Flowers; Coffee and Cigarettes; and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. \nIn honor of the Motion Picture Editors Guild’s 75th anniversary in 2012\, CineMontage compiled a list of the 75 Best Edited Films of all time\, as chosen by the Guild membership. Jay Rabinowitz is one of the few editors to have two films selected for inclusion on this list.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/its-all-rhythm-finding-poetry-in-the-edit-2026-02-06/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GIF-by-UnionDdocs.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260125T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20251104T122742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T154854Z
UID:10003019-1769162400-1769347800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Thinking out Loud:  Voiceover in Documentary
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row border_color=”#0000cd”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1506970411844{padding-right: 30px !important;padding-left: 30px !important;background-color: rgba(255\,255\,255\,0.66) !important;*background-color: rgb(255\,255\,255) !important;}”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=””] \nThis workshop is SOLD OUT. \nPlease sign up for the waitlist below to receive updates regarding any openings or similar future opportunities. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_btn title=”Join Waitlist” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#FFFFFF” outline_custom_hover_background=”#0000CD” align=”center” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fairtable.com%2FappdVEm0GuHIuyDJF%2Fpag0qcKMi3EFgak9A%2Fform|target:_blank”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Join us for this intensive 3-day workshop led by filmmaker Stefan Pavlović\, as we explore the expansive possibilities and creative potentials that voiceover offers to non-fiction filmmakers\, from writing to performing\, from research to recording. Together we’ll work through what it means to pair voice with image\, and how narration can be a tool for investigation rather than just explanation. \nWhile traditional uses of voiceover and narration can be associated with authority\, a “voice-of-god”-like method for dictating or illustrating to audiences\, we unpack this time-tested (but perhaps overused) technique and look towards how artists are reimagining the use of voice as an open-ended creative tool. We’ll consider the voiceover as a method for research\, a key used to open up an image\, to propose new significance\, rather than to explain\, define or limit its meaning; thinking out loud to make sense of ideas. In this workshop we’ll explore the possibilities generated by adopting a conversational relationship with our images\, approaching the use of narration as a means to test\, challenge and transform the material through the act of speaking with\, to\, and beyond it. \nHow can our voices become productive material during the research and development phases of filmmaking? When do we start speaking with our images and how? How can our voices be used to alter our images\, and how might they affect both the significance of existing images and the generation of new ones? What’s at stake when voiceover is implemented\, what kinds of problematics can it raise? These are just a few of the questions we’ll be addressing over the weekend\, as we challenge the creative boundaries of voiceover and narration in non-fiction filmmaking. \nAlongside Stefan\, we’ll be joined by a succession of guest artists and filmmakers whose own adventures in voice might inspire new creative avenues in participants. Miryam Charles will join us to discuss her creative relationship to language and narration. Su Friedrich will walk us through a storied career investigating voice\, identity and trauma. Philip Cartelli’s diverse practice tests and pushes the boundaries of language’s relationship to the image. \nPractically\, participants will be encouraged to experiment with different ways of employing voiceover as a creative strategy to uncover new understandings of their material\, each given the opportunity to engage in constructive group discussion by sharing a work-in-progress from their own practice. \nSeats are limited\, so sign up today![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on January 14\, 2026. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until January 14.  After January 14\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of January 14\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, 23rd of January” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Stefan Pavlović \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Miryam Charles \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Stefan additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, 24th of January” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Philip Cartelli \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Su Friedrich \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Stefan\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, 25th of January” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Creative session OR work-in-progress with Stefan. \n12:30am – 1:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Stefan\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160841″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Stefan Pavlović (b. 1989) is an award-winning filmmaker currently based in Amsterdam. His debut feature film Looking for Horses (2021) has been screened at over forty international film festivals\, and won fifteen prizes\, among others\, the Burning Lights Competition at Visions du Reel\, Jury Prize at Sarajevo Film Festival\, Grand Prix at RIDM\, Best Film at Kasseler Dokfest.\nStefan was awarded the Prins Bernhard Documentary Stipend in 2021 and was selected for the Berlinale Talents program in 2022. He is a programmer at the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival in The Hague\, the Netherlands. \nStefan received his BA in film directing at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and his MA at the Netherlands Film Academy in Artistic Research in and through Cinema. \nHe is currently developing his second feature length film with Momento Films and artTrace Foundation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160842″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Su Friedrich has directed twenty-seven films and videos since 1978\, which have been featured in thirty-one retrospectives at major museums and film festivals including the Museum of Modern Art\, the Whitney Museum of American Art\, the Rotterdam Film Festival\, the Buenos Aires Festival of Independent Cinema and the National Film Theater in London and they have been widely screened and extensively written. Her work is the subject of two recent books: Su Friedrich: Interviews\, edited by Sonia Misra and Rox Samer\, Univ. of Mississippi Press (2022) and Su Friedrich by Barbara Mennel\, Univ of Illinois Press (2023.) The films have won numerous awards\, including Grand Prix at the Melbourne Film Festival\, Outstanding Documentary Award at Outfest and Best Narrative Film Award at the Athens International Film Festival. Fifteen of her films are available on DVD and VOD streaming from Outcast Films and her two most recent films are at Icarus Films.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160840″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Philip Cartelli is a filmmaker\, producer\, and researcher whose work has been exhibited at Locarno Film Festival\, Edinburgh International Film Festival\, Visions du Réel\, Torino Film Festival\, FID Marseille\, and Film at Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real\, among others; distributed by Grasshopper Film\, Kinoscope\, and Tënk; and published in Ethnologie française\, Ethnologia Europaea\, Film International and Cinema Scope\, among others. \nHe holds a PhD in Media Anthropology from Harvard University (where he was a member of the Sensory Ethnography Lab)\, a PhD in Sociology from the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (Paris)\, and he was a participant in the Whitney Independent Study Program – Studio Program. He has been a resident at MacDowell\, Camargo Foundation\, and Iméra – Institute for Advanced Study. \nHe is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at Wagner College in New York City and head producer at Nusquam LLC.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”161002″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Miryam Charles is a filmmaker of Haitian origin living in Montreal. Her films have been shown at various festivals in Quebec and abroad. Her first feature\, Cette maison\, premiered at the Berlinale\, then presented at the AFI Film Festival\, and was included in the TIFF Top 10 and Sight and Sound‘s Best Films of the Year in 2022. Her work has been shown at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal\, the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery\, the Everson Museum and the Palais de Tokyo.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/thinking-out-loud-voiceover-as-research-tool-2026-01-23/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GIF-by-UniosnDocs.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251212T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251214T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20251020T081811Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260224T152910Z
UID:10003017-1765533600-1765719000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Producing with Care:  Independent Production  for Non-fiction
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]In a moment when the documentary industry is facing both new and protracted constrictions in funding and distribution\, this workshop looks to Multitude Films\, exemplars in the field\, to help us navigate independent documentary producing. Without glossing over the hard realities\, this workshop will offer participants insight into the role of a producer\, a practical road map for how we might bring documentaries to life in the current landscape\, and a sense of the opportunities we can build on. \nMultitude Films is an independent production company dedicated to transformative culture change through nonfiction storytelling that blends artistry with political commitment. Life After (Special Jury Award Winner\, Sundance 2025)\, Power (Sundance 2024) and It’s Only Life After All (Sundance 2023) are just a few of the recent productions helmed by Multitude Films. They’ve produced some of the most impactful documentaries in recent memory\, and have experience working with major streamers as well as leading innovative self-distribution efforts. Across three days of interactive seminars\, producer Colleen Cassingham (Life After\, To Use a Mountain\, Queer Futures) will lead us through the contemporary landscape of nonfiction producing\, from budgeting\, fundraising and development\, to hands-on collaboration\, distribution and impact\, all through a philosophy of care and equity. Alongside her team\, Colleen will tackle questions like: how do we operationalize our values in how we budget and schedule our productions? How does a producer cultivate healthy\, collaborative relationships with directors and crew\, and authentic relationships with funders? What does an impact campaign look like\, and how can it be interwoven with distribution? \nColleen will kick off the workshop by walking through the foundations of producing\, including building a team and a budget\, and the ethos and questions that help set the stage for the film’s launch and rollout. Multitude’s Co-Founder and VP Anya Rous will discuss varied approaches to fundraising strategies\, raising financing\, and cultivating relationships with partners. The next day\, Sweta Vohra\, Head of Production at Multitude\, will bring her background in journalism\, risk analysis\, and safety to discuss challenges and opportunities in production. Finally\, Emma Alpert\, Head of People and Partnerships\, will join us to talk through impact\, grassroots distribution and marketing. \nParticipants will also get the chance to share works-in-progress in a focused feedback session\, where Colleen can address your pressing production and creative questions. Join us for our last workshop of the year\, entering 2026 with a new set of tools and perspectives for documentary producing. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the best!  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on Dec 3\, 2025. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until December 3.  After December 3\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of December 3\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, 12th of December” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Colleen Cassingham \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Anya Rous  \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Colleen additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, 13th of December” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Sweta Vohra \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Emma Alpert \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Colleen\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, 14th of December” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Creative work-in-progress with Colleen \n12:30pm – 1:30pm  Wrap up \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160750″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Colleen Cassingham (she/her) is a Producer at Multitude Films focused on politically committed artful nonfiction. She produced Reid Davenport’s second feature film LIFE AFTER\, which won the US Documentary Special Jury Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival\, and Casey Carter’s debut feature TO USE A MOUNTAIN\, which won the Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel 2025. She also produced the IDA Awards-nominated shorts collection QUEER FUTURES (CPH:DOX 2023)\, which is streaming on Criterion Channel. Her past credits include Co-Producer on IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (Sundance 2023)\, and Associate Producer on PRAY AWAY (Tribeca 2020)\, THROUGH OUR EYES: APART (Provincetown 2020)\, CALL CENTER BLUES (SXSW 2020)\, ALWAYS IN SEASON (Sundance 2019)\, THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED (Tribeca 2018)\, and LOVE THE SINNER (Tribeca 2017) which were distributed by Netflix\, Topic\, HBOMax\, POV\, and Independent Lens. Colleen’s directorial debut short FROM DAMASCUS TO CHICAGO was broadcast on POV in 2017 and was an Editor’s Pick at The Atlantic. She was a 2023-2024 Sundance Producing Fellow\, a 2023-2024 Impact Partners Producing Fellow\, a VC Sony 2021 Mentor at The Video Consortium\, a 2019 Points North Fellow\, and a 2017–2018 UnionDocs Collaborative Studio fellow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160751″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sweta Vohra (she/her) is the Head of Production and a producer at Multitude Films. Her latest films include the Oscar-shortlisted HOW WE GET FREE (HBO Documentary Films) and Netflix Original POWER (Sundance 2024). She also co-executive produced the shorts collection QUEER FUTURES (CPH:DOX 2023). Prior to joining Multitude\, she was a producer/director on the first season of The New York Times series THE WEEKLY on FX and Hulu\, and produced and directed over a dozen films for Al Jazeera English’s award-winning show FAULT LINES. She also produced the Netflix / BBC Studios feature documentary\, THE ANTHRAX ATTACKS. Sweta is a 2021–2022 DOC NYC 40 Under 40 Filmmaker and has received the National Association of Black Journalists Excellence Award\, the Radio Television Digital News Association Kaleidoscope Award\, and three News and Documentary Emmy® nominations for her work.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160749″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Anya Rous (she/her) is an Emmy-winning Producer and the Co-Founder and Vice President of Multitude Films. Her latest films include IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (Sundance 2023); Emmy-winning Peacock Original LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER\, in partnership with Participant and The Atlantic (Tribeca 2022); Critic’s Choice nominee Netflix Original PRAY AWAY\, in partnership with Ryan Murphy and Blumhouse (Telluride\, Tribeca 2020); as well as APART\, the Emmy-winning episode of the HBO Max series THROUGH OUR EYES\, in partnership with Sesame Workshop.\nShe executive produced MILISUTHANDO (Sundance 2023)\, Multitude Films’ HOW WE GET FREE (HBO 2023)\, and QUEER FUTURES (CPH:Dox 2023);  co-executive produced the Oscar-shortlisted CALL CENTER BLUES (SXSW 2020\, TOPIC) and CALL HER GANDA (Tribeca 2018\, POV); and co-produced Sundance Award-winning and IDA-nominated ALWAYS IN SEASON (Independent Lens 2020) and Livingston Award-winning THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED (Tribeca 2018\, POV)\, which was dubbed “a real-world conspiracy thriller” by Variety. \nAnya also advises on impact strategy for films produced by Multitude and leads a movement orientation within the company’s producing model where films are drivers of culture change.  She brings a combined 10 years of experience in funding strategy and impact campaigns for stories that further movements for racial\, economic\, and gender justice. She formerly served as the Director of Strategic Relationships at Just Vision and as a grantmaker at The Nathan Cummings Foundation. Anya was a 2019–2020 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow\, a 2019 Impact Partners Documentary Producing Fellow\, a 2020–2021 DOC NYC 40 Under 40 filmmaker\, and a 2021 Gotham/Cannes Producers Network Fellow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160987″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Emma Alpert (she/her) is the Head of People and Partnerships at Multitude Films. In this role\, Emma works to foster strategic partnerships and to ensure that the company’s values and commitment to the team’s well-being are reflected across its policies\, practices\, and overall work culture. She also oversees Multitude’s Producer Apprenticeship Program\, which equips emerging and underrepresented producers with mentorship\, resources\, and practical skills necessary to thrive in their careers. \nEmma previously worked as the Deputy Director of Just Vision\, overseeing the organization’s public engagement\, communications\, and operations teams in their efforts to fill a media gap in Israel-Palestine through independent storytelling and strategic audience engagement. While at Just Vision\, she was an associate producer for BOYCOTT (2021) and the impact producer for NAILA AND THE UPRISING (2017). \nEmma holds an M.A. in Near Eastern Studies from New York University and a B.A. in Journalism from The University of Texas. She was a 2020 Sundance Institute Women in Film Finance & Strategy Intensive fellow and part of the inaugural cohort of Social Innovation Fellows at the Brooklyn Arts Council in 2024-2025.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/producing-with-care-independent-production-for-non-fiction-2025-12-12/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/producing-wdorkshop_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251107T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251109T140000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20251010T132034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251031T205224Z
UID:10003015-1762509600-1762696800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Contested Realities:  From Field Work to Form
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Filmmaker Cathy Lee Crane leads this 3-day workshop exploring methods for translating complex field research into original documentary form. Accompanied by a stellar group of filmmakers\, researchers and artists\, we’ll be tackling multi-modal approaches to research and looking at innovative strategies for documentary project development: both conceptual and practical. \nThe research and development phase of documentary filmmaking is where ideas take shape in the field\, but it’s also a challenging period that can contradict formal expectations\, present representational obstacles and pose ethical boundaries. These difficulties are complicated further when dealing with sensitive subject matter like contested territories\, or competing narratives and histories. Across the weekend we’ll be addressing these critical moments in a project’s development\, diving into ethical frameworks for collaboration with research participants\, interpretations of the archive and hybrid forms that innovate within and think beyond typical documentary distribution and exhibition. \nWe’ll be tackling thorny questions like: what kinds of research methods are best suited to this environment and these circumstances? How can multiple perspectives be best represented simultaneously\, creatively and fairly? What kinds of frameworks for field research are useful and how can they be adapted to different circumstances? What forms are best suited to the stories emerging from the research and what kind of experimentation is appropriate? How do creative decisions affect the people implicated in this researched environment? \nCathy Lee Crane is no stranger to the struggles and difficulties associated with translating field research into original and hybrid documentary forms\, working extensively in prisons and borderland areas\, while considering the vast historical\, cultural and scientific perspectives on the subject. Cathy will walk us through her own considerations of the limitless ways in which particular sets of images can be produced\, combined and reorganized\, sharing creative breakthroughs and formal discoveries from extensive archival research and on location field work. She’ll then be joined by media artists Jason Livingston\, whose media art practice explores land use and the poetics of bounded life; David Taylor\, who’ll discuss his inversion of the surveillance apparatus through drone footage of detention; and Nicole Antebi\, her use of animation charting moving subjects like the meandering Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. \nFrom the encounter with the image/sound archive to the flow of field work\, from production to exhibition\, this workshop aims to better equip emerging filmmakers with diverse tools for research in the field\, leaving participants with a series of actionable nodes for directing research and development.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$295 early bird registration ends on Oct 29\, 2025. \n$350 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until October 29.  After October 29\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of October 29\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, 7th November” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Cathy Lee Crane \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Jason Livingston \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Cathy additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, 8th November” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with David Taylor \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Nicole Antebi \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Cathy\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, 9th November” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Creative work-in-progress feedback session with lead instructor \n12:30am – 2:00pm Wrap up discussion with Cathy[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160691″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Cathy Lee Crane’s speculative histories involve extensive research in the archive and on location field work. Various discoveries have led to development strategies for production\, collaboration\, and ultimately the form of a completed project’s dissemination (single channels\, installation\, on-line interludes). These projects include: critical biography (Pasolini’s Last Words which will be presented at NYU Casa de Italiana on 11/10/25 alongside a new installation iteration of that research Pasolini : Durations with John Di Stefano from 11/3-11/13; prisons (research and cinematography for Farocki’s Prison Images); and the borderlands multi-platform work Drawing the Line which includes Crossing Columbus (2020)\, terrestrial sea (2023)\, and Border Dwellers (2025). This most recent and ongoing side of Cathy’s work in the borderlands explores it as an historical space\, a place and a line of inquiry and is a preoccupation that all the guest lecturers share. Since 2017\, Cathy has been working in various borderland areas\, particularly in New Mexico and Arizona\, while considering various historical\, cultural and scientific perspectives on the subject. This subject has driven Cathy to consider the limitless ways in which particular sets of images can be produced\, combined and reorganized to circulate in different ways in varying circumstances on different platforms\, and how this might redefine the images(s) for different audiences.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160693″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jason Livingston is a media artist and filmmaker\, film programmer\, and writer.  His award-winning work has screened widely\, including Sheffield\, Camden\, Rotterdam\, Anthology\, the Austrian Museum\, and the Vancouver Art Gallery.  Under Foot & Overstory is distributed by the CFMDC\, and Lake Affect is available through EAI’s Experimental Television Center collection. Awarded residencies include the Millay Colony and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He has received project support from funders such as the New York State Council on the Arts and the Simons Foundation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160692″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]David Taylor’s artwork examines place\, territory\, history and politics. Exhibited widely\, his projects reveal how borders can function not only as spatial demarcations\, but also as an amplifying device particularly attuned to changing geo-political\, environmental and social conditions. Recent exhibition venues include the Boise Art Museum\, Nevada Museum of Art\, Utah Museum of Fine Arts\, MFA Houston\, Museo de las Artes Universidad de Guadalajara and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Taylor’s work can be found in numerous collections including the Library of Congress\, the Phoenix Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum. The Guardian\, Places Journal\, Gizmodo and Arquine have recently featured his projects. In 2019 Taylor was awarded a residency at Proyecto Siqueiros: La Tallera in Cuernavaca\, Mexico and an Arizona Commission on the Arts Research and Development Grant. For his work on migrant detention\, Taylor is a nominee for a 2025 Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmy and he has an upcoming solo exhibition at Museo de Arte de Sonora in the fall of 2026. David Taylor is a member of the Photography\, Video and Imaging faculty in the University of Arizona School of Art and a faculty affiliate with the U of A Center for Latin American Studies.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160694″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Nicole Antebi is an animator and moving image artist whose work explores the intersection of storytelling\, place\, and belief. Her practice is rooted in a deep curiosity about how different cultures-past and present-assign personhood\, memory and mysticism to the land. Through animation\, Nicole investigates place-based animism and the ways in which landscapes become vessels for knowledge\, spirituality\, and hope\, especially for times of crisis. Driven by a desire to expand the language of storytelling\, Nicole uses animation as a tool to bridge the seen and unseen-to animate histories\, rituals and relationships that are often invisible or intangible. Her work invites viewers to consider how a place holds power\, emotion\, and ancestral presence. From a young age\, Nicole became acutely aware of the inequities facing Mexicans\, Mexican-Americans and Fronteriza/o/x/s who reside in the borderlands of El Paso\, Texas and Ciudad\, Juárez\, the region where she came of age. In the years since she graduated from high school in 1993\, following the signing of NAFTA\, Nicole watched the two cities\, that once shared the same name and continue to share the same community\, become increasingly dissected by federal political\, social\, economic\, and environmental policies designed to obstruct the movement of people\, culture\, and the river with two names. Nicole is an assistant professor of Animation at The University of Arizona and Co-director of The Wonder Studio at Biosphere II.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/contested-realities-from-field-work-to-form-2025-11-07/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Contested-Realities-From-Field-Work-to-Form_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251024T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251026T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250922T122429Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T132503Z
UID:10003003-1761300000-1761485400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:It's Practical\, It's Tactical:  Community-Based Documentary
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]We’re overjoyed to welcome Tara Mateik and his galvanizing\, unstoppable energy back to UnionDocs to lead this workshop investigating embodied resistance through collaborative media-making and how small\, tactical gestures build toward collective celebration and resistance. \nThis 3-day participatory workshop focuses on community-based documentary work that highlights communities facing systemic erasure from public life. \nParticipants will engage in hands-on collaborative exercises that demonstrate historical precedents for coalition-building while addressing current political urgencies. We’ll be taking a magnifying lens to questions such as: \nWhat media has historically provided space for autonomy and self-representation? How do we reclaim media-making when spaces are scaled for bodies with more capital and value — challenging who gets access to housing\, architecture\, gendered spaces? \nHow do our bodies change the meaning of historical images when we inhabit them together? \nWhat are the strategies we can employ to overcome the normative pitfalls of collective collaboration? \nWhat happens when we touch and handle the actual materials of resistance movements? \nAnd how can we adapt spaces and objects to work with our bodies\, rather than against them?\n\nDrawing from the facilitators’ diverse practices and experiences in sustaining long-term community-based practices that bring bodies together in space\, this workshop is an opportunity for connection-building and strategy-sharing across communities who face overlapping forms of discrimination\, medical gatekeeping\, and legislative targeting. These intersections are particularly visible in how these communities must constantly adapt physically to a world designed without them in mind. \nEach session is therefore designed around touch\, collaboration\, and being with other bodies—it’s practical\, it’s tactical. \nTara Mateik will kick off proceedings in inimitable style\, engaging directly with participants in a live collaborative reenactment of a photograph taken by T.L. Litt at an ACT-UP Housing Committee protest at Trump Tower in 1989\, allowing participants to inhabit the physical positions and emotional registers of bodies in protest. Tara will then be joined by filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman\, adapting learnings taken from her latest feature The Tallest Dwarf (SXSW 2025)\, inviting participants to adapt to and reconsider our relationship with the built environment. DeeDee Halleck\, media activist and co-founder of Paper Tiger Television will reflect on her extensive experience in community media-making. Finally\, Emmy-award winning director Ted Passon will share with participants the practical ethics and politics he engages in his documentary practice working alongside people living with disability. \nWe’ll also invite participants to share a work-in-progress from their own practice and engage in group discussion around each other’s projects regarding embodied resistance\, collective action and community media. \nJoin us for an energized three days of exploration! Seats are limited. Sign up today. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on Oct 15\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until October 15.  After October 15\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of October 15\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, 24th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Tara Mateik \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Julie Forrest Wyman \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Tara additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, 25th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with DeeDee Halleck \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Ted Passon \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Tara\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, 26th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references. \n10:30am – 12:30pm WIP feedback session with Tara \n12:30am – 2:00pm Wrap up discussion with Tara[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160286″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Tara Mateik is a multimedia performance artist and videomaker whose work critically reenacts historical moments of collective transformation. These reenactments are not passive recreations of the past\, but political interventions into our understanding of history\, working with queer iconography to explore the ways in which history is written on\, and by\, actual bodies. Performing with other gender nonconforming bodies\, his work disrupts participants’ expectations and generates new political potentialities—in essence\, to pervert the audiovisual archive.\nHis current projects include Double Take\, a series of video tableaux restaging archival photographs from significant moments in queer and trans history. Double Take: ACT-UP / Trump Tower\, NY / October 31\, 1989\, for example\, brought together an intergenerational group of artists\, activists\, and housing advocates to reenact a photograph of a protest at Trump Tower by the ACT UP Housing Committee (including the photographer and participants in the original event). Hard Pill to Swallow: A Valley of the Dolls Case Study is a multimedia performance and video project exploring the legacy of the 1967 film based on Jacqueline Susann’s novel. Through reenactments\, video screen tests\, and animation\, Hard Pill provides an intervention into Hollywood’s longstanding exploitation of young stars. \nMateik’s work has been exhibited at venues including SFMOMA\, MoMA PS1\, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum\, Dixon Place\, The Kitchen\, and Participant Inc.\, and he has been awarded support from Creative Capital (2008)\, Franklin Furnace (2013-2014)\, and the MacDowell Colony (2018). His videos are distributed by Video Data Bank.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160287″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Ted Passon is an Emmy\, Peabody\, Gotham\, Sundance\, duPont-Columbia\, Humanitas\, and Cinema Eye award-winning director whose films and series have played at the Sundance Festival\, The Berlin Film Festival\, The Toronto Film Festival\, The Venice Biennale\, Hot Docs\, and many others. His feature film “Patrice: The Movie” (Hulu)\, was named “One of the best documentaries of the year” by Vogue and became one of the “Most Liked Documentaries” on Hulu. His series “Philly D.A.” (PBS) an 8-part series co-directed with Yoni Brook\, was hailed as “one of the best TV shows of the year” by TIME\, The New York Times\, Variety\, The Los Angeles Times\, The Hollywood Reporter \, The Washington Post\, Vulture\, Vogue\, Slate\, Indiewire\, and The New Yorker. Ted was also a director on the Netflix series “Worn Stories”\, which holds a 100% rating from Rotten Tomatoes\, and became the 5th most watched show on Netflix in the US. Ted is a co-founder of All Ages Productions and a board member of the Blackstar Film Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160285″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Julie Forrest Wyman’s work engages issues of embodiment\, body image\, and the possibilities and problematics of media spectatorship – all informed by her experience of living with hypochondroplasia dwarfism.  THE TALLEST DWARF (SXSW 2025\, Independent Lens 2026) her new feature documentary opens from a personal embodied inquiry into a reflection on disabled identity and culture and a collaboration with little people performing artists. Her 2012 documentary STRONG! premiered at AFI Silverdocs and was broadcast nationally on PBS’s Emmy award winning series\, Independent Lens\, where it won the series’ Audience Award. Wyman’s work has been awarded support from Sundance\, Sandbox\, IDA\, SF Film Society\, Points North\, ITVS\, the Creative Capital Foundation\, The Princess Grace Foundation\, California Humanities and NEH. She has been a fellow at the UC Davis Feminist Research Institute and a resident of SF Film Society’s Filmhouse\, Siena Art Institute\, Logan Nonfiction and Points North. Her films\, including FatMob (2016) Buoyant (2005) and A Boy Named Sue (2000)\, have aired on Showtime\, MTV’s LOGO-TV\, and have been exhibited on five continents. She serves as Associate Professor of Cinema and Digital Media at UC Davis.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”160284″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]DeeDee Halleck is a media activist\, founder of Paper Tiger Television and co-founder of the Deep Dish Satellite Network\, the first grass roots community television network. DeeDee is an innovator in documentary\, video art\, and public access television. In collaboration with renowned American artists\, Halleck has produced a unique body of work that reflects on art\, academics\, politics\, performance\, and live television. She has a long career advocating for media reform for public television\, public interest\, public set-asides\, and national public telecommunications policy. DeeDee is the author of Hand-Held Visions: The Impossible Possibilities of Community Media (2002). She has received five lifetime achievement awards from organizations such as the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers\, the Alliance for Community Media; the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture\, the Schmio Awards\, and the Union for Democratic Communication.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/its-practical-its-tactical-community-based-documentary-2025-10-24/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Its-Practical-Its-Tactical_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251010T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251012T133000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250909T111008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251008T163216Z
UID:10002997-1760090400-1760275800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Post Militant Cinema:  Documenting in the Wake of Struggle
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/r-ZZ4qrgOwQ” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Documenting political movements is a vital—and contested undertaking. Struggles go through cycles of momentum\, they crest and recede; energies converge\, actions spike\, outcomes land unevenly with the mass of organized participants feeling varying degrees of success or failure. \nThis workshop looks squarely at the complications of this task and its aftermath: how do we represent what came of the struggle\, what lessons were learned\, how can we communicate them and what happens next? \nIn this 3-day workshop we’re asking militant filmmakers what happens after the movement has ended. Filmmaker and photographer Nate Lavey will lead this workshop’s inquiry into the challenges that face politically engaged filmmakers\, and for those that document political action. Drawing on experience in organizing and in formally adventurous media-making\, Nate will guide participants through the preoccupations of much of his work around collective organization\, representation of political militancy\, and the long tail of political work and how it converges with media and representation. \nAccompanied by an exciting lineup of guest filmmakers and artists\, workshop participants will be invited to probe questions like: How do militant filmmakers continue to make politically engaged work after a cycle of struggle has ended? What techniques and methods do they employ during periods of reaction and repression? How do they orient themselves toward new struggles and resist falling into the traps of nostalgia\, melancholy\, and recuperation? How are struggles or the period after struggles represented in film? What are the afterlives of these struggles and how should we consider their legacy? \nAlongside Nate\, we’ll be joined by Ash Goh Hua\, whose work places the relational within the political; Sasha Tycko\, with her focus on the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta; and Ben Russell\, whose latest feature Direct Action (2024) explores life after a successful ZAD struggle in France.  \nAlongside these in-depth sessions that focus on particular approaches\, participants will be invited to share their own with Nate and the group for constructive feedback and discussion.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on September 30\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until September 30.  After September 30 the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of September 30\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, 10th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Nate Lavey \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with  Ash Goh Hua \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Nate additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, 11th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 12:30pm Work in Progress feedback session \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Sasha Tycko \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Nate\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, 12th October” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Ben Russell (remote) \n12:30am – 1:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Nate\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159796″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Nate Lavey is an experimental filmmaker and photographer with a background in documentary and video journalism. He has a longstanding interest in political militancy\, landscape and the avant-garde. His recent short film Very Gentle Work premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159794″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Ash Goh Hua is a Singapore born and raised\, New York based filmmaker. Utilizing both documentary and narrative forms\, Ash tells personal stories that reveal the inherently embodied politics of relation\, society and culture. Named one of the 25 New Faces of Film by Filmmaker Magazine in 2022\, Ash is a 2024 Berlinale Talent and a 2025 Creative Capital Award recipient.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159797″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sasha Tycko is an anthropologist and filmmaker whose current work focuses on the Atlanta forest at the center of the conflict over “Cop City.” During the two year occupation of the forest\, she integrated filmmaking with ethnographic research to explore how the contested landscape—once the site of a city prison farm and antebellum plantation—problematizes American ideas of wilderness. Out of this research\, she made the observational film\, “Dwelling: A Measure of Life in the Atlanta Forest” (2023\, 40m) and\, with Marion Lary\, “Atlanta Forest Garden: Four Days of Work” (2023\, 12m)\, which have been screened at university theaters\, micro-cinemas\, diy venues\, communes\, mutual aid centers\, festivals\, public libraries\, bookshops\, and more. She is a PhD candidate in anthropology at Emory University\, where she is a member of the Visual Scholarship Initiative. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159795″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Ben Russell is an artist and filmmaker whose work lies at the intersection of ethnography and psychedelia. His films and installations are in direct conversation with the history of the documentary image\, providing a time-based inquiry into trance phenomena and evoking the research of Jean Rouch\, Maya Deren and Michael Snow\, among others. Russell received a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship\, a FIPRESCI International Critics Prize (IFFR 2009) for his first feature film Let Each One Go Where He May\, and was an exhibiting artist in documenta 14. His second feature film\, A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (co-directed with Ben Rivers)\, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2013. Curatorial projects include Magic Lantern (Providence\, USA\, 2005-2007)\, BEN RUSSELL (Chicago\, USA\, 2009-2011)\, and Hallucinations (Athens\, Greece\, 2017).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/post-militant-cinema-documenting-in-the-wake-of-struggle-2025-10-10/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250926T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250928T130000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250825T123218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T122112Z
UID:10002995-1758880800-1759064400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Yesterday's News\,  Tomorrow's Cinema:  The Afterlife of Historical Images
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/Ed71qJd3Rh8″ css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]What plays on the nightly news quickly becomes history; yesterday’s news becomes today’s archival material. Often\, what’s shot for the news is one of the only preserved documents of a given event\, and the only record or representation of how it resonated or was interpreted for the wider public. We invite you into a 3 day workshop that explores the rich history of newsreels and news in non-fiction cinema and the fragility of archiving the news\, providing a primer on how this kind of material might be brought into your own work. \nWe’re joined by a wonderful guide for this engagement\, documentary producer Stephanie Jenkins\, a renowned archival researcher and co-director of the critically influential Archival Producers Alliance. \nThe archive and archival images have long been vital tools in the documentarians toolbox\, employed for myriad purposes: to compare\, to illustrate\, as proof\, as metaphor. A large portion of what we consider video archives were originally gathered from media organizations\, news networks and journalists\, otherwise known as newsreels. \nOver three days we will dive into questions that arise from researching and using this material like: \nWhen does an image become an “archival image”\, how does this qualification change an image’s reception by an audience\, and to whom does this archive belong? \nWhat are these images that lie in the contested ground between journalism and documentation\, and what does it mean when they’re appropriated for storytelling? \nIn what way can these documents\, that once served a precise purpose\, be instruments for historical interpretation\, revisionism and appropriation\, and how should we handle this material critically and ethically? \nWith her extensive archival experience (including with Ken Burns) Stephanie will lead us through the histories and practicalities of the newsreel archive\, before diving into our city’s news history at the NYC Municipal Archives in the Financial District. The following day we’ll be joined by filmmakers Juanjo Pereira (Under the Flags\, the Sun\, 2025) and Brian Becker (Time Bomb Y2K\, 2023)\, who will walk us through their hands-on experiences working with newsreel archives. Finally\, JT Takagi\, director of the Third World Newsreel will broaden our understanding of the newsreel both as an agent of history and as a political tool for the present and future too.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on September 17\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until September 19.  After September 19\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of September 17\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, September 26th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Stephanie Jenkins \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:30pm – 5:00pm Field trip to the Municipal Archives \n5:00pm – 5:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, September 27th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 12:00pm Session with Juanjo Pereira (remote) \n12:00pm – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Brian Becker \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, September 28th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with JT Takagi \n12:30pm – 1:30pm Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159597″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Stephanie Jenkins has over a decade of experience seeing documentary films from development to delivery. She has worked with Ken Burns and Florentine Films since 2010\, on multiple projects including their eight-hour series Muhammad Ali (PBS\, 2021)\, The Central Park Five (2012)\, Jackie Robinson (2015)\, and East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story (2020). She was a 2018 – 2019 Impact Partners Producing Fellow\, and a member of multiple industry organizations\, including the Documentary Producers Alliance\, the PGA\, and ATAS. In 2023\, she co-founded the Archival Producers Alliance and is working with that group on putting guidelines in place around the use of generative AI materials in non-fiction films.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159596″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Juanjo Pereira is a filmmaker\, researcher\, and producer focused on essay films and video installations. He co-founded and directs the Asunción Int’l Contemporary Film Festival. His work has earned awards and featured at Hot Docs Forum\, IDFA Bertha Fund\, ARCHÉ\, and more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159595″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brian Becker is a New York-based filmmaker who directed and produced Time Bomb Y2K (co-directed with Marley McDonald)\, which premiered on HBO in December\, 2023. The film’s festival run included True/False Film Festival\, Hot Docs\, Sheffield DocFest\, IDFA\, Camden International Film Festival\, and DocNYC. Brian served as archival producer on Free Chol Soo Lee\, MLK/FBI\, and Spaceship Earth\, and as co-producer on the series Bobby Kennedy for President. Brian is a 2022 Doc NYC 40 Under 40 recipient\, Impact Partners Producing Fellow\, Points North Fellow\, and a FOCAL Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year award nominee. Before turning to production\, he worked as a mosquito ecologist.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”159608″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]JT Takagi is the Executive Director of Third World Newsreel (www.twn.org)\, a media center that works to advance storytelling for cultural and social justice\, as well as an award winning independent film maker and sound recordist.  She supervises the archival and preservation activities of Third World Newsreel\, which has a collection of 16mm films from the late 1960s onwards\, documenting the Black Panthers\, the Young Lords and many other movements.  JT’s own films are primarily on Asian/Asian American issues with 4 national broadcasts. As a sound engineer\, she has recorded hundreds of public television and theatrical documentaries. Besides this\, she teaches and works with community organizations focused on peace and social justice. Her films are primarily on Asian/Asian-American and immigrant issues and include BITTERSWEET SURVIVAL\, THE #7 TRAIN\, THE WOMEN OUTSIDE\, and NORTH KOREA: BEYOND THE DMZ\, which all aired on PBS.\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/yesterdays-news-tomorrows-cinema-the-afterlife-of-historical-images-2025-09-26/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Yesterdays-News-Tomorrows-Cinema_FEATURED-GIF.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250912T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250914T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250730T082852Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T162432Z
UID:10002990-1757671200-1757869200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Conjuring the Unreal:  The Art of the Speculative Documentary
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/jC7d6K31-To” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]“Only the imagination can get us out of the bind of the eternal present\, inventing or hypothesizing or pretending or discovering a way that reason can then follow into the infinity of options\, a clue through the labyrinths of choice\, a golden string\, the story\, leading us to the freedom that is properly human\, the freedom open to those whose minds can accept unreality.”\n— Ursula K. Le Guin \nWhile “speculative” has become a buzzword in contemporary culture—and a term many artists use to describe their work—we’re inviting a deeper exploration: What exactly is meant when a documentary is deemed “speculative”? \nFor our first Fall 2025 workshop\, we’ve invited filmmaker Hannah Jayanti (Truth or Consequences\, Topography) to guide a three-day search for clarity and complexity around this terminology. \nIn today’s landscape\, “speculation” carries many meanings—from land-based investments and high-risk global trading\, to contemporary modes of science fiction and critical fabulation\, to eco-feminisms\, indigenous futurities\, queer histories\, and Afrofuturisms. The word traces back to specere\, Latin for “to look\,” sharing roots with speculum (mirror) and specula (watchtower). These origins evoke reflection\, surveillance\, perception\, and the liminal edge between the known and the unknown. \nOver the course of the workshop\, we’ll be joined by a stellar lineup of artists and thinkers to expand our frames of reference. Writer and filmmaker Toby Lee will join to discuss her pivotal essay The Radical Unreal: Fabulation and Fantasy in Speculative Documentary\, where she argues for “the radical potential of the unreal—as experiential category\, as representational strategy\, and as a politics.” Renowned filmmaker and video artist John Greyson will beam in to share about his hybrid\, playful\, and deeply political body of work which employs experimental documentary approaches in service of queer activism and social justice.  Jackson Polys\, co-facilitator of New Red Order and a multidisciplinary artist will join to share his practice exploring Indigenous futurities and institutional critique.  \nTogether\, we’ll examine how these varied lineages and definitions apply to documentary’s seemingly privileged relationship to the real. We’ll spotlight formally expansive tendencies and ask how experimentation in documentary can function not just poetically\, but politically—especially in our contemporary moment of democratic and ecological crisis\, and in an increasingly risk averse documentary landscape. \nHannah brings a singular blend of ethical\, formal\, and political inquiry to her practice\, and will lead us in considering: What does the speculative offer documentary makers? How can speculative approaches expand how documentary engages with time\, history\, and alternative futures? What kinds of methodologies\, media\, and technologies become possible when the real is pushed? How can we both interrogate new technologies and new media and consider their uses as new distributive forms? \nParticipants will be invited to share their own projects\, receive feedback\, and add their questions to the evolving conversation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on September 2\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until September 5. After September 5\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of September 5\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, September 12th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Hannah Jayanti \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Jackson Polys \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Hannah Jayanti additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, September 13th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 12:30pm Creative work-in-progress with lead instructor \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Toby Lee \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with Hannah Jayanti\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, September 14th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with John Greyson \n12:30am – 1:00pm Wrap Up Discussion with Hannah Jayanti\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”157150″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Hannah Jayanti is a documentary filmmaker\, organizer\, and educator. Her work is dedicated to the ethical and political possibilities of process-driven and formally expansive nonfiction. Through this lens she circles around questions of landscape\, listening\, memory\, and time. For the last decade she has collaborated with Alexander Porter on multiformat projects that combine documentary with emerging technology alongside social practices. These range from speculative feature documentaries such as ‘Truth or Consequences’ (Rotterdam\, 2020)\, to virtual reality documentaries including ‘Blackout’ (Tribeca\, 2017)\, to live-edited performances such as ‘Strata’ (Transmediale\, 2023)\, to co-creating large scale community projects such as the free and public arts festival\, ‘Meteoric’\, which takes place annually in Truth or Consequences\, New Mexico. They are currently working on a multi-format documentary project called ‘Topography’ which explores the histories\, and futures\, of increasingly imperiled public land within the United States. She is pursuing a practice-led PhD at UC Santa Cruz in Film & Digital Media\, where she focuses on spatial knowledge practices\, speculative documentaries\, experimental and non-linear storytelling\, and ethical collaborative practices.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”157151″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]John Greyson is an award-winning Toronto video/film artist. Since 1984\, his many features\, shorts and transmedia works use humour and song to explore such queer activist issues as police entrapment\, prison\, AIDS activism\, global solidarity\, homo-nationalism and apartheid (both South African and Israeli). The winner of 4 Teddies\, 4 Canadian screen awards\, and Best Film Prizes at over 50 international festivals\, his works include: Door Prize (2025)\,  Death Mask (2024)\, Photo Booth (2023)\,  International Dawn Chorus Day (2020)\, Mercurial (2018)\, Gazonto (2016)\, Murder in Passing (2013)\, Fig Trees (2009)\, Proteus (2003)\,  Lilies (1996)\, Zero Patience (1993)\, The Making of Monsters (1991) and Urinal (1989).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”157152″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Toby Lee is an artist\, anthropologist\, and Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She works across video\, installation\, performance and drawing\, and her work has been been exhibited at the Locarno Film Festival\, Ann Arbor Film Festival\, Anthology Film Archives\, Museum of the Moving Image (NYC)\, and the 2014 Whitney Biennial. Her research interests include visual and media anthropology\, the anthropology of cultural institutions\, cultural citizenship\, expanded documentary\, and cultures of surveillance and documentation. Her dissertation\, an ethnographic and historical study of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival\, examines the relationship between state\, citizen\, and public culture in contemporary Greece. She has a PhD in Anthropology and Film & Visual Studies from Harvard University\, where she was a member of the Sensory Ethnography Lab. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation\, the Social Science Research Council\, the Dan David Foundation\, the Film Study Center at Harvard University\, and the Flaherty Film Seminar. From 2012 to 2014\, she was the Director of the Collaborative Studio program at UnionDocs: Center for Documentary Art in Brooklyn\, NY.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”157270″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jackson Polys of the New Red Order (NRO). The New Red Order is a public secret society facilitated by core contributors Jackson Polys\, Adam Khalil\, and Zack Khalil. Polys is a multi-disciplinary artist who examines negotiations toward the limits and viability of desires for Indigenous growth. He holds an MFA in Visual Arts from Columbia University and was the recipient of a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Mentor Artist Fellowship. Adam Khalil is a filmmaker and artist whose practice attempts to subvert traditional forms of image making through humor\, relation\, and transgression. He received his B.A. from Bard College and is co-founder of COUSINS Collective.  Zack Khalil is a filmmaker and artist whose work explores an Indigenous worldview and undermines traditional forms of historical authority through the excavation of alternative histories and the use of innovative documentary forms. He received his B.A. at Bard College in the Film and Electronic Arts Department\, and is a UnionDocs Collaborative Fellow and Gates Millennium Scholar.  Their work has appeared at Artists Space\, Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin\, Kunstverein in Hamburg\, Lincoln Center\, Museum of Modern Art\, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit\, New York Film Festival\, Sundance Film Festival\, Toronto Biennial 2019\, Walker Arts Center\, and Whitney Biennial 2019\, among other institutions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/conjuring-the-unreal-the-art-of-the-speculative-documentary-2025-09-12/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Conjuring-the-Unreal_Featured-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250725T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250727T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250609T192742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250723T160923Z
UID:10002979-1753437600-1753635600@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Hopeful Rebellion:  Sober Optimism in Political Cinema
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/1099818771?share=copy” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Filmmaker Travis Wilkerson (named “the political conscience of American cinema” by Sight & Sound) and critic Victor Guimarães have been engaged in collaborative research examining the “unfinished\, unfulfilled project” of the Third Cinema movement\, asking “where its emerging forms might still be glimpsed”\, in our current iteration of The UNDO Fellowship. \nAs an extension of this research we’ve invited Travis and Erin Wilkerson (Nuclear Family\, 2021) to join us for a weekend to lead us through HOPEFUL REBELLION: SOBER OPTIMISM IN POLITICAL FILMMAKING. A workshop grounded in both hope and pragmatism\, envisioning possible futures for political filmmaking and asking what new cinematic forms can best communicate the politics of our time and galvanize resistance. \nSylvia Wynter asserted that we can’t create a different kind of future without first imagining it\, an assertion that has inspired Erin’s own film work\, tapping into practices of deep listening\, essay documentary\, feral filmmaking and much more. Erin will guide us through an inquiry into new media practices\, how they might respond to the political moment and how we can operate outside of the constraints of systems in place. \nParticipants will get privileged insight into Travis and Victor’s developing ideas and research as we look back to historical frameworks of resistance cinemas in an effort to understand their successes and learn from their abandoned efforts. From the L.A. Rebellion\, to the Yugoslavian Black Wave or the Third Cinema project\, we’ll look at how these movements formed and surfaced new cinematic grammar and modes of distribution. \nInformed by these lineages\, the workshop will address questions like: How do we maintain a sense of hopefulness in times of great political adversity? What have we learnt from past resistance and political cinema movements and how can we apply these lessons to the present day? What tools and networks are at the disposal of contemporary political filmmakers? \nWe’ll also be joined by an all-star lineup of guests including Billy Woodberry\, celebrated director of Bless Their Little Hearts (1984) and a leader of the L.A. Rebellion\, and Betty Yu\, artist\, activist\, co-founder of the Chinatown Art Brigade and board member at Third World Newsreel.  \nJoin us for a weekend that encourages resistance over despair\, a long view on historical frameworks for political cinema and a sober optimism for the future.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on July 15\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until July 15. After July 15\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of July 15\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, July 25th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Travis Wilkerson \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Betty Yu \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEADS additional exercises / discussion \n7:00pm – 10:00pm SCREENING of An Injury to One (2002\, Travis Wilkerson) & The Second Burial (2023\, Erin Wilkerson)[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, July 26th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Billy Woodberry \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Lee Anne Schmitt \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, July 27th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Erin Wilkerson \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm TBD \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156442″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]A chance meeting in Havana with the legendary Cuban filmmaker Santiago Alvarez changed the course of Travis Wilkerson’s life. His internationally recognized body of filmmaking crosses boundaries with documentary and fiction\, performance\, and activism.\nAt the epicenter of his work is the ongoing search for meeting points of aesthetic eloquence and political engagement\, produced with an absolute modesty of material resources\, as self-sufficiently as possible. In 2015\, Sight & Sound called Wilkerson “the political conscience of American cinema.” His films have screened at hundreds of festivals worldwide\, including Berlin\, Sundance\, Toronto\, and Locarno. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship\, UnDo Fellowship\, Creative Capital Award\, Rockefeller Grant\, as well as grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. \nThe New Yorker called Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? one of the “Sixty-Two Films That Shaped the Art of Documentary Filmmaking.” An Injury to One was named one of the best avant-garde films of the decade by Film Comment and a “political-cinema landmark” by the LA Times. His latest work – Through the Graves the Wind is Blowing\, a tribute to the Yugoslavian Black Wave\, premiered in Encounters at the 74th Berlinale. Variety called it “dynamically entertaining… a beautifully monochromatic meditation on how nothing is actually black and white.” \nAmerican guerrilla gardener turned feral filmmaker\, Erin Michele Wilkerson\, is the co-founder of the political art collective\, Creative Agitation along with her partner\, Travis Wilkerson. They have exhibited in the Venice Biennale\, Locarno Film Festival\, the Viennale\, and the Berlinale\, and their film\, Nuclear Family (2021) was awarded Mención Especial at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival\, and is distributed by Arsenal (Berlin). Grounded in ecology thanks to her early professional work in landscape architecture\, her solo practice is rooted in the exploration of global narratives. \nShe works in feral filmmaking\, based on the guerrilla tactics of Third Cinema and as resistance to the Hollywood model. A methodology she developed as part of her PhD work\, “Invasive Species\,” for Liverpool John Moores University. Her solo international exhibitions include\, The Second Burial (2023)\, which premiered at DOKUFEST and streamed on MUBI. She has also exhibited at Prismatic Ground (New York)\, FICUNAM (Mexico)\, Arica Docs (Chile)\, and INTERSECCION (Spain). She is currently a Lecturer in film/art research and practice at Duke Kunshan University.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156443″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Billy Woodberry is one of the founders of the L.A. Rebellion
 film movement. His first feature film\, Bless Their Little Hearts (1984)\, is a pioneer and essential work of this movement\, influenced by Italian neo-realism and the work of Third Cinema filmmakers. The film was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2013. \nAnd When I Die\, I Won’t Stay Dead (2015) was the opening film of MoMA’s Doc Fortnight in 2016. The film premiered at the 53rd Viennale\, Vienna International Film Festival (2015)\, and has been featured at festivals nationally and internationally\, notably\, but not limited to\, the 13th Doclisboa\, Documentary International Film Festival – International Competition\, Lisbon (2015)\, 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam – Signatures\, (2016)\, 59th San Francisco International Film Festival (2016)\, Courtisane Film Festival\, Ghent (2016) and The Flaherty Film Seminar\, New York (2016). \nHis documentary short\, Marseille Après La Guerre (2016)\, is a portrait of dock workers in post-WWII Marseille\, many of whom were of African descent\, and pays homage to Senegalese film director\, Ousmane Sembéne. Marseille Après La Guerre received acclaim after its screenings at the Roy and Edna Disney Theater CalArts’ Downtown Center for Contemporary Arts\, Los Angeles (2016)\, Courtisane Film Festival\, Gent (2016)\, and Instituto Moreira Salles\, Rio de Janeiro (2016). \nWoodberry’s films have been screened at the Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals\, Viennale\, Rotterdam\, the Museum 
of Modern Art (MoMA)\, Harvard Film Archive\, Camera Austria Symposium\, Human Rights Watch Film Festival\, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou. \nHe has also appeared in Charles Burnett’s When It Rains (1995) and provided narration for Thom Andersen’s Red Hollywood (1996) and James Benning’s Four Corners (1998). \nWoodberry received his MFA from UCLA in 1982 where he also taught at the School of Theater\, Film and Television. Currently\, he is a permanent faculty member
 of the School of Film/Video and the School of Art at the California Institute of the Arts\, where he has taught since 1989.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156629″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Betty Yu is an award-winning filmmaker\, socially engaged multimedia artist\, photographer and activist born and raised in NYC. Yu integrates documentary film\, photography\, installation\, new media platforms\, and community-infused approaches into her practice. Betty’s films and multimedia work has focused on labor\, immigration\, gentrification\, abolition\, racism\, militarism\, transgender equality among other issues. She is a co-founder of Chinatown Art Brigade\, a cultural collective using art to advance anti-displacement fights. Ms. Yu’s documentary “Resilience” about her garment worker mother fighting sweatshop conditions screened at  film festivals including the Margaret Mead Film Festival. \nHer work has been exhibited and screened at the Brooklyn Museum\, Queens Museum\, NY Historical Society\, Museum of the City of NY\,  Artists Space/ISP Whitney Museum\, The Highline\, Tenement Museum\,\, 2019 BRIC Biennial\, Apexart\, Pace University Art Gallery\, Transmitter Gallery\, 601 Artspace\, Five Myles\, Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center\, Bullet Space\, Carriage Trade\, Old Stone House and MAXXI in Rome. “The Garment Worker”\, an interactive installation\, was featured at Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive Showcase. Her multimedia installation\, “Resistance in Progress”\, highlighting housing activism in Flushing was featured at the Queens Museum. Betty had her first solo exhibition\, “(Dis)Placed in Sunset Park” at Open Source Gallery. Ms. Yu won the Aronson Social Justice Award for her film “Three Tours” about U.S. veterans returning home from war in Iraq\, and their journey to overcome PTSD. \nHer work has received coverage in outlets including New York Times\, CNN\, HBO VICE News Tonight\, i-D Vice Media\, Art Forum\, ARTNews\, Sinovision\, Hyperallergic\, E-Flux\, La Belle Revue Art Journal & Studio International. \nFor nearly a decade she has been teaching video\, film\, new media\, social practice\, art and activism at universities such as Hunter College. Pratt Institute\, John Jay College and The New School. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Media Production at Marymount Manhattan College. Her forthcoming photography and art college book\, Family Amnesia: Chinese American Resilience will be released in Summer 2025.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156711″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””] \nLee Anne Schmitt is an essay filmmaker; her projects have addressed American exceptionalism\, the logic of utility and labor\, gestures of kindness and refusal\, and the history of racial violence in the United States. \nShe has exhibited widely at venues that include MoMA NY\, the Getty Museum\, RedCat Theater\, Northwest Film Society\, Centre Pompidou and festivals such as Viennale\, CPH/DOX\, Oberhausen\, Cinema du Reel\, Rotterdam\, BAFICI and FID Marseille. Her latest feature documentary\, Evidence (2025)\, premiered at the Berlinale earlier this year. Schmitt is a recent recipient of both a Graham Foundation Grant and a Creative Capital Award.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/hopeful-rebellion-sober-optimism-in-political-cinema-2025-07-25/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FEATURED-IMG_002.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250711T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250713T180000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250615T140659Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250711T164201Z
UID:10002967-1752260400-1752429600@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals 2025
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/7M3GGY-lVhE” css=””][vc_column_text css=””]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. \nWe’re overjoyed that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals course is led by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster\, co-directors of the award-winning biographical documentary Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project\, a beautifully lyrical homage to revolutionary poet Nikki Giovanni. Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize\, the film travels through the poet’s life\, from her childhood in Ohio to her time in New York City during the height of the civil rights movement\, from building a family of her own to encounters with literary icon James Baldwin. You’re invited to follow along and trace the trajectory of this recent documentary hits all the way from development and pre-production stages to post-production and through its successful festival run and distribution. \nGoing To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project will serve as a case-study across all the sessions including DEVELOPMENT & FINANCING\, ARCHIVAL & VISUAL LANGUAGE\, WORLD BUILDING IN THE EDIT\, MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN and FINDING AN AUDIENCE for 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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”BUY SERIES PASS – ALL ACCESS” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]The full series pass includes access to all of the 2025 Documentary Fundamentals sessions listed below and the public screening of Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project. You can also tailor your Doc Fundamentals attendance to your personal needs and select each course a la carte for $35/session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project  \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project is a visionary documentary that explores the life and work of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni. Blending archival footage\, personal interviews\, and imaginative visuals\, the film journeys through Giovanni’s powerful contributions to art and activism—from the civil rights era to the Afrofuturist future she envisions. As she reflects on race\, gender\, space travel\, and Black liberation\, Giovanni invites viewers on an intimate\, poetic\, and deeply human voyage—one that dares to go beyond Earth to imagine new worlds.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nAbout Doc Fundamentals \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Reflections from past participants of Doc Fundamentals:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text] \n“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.” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“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” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“I really enjoyed the concept of breaking a single documentary down over several focus points. Looking forward to future courses! Thank you!” \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nSchedule \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 1: Friday\, July 11″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]SESSION 1: The vision | 60 mins\n(Opening Session – Directing\, Getting into Nikki’s head\, vision of the film and overall idea of the film)\n\nFILM SCREENING | Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | 96 mins[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 2: Saturday\, July 12″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]SESSION 2: From vision to practice (Development & Financing) | 11am – 12:30pm\nProducers\, financing partners\, supporters  \nSESSION 3: Creating a visual language (Cinematography & Archival) | 2pm – 3:30pm\nHannah Shephard (archival producer)\, Greg Harriot (cinematography) \nSESSION 4: World-building in the edit | 4pm – 5:30pm\nRegi Allen (editor)\, Sarah Hagey (editor) [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 3: Sunday\, July 13″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]SESSION 5: Building a sonic universe (Music & Sound) | 2pm – 3:30pm\nFred Helm (Sound mixer) \nSESSION 6: Meeting an Audience (festival strategy & distribution) | 4pm – 5:30pm\nEstelle Kelly (Kino Lorber Exec – educational distribution)[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156243″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Emmy award-winning filmmaker\, artist\, and author Michèle Stephenson draws from her Haitian and Panamanian heritage and experience as a social justice lawyer to transform non-fiction storytelling. She creates emotionally powerful narratives of resistance and healing that emphasize the lived experiences of communities of color across the Americas and the Black diaspora. Through a Black Atlantic perspective\, Stephenson reimagines storytelling to provoke thought and inspire action against systemic oppression\, weaving together fiction\, immersive\, experimental\, and hybrid forms. In 2023\, her films Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games were Oscar-shortlisted\, with Going To Mars winning the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Black Girls Play received significant accolades\, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video and Best Short Doc at Tribeca. Her feature American Promise earned three Emmy nominations and won the Jury Prize at Sundance\, while Stateless was nominated for a Canadian Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary. Stephenson co-directed The Changing Same\, a magical realist VR trilogy that premiered at Sundance’s New Frontier XR Program\, won the Tribeca Grand Jury Prize for Best Immersive Narrative\, and was Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Interactive Media. In 2024\, she received the NYWIFT Nancy Malone Muse Directing Award and is currently in post-production on a feature on the Black Power movement in Canada. She is a Guggenheim Artist Fellow\, Creative Capital Artist\, and member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156248″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Emmy award-winning filmmaker Joe Brewster is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who applies his medical expertise to explore social issues through his cinematic work. He made his directorial debut with The Keeper (1995)\, drawing on his experience as a prison psychiatrist at the Brooklyn House of Detention\, and the film received numerous awards\, including Spirit Award nominations. Over the past three decades\, Brewster has directed and produced narrative and documentary films\, as well as immersive media. His feature documentary American Promise (2014) earned three Emmy nominations and won the Jury Prize at Sundance. His film Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project was Oscar-shortlisted\, won the 2023 Sundance Grand Jury Prize\, and received over 30 awards\, including two Cinema Eye Awards and the prestigious Emmy for Outstanding Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games (2023) won the Cinema Eye Best Short Award\, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video\, and was also Oscar-shortlisted. Brewster’s groundbreaking room-scale production The Changing Same premiered at Sundance and won the 2021 Tribeca Grand Jury Prize for Best Immersive Experience. His subsequent AR/VR projects include O-Dogg: On Othello\, featuring Tariq Trotter\, which premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Brewster has also produced documentary works for PBS\, HBO\, Amazon\, Al Jazeera\, Vice\, Sundance Channel\, Comcast\, Disney\, and the World Channel. He has received fellowships and grants from the Sundance Institute\, Tribeca Film Institute\, BAVC\, MacArthur Foundation\, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. He is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has won multiple Emmys.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156247″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Hannah Shepard holds interdisciplinary degrees from The University of Galway and Fordham University\, where she was a teaching fellow in the History Department and a Loomie Prize winner. She has conducted research in libraries and archives in the United States and abroad\, worked as an educator at the Museum of the City of New York\, and as a script reader for The Public Theater and The Druid. As an archival producer\, Hannah has collaborated with many documentary filmmakers including Nancy Buirski\, Brett Story\, Joe Brewster\, and Michèle Stephenson. In 2019 she was nominated for the FOCAL Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year Award. Her fiction has been published by W.W. Norton\, SmokeLong Quarterly\, Fiction Southeast\, and Spout Press.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156246″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Greg Harriott is an Emmy award winning cinematographer whose body of work spans commercials and award-winning narrative and documentary films. Greg’s DP credits include The Cave of Adullam which won Best Documentary and the Audience Award at Tribeca in 2022\, Black Girls Play: The Story of Handgames which was shortlisted for the 2024 Oscars and won Best Documentary Short at Tribeca in 2023\, and Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project which was shortlisted for the 2024 Oscars and won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at Sundance in 2023. In 2013 Greg won a Daytime Emmy for filming Born to Explore with Richard Wiese.  During his four years lensing the show\, he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania\, tracked lions in the Serengeti\, filmed orangutans in Borneo\, and traveled across five continents.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156245″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Regi Allen is a two-time Emmy® Award–winning senior video editor and creative director\, boasting over 25 years of experience crafting high-impact visual narratives. Based in Washington\, D.C.\, Regi has collaborated with MTV\, Discovery Channel\, ABC\, HBO\, Netflix\, Disney\, and more. In 2023\, Regi contributed editorial expertise to two standout documentary projects:\nGoing to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project — This HBO Documentary Films feature earned the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival\, was selected for the New York Film Festival Main Slate\, included on the Oscar shortlist\, and later won the Primetime Emmy® for Outstanding Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking\, among over 30 international awards sundance.org+12thegrio.com+12press.wbd.com+12. Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games — A short documentary in ESPN’s “30 for 30” series\, co-directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson\, it garnered the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short-Form Documentary\, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video\, won Best Short Doc at Tribeca\, and was included on the Oscar shortlist facebook.com+15espnfrontrow.com+15maysles.org+15. After leading London-based Niceandcreative for three years as Creative Director and Senior Editor\, Regi returned to the U.S. to refocus on specializing in short-form creative editing\, integrating emerging AI tools to elevate storytelling. He is now open for immediate freelance or full-time engagements.\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156249″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sarah Enid Hagey is a film editor and sound designer. Working as an artist and filmmaker in the field for over 20 years\, her work has screened at such institutions as the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\, MoMA\, and The New Museum and premiered on HBO\, CNN\, PBS\, and at festivals both nationally and internationally including SXSW\, Berlin\, Toronto and Locarno. She is the recipient of a Cinema Award from the National Board of Review and her work has garnered a James Beard Award for Visual and Technical Excellence\, and an Emmy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156244″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Estelle Kelly is a film industry professional from Brooklyn\, New York. After graduating from New York University\, Estelle has spent the past 15 years working in film distribution\, first at boutique distributor The Cinema Guild\, and is now the VP of Educational and Non-Theatrical Sales and Distribution at Kino Lorber\, a leading art-house film distributor based in New York.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-2025/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Doc-Fundamentals-2025_FEATURED-IMG.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250627T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250629T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250603T115810Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250630T103331Z
UID:10002962-1751018400-1751216400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Images in Captivity:  Looking at the Living World
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/DP4WxR-vImc” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]What are our inherited methods of observation and conservation\, and how do they shape our understanding of  shared histories and spaces? \nArtist-filmmaker Jessica Sarah Rinland (Monólogo Collectivo\, 2025) invites us to consider the traditional frameworks for documenting and containing knowledge of our environment across this 3-day workshop. We’ll be taking a closer look at the rich and contested traditions of animal and nature documentary\, scrutinizing the position of the documentarian\, researcher and conservator within historical preservation practices: \, as  innovators\, agents or critics. \nWe’ll take a hands-on approach to interrogating various strategies for interpreting the environments that surround us. We will critically compare  ecological and museological conservation\, and consider how this comparison might reshape documentary methodology— investigating how images\, both moving and still\, protect\, distort or confine our understanding of the natural world. \nWe’re excited to bring together a diverse group of thinkers\, artists and filmmakers as we ask questions like: \nWhat do the documentarian and the conservator have in common\, what techniques\, methods and technologies do they share? \n\nWhat do our systems for observing nature and preserving objects reveal about how we structure power and narrativize history? \n\nIs preservation an act of care – or can it perpetuate past violences? \n\nAnd how might collaboration and interdisciplinary knowledge-building support new methodologies that address historical injustices and contribute to reparative practices? \nWe’ll begin with Jessica Rinland’s work looking at her recent film and exhibition\, and her inquiry into the history and usages of camera traps in wildlife documentation\, followed by Sarah J Christman\, whose work focuses on the intersections between people\, technology and the natural world. We’ll head to Ridgewood Reservoir with Jessica for a closer look at applying method to field work. Then we’ll be joined by experimental preservationist Jorge Otero-Pailos who will expand on his artistic practice\, sitting at the crossroads of architecture\, preservation and aesthetics. Finally\, filmmaker and visual anthropologist Ilisa Barbash will take us on a journey through her work in repatriation and ethical stewardship. \nJoin us for three days to explore these thorny questions at the center of nonfiction practices with this stellar lineup of guest speakers![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on June 17\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until June 17. After June 17\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of June 17\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, June 27th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Jessica Sarah Rinland \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Sarah J Christman \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD additional exercises / discussion \n6:30pm – EYES THAT SHINE AT NIGHT\, an artist presentation by Jessica Sarah Rinland[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, June 28th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 4:00pm Field trip to Ridgewood Reservoir with Jessica Sarah Rinland and NYC H2O \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, June 29th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Jorge Otero-Pailos \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Ilisa Barbash \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154484″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Argentine-British artist filmmaker\, Jessica Sarah Rinland is a recipient of numerous prizes including Best International Film at Cinéma du Réel\, and Documenta Madrid for COLLECTIVE MONOLOGUE\, Special Mention at Locarno Film Festival for THOSE THAT\, AT A DISTANCE\, RESEMBLE ANOTHER\, and MIT’s Schnitzer prize for excellence in the arts.\nHer most recent solo exhibition was at Tabakalera\, San Sebastian\, Spain\, subsequently traveling to Katoenhuis\, Rotterdam. Previous exhibitions include University of Tennessee’s Downtown Gallery\, Southwark Park Galleries\, Taipei Biennial\, Somerset House and New Contemporaries. She has had retrospectives of her films at Flaherty Film Seminar\, Anthology Film Archives\, Open City Documentary Film Festival\, Doc’s Kingdom\, London Short Film Festival\, among others. \nShe has participated in residencies including Film Studies Center at Harvard University\, Somerset House Studios\, MacDowell\, and Ikusmira Berriak. Her films are held at the British Film Institute.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156062″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sarah J Christman is a New York City based filmmaker whose films explore the intersections between people\, technology and the natural world. \nHer work has screened widely\, including the Toronto International Film Festival\, Rotterdam International Film Festival\, New York Film Festival\, MoMA Documentary Fortnight\, MASS MoCA\, AFI and the Los Angeles Film Forum. She received the New Visions Award from the San Francisco International Film Festival for her debut film Dear Bill Gates and Jury Awards from the Ann Arbor Film Festival for Gowanus Canal and As Above\, So Below. Her feature film Swarm Season (2019) screened at festivals including CPH:DOX\, Sheffield DocFest\, Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real and RIDM. It was nominated for Best Debut Feature by Cinema Eye Honors\, and is distributed by Grasshopper Film and MUBI. \nChristman received her MFA in Film & Media Arts from Temple University and her BA in Art History and Visual Art from Oberlin College. She is a Professor of Film at Brooklyn College / CUNY.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156063″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Ilisa Barbash is Curator of Visual Anthropology at Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology where she makes films\, writes books and curates exhibitions about photography. She made the films In and Out of Africa (1992)\, about authenticity and taste in the transnational African art trade\, and Sweetgrass (2009)\, a sensory ethnographic film about the American West\, both with Lucien Castaing-Taylor. Sweetgrass was nominated for an Independent Spirit Best Feature Documentary and the Independent Spirit Aveeno Truer than Fiction Award; Cinema Eye First Feature Documentary Award; IDA Best Documentary Feature Award; Gotham Best Documentary Award and received the Audience Award at Punto de Vista; Artistic Excellence Award\, Big Sky Film Festival\, MT; Best International Doc\, Astra Film Festival\, Romania. Her book\, Where the Roads All End (Peabody Museum Press 2015) about western representation of the Ju/’hoansi (San) in 1950s Namibia\, was awarded the John Collier\, Jr. Award for Visual Excellence in the Use of Still Photography by the Society for Visual Anthropology. She co-edited the To Make Their Own Way in the World: The Enduring Legacy of the Zealy Daguerreotypes (Aperture/Peabody Museum Press 2020)\, which won the 2020 Rencontres d’Arles\, Best Historical Photographic Book Award.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”156064″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jorge Otero-Pailos is an American-Spanish artist\, preservation architect\, scholar\, and educator renowned for pioneering experimental preservation practices. He employs artistic methods\, informed by advanced technologies\, materials research\, and interdisciplinary collaborations to expand the range of objects that are valued as cultural heritage\, and to develop new ways of caring for those objects. His wide-ranging artistic practice finds expression through materials like airborne atmospheric dusts\, smells\, sounds\, and architectural fragments. \nHis series “The Ethics of Dust” turned experimental preservation cleaning techniques into a signature aesthetic\, creating large scale latex casts from the dust and pollution residues found on landmarked monuments. His practice highlights how the dusts sedimented on buildings function as repositories of previously unexamined environmental histories and collective memories. \nHis works have been commissioned by and exhibited at major heritage sites\, museums\, foundations\, and biennials\, including Artangel’s public art commission at the UK Parliament\, the Chicago Architecture Biennale (2017)\, Venice Art Biennale (2009)\, V&A Museum\, Louis Vuitton Galerie Museum\, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary\, SFMoMA\, Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts\, Frieze London\, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts among others. He is the recipient of a 2021-22 American Academy in Rome Residency in the visual arts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/images-in-captivity-2025-06-27/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Images-in-Captivity_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250509T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250511T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250318T120920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251027T204236Z
UID:10002940-1746784800-1746982800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Poetics of Time:  Between the Shot & the Edit
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/wZX3_J1hJj8″ css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] \nFilmmaker\, cinematographer\, and editor Pablo Álvarez-Mesa returns to UnionDocs with a workshop exploring the dynamic interplay between cinematography and editing in nonfiction filmmaking. Through screenings\, discussions\, and hands-on exercises\, we’ll examine how the space between shots—what’s captured\, omitted\, and arranged—shapes cinematic meaning. \nDesigned for cinematographers\, editors\, and artists working with the moving image\, this three-day intensive delves into how shooting anticipates the edit and how the edit reshapes a shot’s intent. How do different shooting styles—handheld\, static\, aerial—affect temporality\, mood\, and power dynamics? What ethical considerations arise in these choices\, and how can editing mitigate the often extractive nature of documentary cinematography? \nWe’re thrilled to welcome guest artists Lai Yi Ohlsen\, Derek Howard\, and Andrea Bussmann\, who will share their own approaches to these ideas. Alongside their insights\, we’ll engage with works by Maya Deren\, Jonas Mekas\, Mona Hatoum\, Laura Mulvey\, Alexandre Larose\, Phil Solomon\, Ute Aurand\, Stan Brakhage\, and Kenneth Anger—exploring how artists across disciplines use fragmentation\, rhythm\, and duration to evoke presence\, intimacy\, and memory. \nParticipants are encouraged to bring a project-in-progress for feedback\, making this a space for active exchange and experimentation. By the end of the workshop\, participants will gain a deeper awareness of how cinematography and editing shape one another—how decisions behind the camera resonate in the edit\, and how the editing process\, in turn\, redefines the meaning and rhythm of filmed images.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on May 2\, 2025. \n$375 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until May 2. After May 2\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of May 2\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Thursday Night\, May 8th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]Screening\, The Soldier’s Lagoon [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, May 9th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with Pablo Alvarez-Mesa \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Derek Howard \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, May 10th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Andrea Bussmann \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Lai Yi Ohlsen \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, May 11th” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Work-in-progress Feedback Session with Pablo Alvarez-Mesa \n12:30pm – 2:00pm Wrap Up / Lunch[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154995″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Pablo Álvarez-Mesa is a filmmaker\, cinematographer and editor working mainly in non fiction\, whose films have played and earned awards at international film festivals including Berlinale\, IFFR\, Viennale\, MoMA\, Visions du Réel\, and RIDM. His work in cinema lies in the relationship between fact and fiction; between what is recalled and what is inevitably constructed. Pablo is Sundance Doc Fund grantee\, an affiliate member of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University\, and a Berlinale Talents\, Banff Centre for the Arts and Canadian Film Centre alumnus.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154996″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Derek Howard is a New York City based director of photography and director\, whose projects have screened at Venice\, TIFF\, Sundance\, Telluride\, DOCNYC\, IDFA\, and many others. Immersed in the world of creative documentary\, video art\, and hybrid formats\, he established himself as a risk taking and innovative filmmaker with a focus on observational documentary\, hybrid formats LGBTQ+ representation\, dance\, extreme nature\, and climate change stories. He was a participant in the IDFA Summer School\, IDFAcademy\, Reykjavik International Film Festival’s Trans Atlantic Talent Lab\, and the Berlinale Talents program\, and the Playlab Filming in the Amazon residency with Apichatpong Weserthat. Recently\, Derek shot celebrated visual artist Alison O’Daniel’s debut hybrid feature “The Tube Thieves” (Sundance 2023)\, and award-winning filmmaker Tracy Tragos’ “Plan C” (Sundance 2023).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154997″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Andrea Bussmann was born in Toronto\, Canada. She earned an MA in Social Anthropology and an MFA in Film Production. After completing her degrees\, she directed He Whose Face Gives No Light. In 2016\, she co-directed Tales of Two Who Dreamt\, which premiered at the Berlinale Forum. The film was awarded the best documentary at the Festival International de Films de Femmes in 2017. Her latest film Fausto\, premiered in 2018 at the Locarno International Film Festival\, made its North American premiere at TIFF and US premiere at New Directors/New Films. The film won the Best Latin Feature at The Mar del Plata International Film Festival. She was awarded the Discovery Award by The Directors Guild of Canada in 2018. Currently\, she is in post-production of the film Skin of the Sky\, which was awarded the Grandé Studios Award at Rough Cut Pitch 2024 at RIDM.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154998″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Lai Yi Ohlsen (www.laiyiohlsen.com) is an artist and researcher whose work considers systems and the rhythms of their histories. She is a 2024–2025 BRIC Video Art Resident and has previously been in residence at Movement Research and Pioneer Works\, and was a member of NEW INC’s Year 8 Art + Code Track in partnership with Rhizome. Her performances\, lectures\, essays and artworks have been presented and supported by Pageant\, e-flux Architecture\, Columbia GSAPP’s Computational Design Practices program\, Triple Canopy\, Canal Street Research Association and more. Previously\, she served as Director and Research & Data Lead at Measurement Lab\, an Internet research consortium and is currently a Senior Product Manager at Cloudflare\, leading initiatives to measure and improve Internet performance. She is also a part-time lecturer at The New School\, teaching in the Parsons Design & Technology and University Lecture programs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/poetics-of-time-between-the-shot-the-edit-2025-05-09/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Poetics-of-Time_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250404T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250406T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20250310T131159Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250326T141821Z
UID:10002936-1743760800-1743958800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Approaching Celluloid:  Film as Physical Object
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/cyIYGTSEfuc” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Over the course of this three day workshop participants will be diving into the expansive and transporting world of analog filmmaking with three of the city’s preeminent small gauge filmmakers Josh Lewis\, Ross Meckfessel & Jodie Mack. \nKey questions to explore together will be simply\, why work with physical film? What does analog filmmaking offer that differentiates it from digital practices? How can we think beyond the limitations of film as a figurative medium and what potentials does analog filmmaking provide to reach beyond the boundaries of the form? \nThis workshop will offer some openings to thinking about the direct treatment of the physical film object itself and creating a physical ‘score’ as a method of editing and assembly. The workshop includes a full day of practical pedagogy at Negativeland’s Workroom\, focused specifically on direct filmmaking with 16mm & super-8 film\, including splicing\, hand-processing\, printing and projecting. Participants will get some hands-on experience and get the opportunity to develop their own work with the guidance of seasoned technicians and artists. \nAdditionally\, we’ll be engaging in focused sessions from filmmakers Josh Lewis\, Ross Meckfessel and Jodie Mack to talk about their own practices and work\, shining a light on some of the multiple histories and theories of analog film. Each filmmaker will discuss their own unique approach to small gauge film as primary material\, probing its creative possibilities and properties\, variously investigating its potential for physical\, spiritual and intellectual transformation. In these sessions we’ll consider cameraless and direct filmmaking\, and different strategies for animation and film scoring. \nWe’re delighted to bring this weekend together in partnership with an essential force in the international analog film network\, NEGATIVELAND\, a film laboratory dedicated to continuing the creative use of photochemical motion-pictures and our beloved neighbors in Ridgewood. While Negativeland specializes in processing and scanning 8mm and 16mm\, their facility also maintains and provides access to many of the tools needed for traditional analog filmmaking workflows. Their ongoing presence in the NY film landscape is a beacon for so many filmmakers working with small gauge film\, and we’re thrilled that they’re opening their doors and sharing their expertise with workshop participants. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$395 early bird registration ends on Mar 28\, 2025. \n$425 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until Mar 28. After Mar 28\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of Mar 28\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Thursday\, Apr 3 at UnionDocs” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]7:30PM — Screening[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, Apr 4 at UnionDocs” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am: Welcome & intros \n10:30am – 12:30pm: Intro session with Josh Lewis: What is film? Screening\, Looking at Films\non Rewinds\, Exercise with 16mm loops. \n12:30am – 2:00pm: Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm: Session with Ross Meckfessel\, Discussion of the Scoring a Film on\nPaper\, Prep for practical workshop \n4:00pm – 4:30pm: Wrap Up Discussion with additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, Apr 5 at Negativeland” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am: Tour of Negativeland\, intro to lab space \n10:30am – 12:30pm: Generating strips of material and editing according to the Score \n12:30am – 2:00pm: Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm: Editing\, Contact Printing\, Processing \n4:00pm – 4:30pm: Projection and final thoughts[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, Apr 6 at UnionDocs” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am: Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm: Session with Jodie Mack \n12:30am – 2:00pm: Lunch & move to Negativeland \n2:00pm – 4:00pm: Wrap up session discussion\, additional exercises/discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154861″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Josh Lewis is an artist and filmmaker working primarily with photochemical material. Approaching film as a medium with both formal and spiritual capacities\, he looks to the moving image as a means of exploring the sublime\, the boundaries of manual knowledge and the persisting enigma of material potential. His works have screened widely and won various awards at film festivals such as International Film Festival Rotterdam\, 25fps\, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival. He is the founder and co-runner of Negativeland\, a 16mm and Super-8mm laboratory and moving image resource facility located in Ridgewood\, NY\, which has been operating since 2011.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”154860″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Ross Meckfessel is an artist and filmmaker who works primarily in Super 8 and 16mm film. His films often emphasize materiality and poetic structures while depicting the condition of modern life through an exploration of apocalyptic obsession\, contemporary ennui\, and the technological landscape. His work has screened internationally and throughout the United States including in Toronto International Film Festival\, New York Film Festival\, Hong Kong International Film Festival\, Open City Documentary Festival\, San Francisco Cinematheque’s CROSSROADS Film Festival\, Media City Film Festival\, Internationales Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg\, and Curtas Vila Do Conde among others.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”130647″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jodie Mack (born 1983; London\, UK) is an experimental animator. Her films unleash the kinetic energy of material remnants of domestic and institutional knowledge to illuminate the relationship between decoration and utility. Straddling the boundary between rigor and accessibility\, her cinema questions how we ascribe value to things. Mack’s 16mm films have screened at a variety of venues including the Locarno Film Festival\, the Toronto International Film Festival\, the New York Film Festival\, the Jeonju International Film Festival\, and the Viennale. She has presented solo programs at the 25FPS Festival\, Anthology Film Archives\, BFI London Film Festival\, Harvard Film Archive\, National Gallery of Art\, REDCAT\, International Film Festival Rotterdam\, Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale\, and Wexner Center for the Arts among others. Her work has been featured in publications including Artforum\, Cinema Scope\, The New York Times\, and Senses of Cinema. She was a 2017/18 Radcliffe Fellow; a 2019 Artist in Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts; a 2021 MacDowell Fellow; and a 2022 Visual Studies Center Fellow. She is a Professor of Animation at Dartmouth College.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/approaching-celluloid-film-as-physical-object-2025-04-04/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Approaching-Celluloid_FEATURED-IMG.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241213T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241215T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20241112T184826Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241210T171316Z
UID:10002910-1734084000-1734282000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Film as Terrain: Centering Landscape in the Essay Film
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”This workshop is sold out” color=”danger” align=”center” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/ZwBHIhH2iu0?si=Ds7ZnXIGk3cEPxu9″ css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Join us for a three-day workshop led by acclaimed filmmaker Dónal Foreman to explore essay filmmaking\, with a particular emphasis on the primary role that landscape played in the essay form. \nTogether\, we will explore ways to approach landscape as a protagonist rather than as a mere backdrop\, investigating how location itself can evoke meaning and emotion. We will discuss how framing\, timing\, and positioning influence our relationship with place\, shaping our understanding of and attention to what we film\, and he will demonstrate how we can reveal the “layers” of a place — its histories\, transformations\, and conflicting perspectives — and translate these layers into a compelling visual language. We’ll also dive into non-linear methodologies for structuring a project\, allowing research\, writing\, filming\, and editing to become fluid\, iterative processes that develop in tandem. \nIn this intensive workshop\, Foreman will share insights from his award-winning essay film The Image You Missed and his current work-in-progress\, Broken Land. Through excerpts from his personal notebooks\, film outlines\, and raw footage\, he’ll guide us through his creative process\, shedding light on how he harnesses “wandering” — both through physical landscapes and the vast expanse of archival spaces — as a method of exploration and discovery. \nOn Friday\, Foreman will draw on diverse references – the films of the Lumiéres\, Chantal Akerman\, Straub & Huillet; the writings of Deleuze\, John Berger and Erika Balsom – to sketch out a few diverse\, potential paths of experimenting with cinema\, landscape and history through essayistic forms. He will look at how his parallel practice as a writer-director of fiction drama has informed\, and increasingly converged and intermingled\, with his experimental work. \nWhether you’re at the start of a new project or deep in the editing phase\, this workshop will offer practical tools\, fresh perspectives\, and a supportive environment for filmmakers\, media artists\, scholars\, and creatives who are eager to explore the intersections of landscape\, memory\, and experimental cinema. Seats are limited. This workshop requires in-person participation\, with proof of vaccination required for attendance. For questions\, please reach out to raphaelle@uniondocs.org.\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on December 6\, 2024. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until December 6. After December 6\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of December 6\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, Dec 13″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with lead instructor\n \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Simon Liu \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD additional exercises / discussion\n[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, Dec 14″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Session with Sanaz Sohrabi (Zoom) \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Nate Lavey \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, Dec 15″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 1pm Participant Work-in-progress with lead instructor \n1:30pm – 2:00pm Wrap Up Discussion [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153723″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Dónal Foreman is an Irish filmmaker living in New York City. He has been making films since he was 11 years old and has since written\, directed\, edited\, and co-produced three feature films and dozens of shorts spanning fiction\, documentary\, and experimental forms.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153725″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Sanaz Sohrabi (1988. Tehran) is a researcher of visual culture\, and artist-filmmaker. Sohrabi works with essay film and installation as her means of research to explore the shifting and migratory paths between still and moving images\, situating a singular image in a continuum of historical relations and archival temporalities. Recent exhibitions and festival participations: Berlinale\, International Film Festival Rotterdam\, IndieLisboa\, Valdivia International Film Festival Chile\, Sheffield Doc/Fest\, DocLisboa\, Open City Doc Fest\, Ljubljana Biennial 2023\, SAVVY Contemporary and VOX Centre de l’image contemporaine\, Montréal. Sohrabi is an Assistant Professor in the department of Communication Studies at Concordia University.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153724″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Nate Lavey is an experimental filmmaker and photographer with a background in documentary and video journalism. He has a longstanding interest in political militancy\, landscape and the avant-garde. His latest short VERY GENTLE WORK (2024) premiered at Quinzaine des Cinéastes de Cannes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153726″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Simon Liu (b. Hong Kong\, 1987) is an artist filmmaker whose practice centers on the rapidly evolving psychological and sociopolitical landscapes of his homeland of Hong Kong through material abstraction\, speculative history\, and subversion of documentary cinema practices via short films\, multi-channel video installations\, mixed media prints\, and 16mm projection performances. His work has been exhibited at institutions including the Whitney Biennial 2024\, Museum of Modern Art\, MOCA Los Angeles\, The Shed\, PICA\, Tai Kwun Contemporary\, “Dreamlands: Expanded”\, and the M+ Museum. His films have screened at festivals globally including the Toronto\, New York\, Berlin\, Rotterdam\, BFI London\, Edinburgh\, Jeonju\, and Hong Kong International Film Festivals alongside the Sundance Film Festival\, New Directors/New Films\, CPH:DOX\, Cinéma du Réel\, and the Media City Film Festival. The M+ Museum and MoMA recently acquired Liu’s Quadruple 16mm Projection Highview\, along with other recent works\, for their Permanent Collections. He is currently editing his first feature film\, Staffordshire Hoard.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/film-as-terrain-centering-landscape-in-essay-filmmaking-2024-12-13/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/essay-film-featured.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241108T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241110T170000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20241003T152401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241104T171815Z
UID:10002903-1731060000-1731258000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:From Clue to Chronicle: The Art of the Forensic Documentary
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Join us for an intensive workshop led by renowed filmmaker Lynne Sachs\, where we will explore how one of the most challenging yet enthralling aspects of the documentary process can be the investigative nature of the practice. \nIn this workshop Lynne Sachs will take us on her own journey through the making of her soon-to-be-completed essay film “Every Contact Leaves a Trace”. By laying bare her own revelations and disappointments\, she will help us to navigate how the “search” in and of itself can be as interesting as the discovery.  While celebrating the shared sensibility of the documentary maker and the detective\, Sachs will ask us to expand our understanding of forensics\, evidence\, and proof within the parameters of her own artistic practice. \nOn Friday\, interdisciplinary artist A.S.M. Kobayashi (Say Something Bunny!)  will share her approach to incorporating forensics into performative work\, focusing on how research can function as a form of proof and artistic expression. On Saturday\, Jennifer Reeves (The Time We Killed\, When It Was Blue) will discuss the psychological dimensions of her filmmaking process\, shedding light on how she navigates the inner lives of her subjects while investigating deeper themes of introspection. On Sunday\, director\, producer and cinematographer Miryam Charles (Cette maison) will explore how filmmakers can refract aspects of reality\, offering innovative ways to think about representation and storytelling. \nOver the course of the workshop\, we will engage in discussions about hybrid approaches to depicting reality\, experiment with techniques that challenge conventional expectations of documentary\, and reflect on the role of performance in the creative process. Whether you are just beginning a project or are already in the midst of production\, this workshop provides a space to investigate your own work through new and creative methods.\n\nThe workshop is open to filmmakers\, media artists\, scholars\, and creatives at any stage of their projects. It will offer practical tools\, fresh ideas\, and a supportive environment for those eager to explore the investigative aspects of documentary filmmaking. \nSeats are limited\, so be sure to sign up soon. Please note that this workshop requires in-person participation\, and all attendees must present proof of vaccination. For any questions\, feel free to reach out to raphaelle@uniondocs.org.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Details” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, journalists\, curators and media artists. \nGive us an idea of who you are and why you are coming. When you register you will be asked for a short statement of interest that should briefly describe your experience and a film project (it would be great if you have a project in progress that you would present to the group during the work-in-progress critique sessions)\, plus a bio. There’s a spot for a link to a work sample (and CV\, which would also be nice\, but is not required).[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]$350 early bird registration ends on November 1st\, 2025. \n$400 regular registration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until November 1st. After November 1st\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801ebd47-97fc”][vc_column_text css=””]To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash . After the early bird registration deadline of November 1st\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”orange”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Schedule” color=”white” el_class=”h1″][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, Nov 8″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Welcome & intros  \n(1’ video exercise screening) \n10:30am – 12:30pm Intro session with lead instructor  \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with ASM Kobayashi \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, Nov 9″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case studies \n10:30am – 12:30pm Work-in-progress with lead instructor \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Jennifer Reeves \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sunday\, Nov 10″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training. \n10:30am – 12:30pm Deep dive into Lynne’s current work-in-process Every Contact Leaves a Trace \n12:30am – 2:00pm Lunch \n2:00pm – 4:00pm Session with Miryam Charles \n4:00pm – 4:30pm Wrap Up Discussion with LEAD\, additional exercises / discussion[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:00a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Warm up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]11:45a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Share / Discussion / Exercise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]1:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch (on your own)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Presentation by guest speaker + individual work-in-progress critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]3:15p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Discussion[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Workshop Exercise + Critique[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]5:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_text_separator title=”Bios” color=”white” el_class=” \n“][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153180″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Lynne Sachs is a filmmaker and poet living in Brooklyn. She has produced over 50 films as well as numerous live performances\, installations and web projects.  Sachs creates cinematic works that defy genre through the use of hybrid forms and cross-disciplinary collaboration\, incorporating elements of the essay film\, collage\, performance\, documentary and poetry. Her films explore the intricate relationship between personal observations and broader historical experiences. With each project\, Lynne investigates the implicit connection between the body\, the camera\, and the materiality of film itself. Lynne discovered her love of filmmaking while living and studying in San Francisco. During this time\, she produced her early\, experimental works on celluloid which took a feminist approach to the creation of images and writing— a commitment which has grounded her body of work ever since. Sachs’s films have screened at MoMA\, Wexner Center for the Arts\, New York Film Festival\, Sundance\, Punto de Vista\, and DocLisboa. Retrospectives of her work have been presented at MoMI\, Ambulante\, Sheffield Doc/Fest\, BAFICI\, Cork\, Costa Rica Int’l Film Fest\, Cámara Lúcida\, and China Women’s Film Festival. In 2021\, Edison and Prismatic Ground Film Festivals honored her body of work in the experimental and documentary fields.  Tender Buttons Press published Lynne’s book Year by Year Poems (2019) and Punctum Books will publish her book Hand Book: A Manual on Performance\, Process and the Labor of Laundry (2025) written by Sachs and playwright Lizzie Olesker.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153181″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Miryam Charles is a Canadian director\, producer and cinematographer of Haitian origin. Her shorts films have been showcased in various festivals worldwide. In 2022\, her first feature film\, Cette maison\, was premiered at the Berlinale also screened at the AFI\, IndieLisboa\, Viennale\, Art of the Real\, TIFF Top 10 and was named one of the best films of the year by Sight and Sound. The same year\, she premiered the short film Au crépuscule at the Locarno Film Festival. She is currently working on her next feature\, Le Marabout.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153191″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Jennifer Reeves has made 25+ film-works since 1990; from avant-garde shorts to expanded cinema performances and experimental features.  Reeves’ work has shown extensively from the Berlin\, Toronto\, and Hong Kong Film Festivals to the Museum of Modern Art\, universities\, and microcinemas worldwide. Reeves’ acclaimed visceral and personal works immerse viewers in intricate\, unfamiliar cinematic territory.  Her work elucidates themes of mental health\, feminism and sexuality and the natural world. Reeves’ latest film PIGMENT-DISPERSION SYNDROME is making the festival rounds since the world premiere at Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival in July 2022.  The film recently received a Director’s Choice award from The Thomas Edison Film Festival. Reeves currently has two long form films in the works.  Atelier 105\, in Paris\, just awarded a post-production residency to Reeve’s in-progress THE GLORIA OF YOUR IMAGINATION\, a dual projection performance film (16mm and digital).  YANQUIS GO SOUTH\, supported by a Princess Grace Awards Special Project grant\, is next in line for completion. Reeves started making films in 1990.  She continues to do her own writing\, cinematography\, editing\, and sound design. Her subjective and personal films push the boundaries of film through optical-printing and direct-on-film techniques.  Since 2003 Reeves has collaborated with celebrated composers/ performers\, including Marc Ribot\, Skúli Sverrisson\, Elliott Sharp\, Zeena Parkins\, Anthony Burr and Eyvind Kang. As the daughter of a trumpeter\, gravitating toward film and music collaborations was quite natural for Reeves. Her most ambitious film and music performance\, the feature-length double-projection WHEN IT WAS BLUE (2008)\, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival with live music by composer/collaborator Skúli Sverrisson. Her multiple-projection films with live music have been performed internationally\, from the Sydney Opera House and the Berlinale to RedCat in Los Angeles and the Wexner Center in Ohio. Reeves has taught film and animation courses at The Cooper Union School of Art since 2005.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”153182″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]A.S.M. Kobayashi is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist whose hybrid\, interactive work mixes documentary and fiction through videos\, performances\, installations and illustrations. Her performance Say Something Bunny! received critical acclaim heralded as “The best new theater experience in town” by Vogue\, was a NYTimes critics’ pick and received nominations from the Drama Desk and United Solo award. Kobayashi’s videos have been exhibited internationally at museums and festivals. She is a 2024 Creative Capital Awardee\, a Yaddo and MacDowell Colony fellow\, and was a guest artist at the Flaherty Seminar. She is currently based in Toronto and NYC producing special projects at UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/tracing-the-document-investigating-the-encounter/
LOCATION:NY
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/giphy-4.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240920T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240921T183000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240827T161218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T144822Z
UID:10002899-1726826400-1726943400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:New Windows: Demystifying Independent Film Distribution
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”blue”]Please note: This workshop will be held in UnionDocs’ new space in Ridgewood!\nWe’re now at: 352 Onderdonk Ave\, Ridgewood\,  NY – 11385[/vc_message][vc_column_text css=””]A film only exists the moment it is shared. How do independent filmmakers find platforms and audiences to expand the life of their films? \nUnionDocs is thrilled to welcome María Vera to lead a two day workshop about the ins and outs of distribution and finding the perfect platforms for your film projects! María is based in Lisbon and is the founder of the incredible Kino Rebelde\, a Festival Distribution and Sales Agency that focuses on documentary\, experimental and hybrid narratives. Their catalogue represents a breadth of exciting artists such as Lynne Sachs\, Naomi Uman\, Mike Hoolboom\, Trương Minh Quý\, Marko Grba Singh\, Alexandra Cuesta\, Agustina Comedi and Dimitris Athiridis\, among others. \nIndependent cinema commits itself to non-commercial creative gestures. It embraces inventive documentary modes\, and hybrid or experimental filmmaking styles. The films that emerge from this commitment to creative freedom may find a home in an art-house cinema\, a museum\, or a gallery. They may also be programmed at film festivals seeking out work that doesn’t shy away from existing between genres. \nBut for any of this to happen\, thinking through the distribution of a film is a crucial step that determines its place in the world after it is created. The how\, when\, where and why are questions that filmmakers must tussle with while the film is being conceived. The tricky part is to keep working on your film while also asking yourself questions like — \nWho do we want to tell our story to and how can we be strategic in reaching them?\nWhat is the best time for a premiere and where would it have the best impact? \nThis is a crucial yet underestimated part of the production process and this workshop hopes to help filmmakers tune their attention to this part of the filmmaking process. We exist in a moment of a huge proliferation of new windows\, platforms\, and digital possibilities. This also creates the crisis of overproduction and the inability to stand out in a crowd. \nFaced with a panorama where the audience’s demand is diverse\, voracious and constantly mutating\, independent cinema pursues the same objective – to carve out a place\, to be an alternative and to feed a type of audience that values and needs non-hegemonic narratives\, stories and visions. \nThis workshop aims to provide the tools for a theoretical and practical foundation that allows filmmakers to understand the current context of independent film distribution\, its challenges and the many ways there are to navigate this landscape. \nWe’ll address a range of concepts and considerations such as potential audiences\, funding and festival logic\, budgeting for a distribution plan\, the importance of a good teaser and trailer\, sales channels or platforms that can further extend the life of a film\, parallel distribution possibilities\, local and international markets\, and the more niche and alternative windows that may make sense for your project. \nWe hope this two day intensive will shed some much needed light on an aspect of the filmmaking process that is systematically opaque. Our hope is that you leave with a foundational sense of the many maps of distribution that could give your film the reception it deserves![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nDetails \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” shape=”square” color=”white” active_section=”8″ no_fill=”true” collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Who is eligible?” tab_id=”1477608256488-ac7d3d1a-ae9084d0-801e6e6b-713c”][vc_column_text css=””]Open to everyone\, though the workshop setting is best suited for filmmakers\, film producers\, and media artists looking to learn the ins and outs of independent film distribution![/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Cost” tab_id=”1477608256642-4c32d845-e84384d0-801e6e6b-713c”][vc_column_text css=””]$250 early bird registration by Sep 13th\, 2024 at 11:59PM. \n$300 regular registration. \nFor each workshop\, UnionDocs will offer the equivalent of 2 full scholarships for participants from historically marginalized backgrounds\, who are BIPOC\,  living with disabilities\, or NYC artists earning under 30% AMI (Area Median Income). \nApplicants should reach out to raphaelle@uniondocs.org in order to fill out a scholarship inquiry by Sep 13\, 2024.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Refund Policy” tab_id=”1477608441051-60d28267-92bf84d0-801e6e6b-713c”][vc_column_text css=””]The deposit is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel\, you’ll receive half of your registration fee back until Sep 13. After Sep 13\, the fee is non-refundable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Technology Requirements” tab_id=”1477608488046-a8fa4720-501684d0-801e6e6b-713c”][vc_column_text]In order to keep costs down\, this workshop is a BYOL\, i.e. bring your own laptop. Students must be fully proficient using and operating their computers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Registration & Cancellation Policy” tab_id=”1477612055387-51381642-d1c784d0-801e6e6b-713c”][vc_column_text css=””]NOTE: To register for a workshop\, students must pay in full via card\, check\, or cash.  After the early bird registration deadline of Sep 13th\, course fees are not refundable or transferable and any withdrawals or deadlines will result in the full cost of the class being forfeit. There will be no exceptions. To withdraw from a course please email info-at-uniondocs.org. \nIn the event that a workshop does not receive sufficient enrollment\, it may be canceled. Students will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the start of a cancelled workshop and will be refunded within 5 business days. If we reschedule a workshop to another date\, students are also entitled to a full refund. UnionDocs reserves the right to change instructors without prior notification\, and to change class location and meeting times by up to an hour with 48 hours prior notice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_message message_box_style=”solid” style=”square” message_box_color=”blue”]Please note: Participants are accepted on a first-come\, first-serve basis.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nSchedule \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Friday\, Sep 20″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am: Warm-up\, inspiring references\, and case studies\n10:30am – 12:30pm: Introduction to the field\, distribution from development stages\n12:30pm – 2:00pm: Lunch\n2:00pm – 4:00pm: Approaching sales agents & festivals\n4:00pm – 4:30pm: Wrap-Up Discussion\,  Additional exercises[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Saturday\, Sep 21″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]10:00am – 10:30am: Warm-up\, inspiring references\, case study\, eye training\n10:30am – 12:30pm: Case study with Christine Kecher (Senior Commissioning Editor for Op-Docs\, the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries from independent filmmakers)\n12:30pm – 2:00pm: Lunch\n2:00pm – 4:00pm: Work-in-progress from participants\n4:00pm – 4:15pm: Break\n4:15pm – 5:30pm: Wrap-Up Discussion\n5:30pm – 6:30pm: Happy Hour [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Each day follows this general structure\, with some minor variations and substitutions:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]10:30a[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]First Workshop Session[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]12:30p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Lunch[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]2:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Second Workshop Session[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]4:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Wrap Up[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”152694″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]María Vera is a Festival Distributor and Sales Agent based in Lisbon and founder of Kino Rebelde. She specializes in crafting festival strategies and implementing creative distribution techniques for independent and author-driven non-fiction/hybrid films. With a background in producing socio-political and human rights content\, as well as curating films\, María has been supporting emerging and established filmmakers since 2017 through her agency. Her catalog features a diverse selection of non-fiction\, hybrid\, and experimental films that have gained recognition at renowned festivals worldwide\, including Berlinale\, Locarno\, IFFR Rotterdam\, IDFA\, and Visions du Réel. Through Kino Rebelde\, María bridges the gap between artists and audiences\, empowering a space for bold narratives and underrepresented voices.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”152896″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Christine Kecher is the Senior Commissioning Editor for Op-Docs\, the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries from independent filmmakers\, where she has received multiple Emmy nominations (and one win) for her work on the series. Recent Op-Docs include Lynne Sach’s Contractions\, 2024 Oscar nominee Island in Between\, IDFA winners Away and Ramboy\, and 2022 Oscar winner The Queen of Basketball. Prior to joining Op-Docs in 2021\, Christine worked on the development\, production and distribution of features and shorts for A&E IndieFilms\, where she worked on a wide range of projects including Carol Dysinger’s Oscar-winning short Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl)\, Roger Ross Williams’ Life\, Animated\, Werner Herzog’s Meeting Gorbachev\, Blair Foster and Alex Gibney’s The Clinton Affair\, and more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/new-windows-demystifying-independent-film-distribution/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, Ridgewood\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, QUEENS\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/giphy-2-1.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240911T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241218T220000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240410T031322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241008T143445Z
UID:10002846-1726081200-1734559200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Pod Pod
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Doors 6:30p\nProgram 7:00p[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]UnionDocs\n352 Onderdonk Ave\nRidgewood\, NY[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/930320445″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]We’re thrilled to come together with the American LGBTQ+ Museum\, in partnership with the Incite Institute at Columbia University for Queer Ecologies\, a unique night that celebrates the intersection of the natural world and the LGBTQ+ community. Programmed with writer / art historian specializing in queer art and culture Ksenia M. Soboleva\, this program features a curated selection of films and oral histories highlighting diverse perspectives on nature\, identity\, and personal journeys within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. \nThis selection of thought-provoking films and intimate storytelling explores connections between the natural world and queer experience\, from Sasha Wortzel’s punk rock fairytale that brings to life the portraiture of Shoog McDaniel — a fat\, queer\, and disabled photographer working in and around northern Florida’s vast network of freshwater spring\, to what Soboleva describes recently in Bomb Magazine as Amina Ross’s “deeply visceral\, imagery…[that] heightens viewers’ awareness of the relationship to their own body and its movements through a world that is seemingly more concerned with demolishing than building.”  \nWe’ll also be invited to listen in on a sample from J. Wortham’s forthcoming oral history project that delves into elders resilience amidst changing tides and explore Ohan Breiding’s reflection on collective care and memory through the telling of the Rhône glacier and Rhône river that connects the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea.  \nEach work uniquely sheds light on the beauty\, challenges\, and resilience often found within the these intersections between our natural world and identity.  \nWhether you are a nature enthusiast\, an LGBTQ+ ally\, or someone interested in engaging this notion of queer ecologies\, this event offers a space for reflection\, celebration\, and meaningful dialogue.  Join us as we delve into compelling stories that inspire\, educate\, and amplify voices often underrepresented in mainstream media at the crossroads of nature and LGBTQ+ experiences.  \nA conversation will follow the program with featured artists Amina Ross\, Sasha Wortzel\, Ohan Breiding & J.Wortham moderated by Suhaly Bautista-Carolina Director of Public Programs & Partnerships at the American LGBTQ+ Museum.   \nSpecial thanks to Baldwin for the Arts and the rest of our collaborators Kenia Hale (Incite Institute)\, Michael Falco (Incite Institute)\, & SC Lucier (American LGBTQ+ Museum) for all their efforts to bring together this celebratory night of works. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nProgram \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text] \nBelly of a Glacier: Chapter 2 (Rhône) by Ohan Breiding\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]14:15 mins\, 2023\, 2k video\, 16mm\, sound[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Belly of a Glacier: Chapter 2\, Rhône (2023) uses experimental documentary strategies to reflect on the Rhône glacier and Rhône river that connects the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean Sea. During the last three springs\, the neighboring Rhône glacier town residents have draped thermal blankets over the five-acres long glacier. This is a community-initiated project that insulates the Alpine landscape from the rising temperatures\, and experiments with new strategies of ecological care as the Rhône is predicted to have fully disappeared by 2050. Belly of a Glacier: Chapter 2\, Rhône translates a hyperobject–an object or event whose dimensions in space and time are massive in relation to a human/animal life–into haptic imagery of melting ice\, disintegrating fabric\, photographs of photographs my mother took on the Rhône glacier during my childhood and the bovidae that rely on the glaciers water for survival. Beginning with a cow birth that poetically connects to the climactic calving of a glacier\, this video offers a new conception of time (beyond the linear)\, and place (beyond fixity). Through a focus on affect\, the memory of ice and collective care\, I gesture towards a trans reimagining of our material world and amplify the current state of climate emergency.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text] \nHow to Carry Water by Sasha Wortzel\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This punk rock fairytale doubles as a portrait of Shoog McDaniel — a fat\, queer\, and disabled photographer working in and around northern Florida’s vast network of freshwater springs\, the state’s source of precious drinking water. For over a decade\, Shoog’s photographs have transformed the way fat people view themselves and how a fat phobic society views fat bodies. Bringing Shoog’s photography to life\, the film immerses audiences in a world of fat beauty and liberation\, one in which marginalized bodies — including bodies of water — are sacred.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]14:25 mins[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text] \nWaterfront Queer Stories: Elders Resilience Amidst Changing Tides by J. Wortham (sample)\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This project is produced out of the “I See My Light Shining: Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project.” [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]4 mins[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text] \n “I am under” by Amina Ross\n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In I am under the rock\, Ross constructs a multisensory environment comprising reclaimed materials\, video and experimental audio\, all in dialogue with the architecture of the space\, and particularly the arched windows. Extending their interest in “the underground” from their recent work Man’s Country\, about a former\, queer bathhouse\, Ross’s project develops a realm for marginalized figures to exist and thrive in safety and to exercise agency. Negotiating vulnerability and resiliency\, Ross draws connections with spirituality and subterranean networks in the natural world. Ross contemplates being a part of the land—“beneath the earth and made of earth”—rather than extracting from it or overlooking it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text] \nProgram Duration: 79 mins \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”147742″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text] \nWatch the conversation between Presenter1\, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub. \n[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch” style=”outline-custom” outline_custom_color=”#ffffff” outline_custom_hover_background=”#adadcc” outline_custom_hover_text=”#0000cd” shape=”round” align=”center” css_animation=”bounceIn”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150495″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Amina Ross is an artist\, educator and lifelong learner who makes videos\, sculptures\, sounds\, and situations. Their work has been recently exhibited at Someday (New York\, NY)\, the Hessel Museum of Art (Hudson\, NY)\, the Tang Teaching Museum (Saratoga Springs\, NY) and Sentiment (Zurich\, CH) among other venues. In the summer of 2023 they were a featured artist at the 68th annual Flaherty Film Seminar: Queer World Mending and in winter of 2024 they were a Macdowell Fellow. Currently\, Ross is the 2023-2024 Estelle Lebowitz Artist in Residence at Douglass College\, Rutgers University. They recently completed residencies at Fire Island Artist Residency\, Lower East Side Printshop\, Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting\, Wave Hill\, Abrons Art Center\, and Harvestworks among others. They hold a BFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale School of Art\, where they received the Fannie B. Pardee Prize in sculpture. \nAs an educator\, Ross approaches the classroom as a site where they can co-create critical agency with students. They have taught at the Museum of Contemporary Art\, Chicago\,The School of the Art Institute of Chicago\, Rhode Island School of Design\, Parsons School of Design\, The New School\, and Vassar College. \nRoss lives and works in Brooklyn\, New York.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150494″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text] \nSasha Wortzel uses video\, installation\, sculpture\, sound\, and performance to explore how this country’s past and present are inextricably linked through resonant spaces and their hauntings. Raised in South Florida (Miccosukee and Seminole lands) and based in New York City (Lenape lands)\, Wortzel specifically attends to sites and stories systematically erased or ignored from these regions’ histories. Tangled dynamics of desire and loss layered in the landscape and reverberating across time form a through-line in her work. \nWortzel’s films have screened at the Museum of Modern Art’s DocFortnight\, CPH:DOX\, True/False Film Festival\, San Francisco International Film Festival\, DOC NYC\, BAMcinemaFest\, New Orleans Film Festival\, Wexner Center for the Arts\, and Smithsonian American Art Museum\, among others. Solo exhibitions include Dreams of Unknown Islands at Cooley Memorial Art Gallery with Portland Institute of Contemporary Art\, Portland\, OR (2022) . \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150493″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Ohan Breiding works in photography\, drawing\, video\, and collaboration to represent subjects that are marked deviant or illegible\, and to experiment with forms of world-making that offer an alternative to state sanctioned legitimation. Breiding attended Scripps College\, the Glasgow School of Art and received their Masters from CalArts. \nThey have exhibited work at art venues and museums including LAMAG (Los Angeles)\, Photo LA (Los Angeles)\, LAXART (Los Angeles)\, Human Resources (Los Angeles)\, Elga Wimmer Gallery (New York)\, the Armory Center for the Arts (Pasadena)\, Southern Exposure (San Francisco)\, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley)\, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco) and the Oakland Museum of California (Oakland). Breiding is a recipient of the 2017 Rema Hort Mann Emerging Artist Grant\, and their work has been written about in Artforum\, Hyperallergic\, and Art in America amongst other publications. Originally from a small village in Switzerland\, Ohan Breiding currently lives and works in Los Angeles\, CA and Williamstown\, MA where they are an Assistant Professor of Art and Art History at Williams College.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150532″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]J. Wortham (they/them) is a sound healer\,\, reiki practitioner\, herbalist\, and community care worker oriented towards healing justice and liberation. \nJ is also a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine\, and co-host of the podcast ‘Still Processing\,’ They occasionally publish thoughts on culture\, technology and wellness in a newsletter. \nJ is the proud editor of the visual anthology “Black Futures\,” a 2020 Editor’s choice by The New York Times Book Review\, along with Kimberly Drew\, from One World. J is also currently working on a book about the body and dissociation for Penguin Press. J mostly lives and works on stolen Munsee Lenape land\, now known as Brooklyn\, New York\, and is committed to decolonization as a way of life.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150534″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Suhaly Bautista-Carolina (she/they/we/us) joined the American LGBTQ+ Museum in February 2023. Prior to our museum\, Suhaly acted as the Senior Managing Educator of Audience Development and Engagement in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s education department. Additionally\, Suhaly has held roles at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI)\, Creative Time\, and Brooklyn Museum and has worked in various capacities with organizations including The Laundromat Project\, ArtBuilt\, and ArtChangeUS. She has curated exhibitions and public programs in collaboration with Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership\, Art Connects New York (ACNY)\, FOKUS\, and NYC Salt and is one of 50 field leaders profiled in Jasmin Hernandez’ 2021 book\, “We Are Here: Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World.” \nHer herbalism practice\, as Moon Mother Apothecary\, has been featured in The New York Times\, Oprah Magazine\, and People en Español among others. Suhaly has presented her work as an arts educator and community organizer at conferences around the world including MuseumNext\, ArtPrize\, Open Engagement\, Culture Push\, The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable\, and POW Arts (Professional Organization of Women in the Arts). She is an executive board member of Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn\, NY\, a national executive board member at ArtTable\, and Catalyst Co-Chair of The Laundromat Project. She is also a founding member of the arts collective\, present futures\, a member of Black Women Artists for Black Lives Matter\, and founder of BlackMagic Afrofuturism Book Club. \nSuhaly was recently named a 2021 Women inPower Fellow with the 92Y Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact and is a member of the inaugural class of NYFA’s Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color. She earned her BA and MPA from New York University and lives in her native city of New York with her wife and their daughter\, Luna.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”150537″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Dr. Ksenia M. Soboleva is a New York based writer and art historian specializing in queer art and culture. She holds a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts\, NYU\, with a dissertation on art\, AIDS\, and lesbian identity in the United States. Currently\, she is working on a book project titled “Friendship as a Way of Art: Queer Identity and Visual Citation\,” and co-editing the first monograph of the queer 1990s gallery Trial BALLOON (forthcoming with Karma). Soboleva is a regular contributor to the Brooklyn Rail and BOMB magazine\, and her writings have appeared in various exhibition catalogues and artist monographs. She teaches at the New School and NYU.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column offset=”vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_separator][vc_column_text] \nFrom the Event \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”1″ element_width=”12″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_01_left” arrows_position=”outside” arrows_color=”white” loop=”yes” item=”136647″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1712246253872-14775130-bbf8-7″][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/pod-pod-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/podpod-equipment-gif-2.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240630T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240630T180000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240417T220350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240426T205118Z
UID:10002856-1719763200-1719770400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Releasing
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]This session of DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS is about releasing your next documentary. How can you find and build audiences for your film?  How do you know if your film is best suited for theatrical\, broadcast\, or both?  How do digital platforms affect “traditional” models of distribution and release? How can you best utilize your film festival campaign? Another can’t-miss session![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151003″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Dara Messinger is the longtime Director of Programming at DCTV where she has overseen many of the honored organization’s public programs. Her work as curator continues and deepens as she now programs its new Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film. She is also a filmmaker\, member of Meerkat Media Collective since 2008\, and a 2022 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Chloé Trayner is the Artistic Director of Ragtag Film Society working across True/False Film Fest and Ragtag Cinema in Columbia\, Missouri. Chloé previously worked in film and events programming in London with a focus on nonfiction and talent development. She is the Founder of Assembly Documentary Development Lab and has worked with organizations such as Open City Documentary Festival\, Bertha DocHouse\, BFI Future Film Festival\, The Guardian\, Wellcome Trust and UnderWire Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-releasing-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-17.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240630T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240630T160000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240417T215738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240629T094604Z
UID:10002854-1719756000-1719763200@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Post-Production (Graphics / Music / Archive)
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]This session of DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS is about harnessing the power of music and graphic design in your next documentary. How can title design and graphics be effectively utilized in documentary? What about my approach to music or working with a composer? This session will dig in to graphics\, music that come together during post production.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151004″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Tom Goulet is a freelance director / motion graphics artist living in Los Angeles working mostly on projects in the music\, commercial\, and film industries. Tom graduated Ithaca College in 2016 and worked for 4 years at Spikeball Inc. as their videographer/graphic designer/social media guy. Now he works full time on freelance projects directing videos\, doing VFX\, motion graphics\, graphic design\, title design\, and other stuff. He does almost everything in After Effects. He loves eating cereal but just plain cereal\, not sugary kinds. His two favorite cereals are Special K (Original)\, and Joe’s O’s\, but Joe’s O’s changed their formula slightly when they moved factories in 2020 and it’s a little worse than it used to be.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151013″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Cole Kush is a director and animator from Canada whose works tend towards the absurd\, often finding the bizarre in the mundane. He has directed projects for Adult Swim\, HBO\, SNL\, A$AP Rocky\, Nike\, Vice and a variety of artists to create innovative visual work. Cole founded Eternal Family\, an artist-run streaming service and co-founded the creative studio Grin Machine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151014″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Toronto born\, Berlin based artist Nathan Micay has been on quite the run these past few years. His debut EP on esteemed label AD93 (formerly Whities) in 2018 ‘First Casualtiy’ became one of the biggest hits of the dance music circuit\, gaining acclaim on best of year lists from Resident Advisor\, Mixmag\, Dj Mag. He followed this up in 2019 with his debut album ‘Blue Spring’ on Warp Records affiliate label LuckyMe. The album became a landmark release that effortlessly brought together the sounds of trance\, electronica and techno\, placing them under the roof of the avant-garde. The release received wide acclaim\, prominently featured on many end of year lists\, this time in dance music and beyond. As a DJ\, he has continued to make his mark on the international club circuit\, establishing himself as sa regular at key venues such as Berghian Berlin\, fabric London\, Contact Tokyo and Goodroom NYC. However\, in 2020 Nathan truly arrived\, offering two bodies of work that nobody saw coming. His surprise second album on LuckyMe ‘The World I’m Going to Hell For’ was released in May 2020. It was created entirely with his string instruments and limited electonics. Pitchfork called it “Uniquely powerful” and it offered fans and listeners alike a new window into Nathan’s growing artistic vision. The album expanded on his cinematic sound and perfectly positioned for the natural move into scoring. He spent the first six months of 2020 working on his biggest project yet: a full symphonic hybrid score for the new HBO series Industry. The three hours of score in the series received acclaim from The New Yorker\, The New York Times\, The Independent among other leading publications. He has followed this up with scores for HBO’s Reality\, HBO’s TimeBomb: Y2K and other scoring projects for studios such as Netflix and Paramount. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-post-production-graphics-music-archive-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-16.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T180000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240417T215000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240418T210144Z
UID:10002852-1719676800-1719684000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Editing
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]This session of DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS is about editing your next documentary. How can documentary directors work effectively with editors\, sound designers\, and other essential post-production talent?  How does a story emerge from a pile of footage?  Can you really “fix it in post”?  What is an online edit and can you do it yourself? [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151006″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””] \nKatyann Gonzalez is a video editor born\, bred and living in New York. Having worked in documentary post-production for the majority of her career\, she recently made the jump into the narrative space on the upcoming A24 film\, Death of a Unicorne. She has worked as an assistant editor on several documentaries and docuseries which had major streaming distribution (HBO\, Netflix\, etc.) and successful film festival runs (Sundance\, True/False\, Camden\, Sheffield\, and more.) Some of the titles include Union\, Time Bomb Y2K\, and Love Has Won. Katyann is also a 2024 Karen Schmeer Editing Fellow under the mentorship of Penny Falk and Toby Shimin in a cohort of 6 talented editors in NYC. She also works as a colorist for fashion films\, short films\, branded content\, and music videos and in 2023 she color graded a feature-length documentary called Divisible. \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151039″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]David Teague is an Emmy-winning documentary film editor and writer. His work as an editor includes the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Life Animated\, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Cutie and the Boxer\, the Independent Spirit-nominated The Departure\, the Emmy-nominated E-TEAM\, and the Oscar-winning Freeheld. As a consulting editor\, he worked on American Factory\, Knock Down the House\, Crip Camp\, Cameraperson\, Welcome to Chechnya\, Mayor\, and Athlete A. He wrote the fiction film Cassandro with director Roger Ross Williams\, starring Gael García Bernal (Sundance 2023). David has served as an editing mentor with IFP/Gotham\, Firelight\, Catapult & True/False\, Brown Girls Doc Mafia and the Sundance Institute.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-editing-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-15.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T160000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240417T220025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240629T094727Z
UID:10002857-1719669600-1719676800@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Archival
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]In this DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS session\, we’ll explore the research and licensing of archival materials. Learn how to discover\, organize and prioritize footage effectively. Discover tips for expanding your process with input from experts. Understand licensing and fair use\, and find out how to responsibly include third party material. Join us to enrich your documentary storytelling with archives.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151010″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Peter Nauffts is a New York-based archival researcher and producer. In addition to Time Bomb Y2K\, he has conducted archival research on films and series for Lucy Walker\, Alex Gibney and Mariam Ghani. He is currently working on a documentary about Sun Ra for Firelight Films. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151009″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Rich Remsberg is a two-time Emmy Award-winning archival producer with more than twenty years of experience in documentary films and series. Working with directors such as Lawrence Kasdan\, Ben Stiller\, Penny Lane\, Amir Bar-Lev\, Marshall Curry\, Eugene Jarecki\, Jesse Moss\, and Dawn Porter\, Remsberg specializes in creating fresh storylines and finding rare and unseen footage to support them. \nHis credits for HBO\, Netflix\, Disney+\, NatGeo\, History\, and PBS include Light & Magic\, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street\, Bobby Kennedy for President\, Happy Valley\, and the Academy Award-nominated A Night at the Garden. \nRemsberg has served on the faculties of the Maine Media Workshops and the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center Field School; was a frequent collaborator with the sampling-based music duo The Books; and has been a contributor to Vice Magazine\, Esopus\, and NPR’s online feature The Picture Show. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-archival-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-18.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240629T130000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240417T195934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240629T094901Z
UID:10002850-1719658800-1719666000@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals: Pitching & Financing
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]This session of DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS is about pitching and financing your next documentary. This session will address the eternal question: how to finance your doc? What are the pros and cons of different fundraising options and how does someone get started on this process? Pitching\, how to pitch and successfully apply for grants\, and routes to markets will be discussed in this can’t-miss session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nBuy a Series Pass \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]DOCUMENTARY FUNDAMENTALS: A professional development series designed to give the emerging or intermediate documentary filmmaker an inside look at the filmmaking process from pre-production planning to post-production and distribution. Over the past few years\, UnionDocs has developed this ongoing program for documentarians that desire a better foundation for navigating the modern landscape of independent filmmaking. This six-part program takes place over the course of one weekend at UnionDocs. Buy a SERIES PASS ($175) or choose to attend individual sessions ($35/each).[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][vc_column_text] \nInstructors \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151012″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Marley McDonald is a filmmaker\, animator\, and painter living in Queens\, New York. In 2021\, she was chosen as a Points North Fellow and worked as an additional editor on Penny Lane’s film Listening to Kenny G. Her associate editor work includes Spaceship Earth\, and the Golden Lion-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary\, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. She most recently directed and edited her debut feature\, Time Bomb Y2K (co-directed with Brian Becker) for HBO.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151011″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brian Becker is a New York-based filmmaker who directed and produced Time Bomb Y2K (co-directed with Marley McDonald)\, which premiered on HBO in December\, 2023. The film’s festival run included True/False Film Festival\, Hot Docs\, Sheffield DocFest\, IDFA\, Camden International Film Festival\, and DocNYC. Brian served as archival producer on Free Chol Soo Lee\, MLK/FBI\, and Spaceship Earth\, and as co-producer on the series Bobby Kennedy for President. Brian is a 2022 Doc NYC 40 Under 40 recipient\, Impact Partners Producing Fellow\, Points North Fellow\, and a FOCAL Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year award nominee. Before turning to production\, he worked as a mosquito ecologist.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151005″ img_size=”full” css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Penny Lane has been making award-winning\, innovative nonfiction films for over a decade.  This includes six features – most recently Confessions of a Good Samaritan\, premiering at SXSW 2023 – and over a dozen short films.  A 2020 Guggenheim Fellow\, Lane has also received grants and awards from the Sundance Film Festival\, Cinereach\, Creative Capital\, Chicken & Egg Pictures\, Tribeca Film Institute\, Wexner Center for the Arts and many others. Penny has been honored with mid-career retrospectives at the Museum of the Moving Image\, San Francisco DocFest\, Open City Documentary Festival and Cinema Moderne. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And yes\, Penny Lane is her real name.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151007″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gabriel Sedgwick hails from the grim and frostbitten kingdom of Sweden but lives in New York City\, where he has produced both fiction and documentary films that have screened at festivals including Sundance\, Toronto Int’l Film Festival\, SXSW\, Rotterdam\, Full Frame\, and New Directors/New Films. His productions include director Penny Lane’s documentaries Hail Satan? (Magnolia Pictures) and Listening to Kenny G (HBO) and Lanre Olabisi’s fiction features August the First and Somewhere in the Middle (Film Movement)\, as well as executive producing Brian Becker and Marley McDonald’s Time Bomb Y2K (HBO). On the shorts side\, he produced the sea-monkey documentary Just Add Water for CNN Films\, which garnered massive online popularity with eight million views and counting. He’s a Sundance Creative Producing Labs fellow\, Berlinale Talent fellow\, two-time Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Grantee\, and enthusiastic karaoke participant.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-financing-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-13.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240628T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240630T180000
DTSTAMP:20260728T120055
CREATED:20240416T191948Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240625T171807Z
UID:10002848-1719601200-1719770400@uniondocs.org
SUMMARY:Documentary Fundamentals 2024
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]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. We’re ecstatic that this year’s Documentary Fundamentals course is led by Marley McDonald and Brian Becker\, co-directors of the incredible all-archival documentary Time Bomb Y2K that was called “a sleek\, lean film that never falters” by Forbe It’s so exciting that much of Time Bomb Y2Ks team will join us for this weekend in June!  You’re invited to follow along and trace the trajectory of one of this recent documentary hits all the way from its pre-production and planning stages to post-production and through its spectacular distribution. \nTime Bomb Y2K will serve as a case-study across all the sessions including PITCHING\, ARCHIVAL\, EDITING\, MUSIC/GFX 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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”BUY SERIES PASS – ALL ACCESS” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”]$175.00Add to cart	\n			\n [vc_column_text css=””]The full series pass includes access to all of the 2024 Documentary Fundamentals sessions listed below and the public screening of Time Bomb Y2K. You can also tailor your Doc Fundamentals attendance to your personal needs and select each course a la carte for $35/session.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/938826119″ css=””][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””] \nAbout Time Bomb Y2K \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]As the year 2000 approached\, rumblings started to spread outside of the world of computer engineers and into the mainstream consciousness about a ubiquitous glitch in computer code that meant when the year turned from “1999” to “2000\,” all computers would reset to “1900” and the world’s systems would malfunction\, grinding to a halt. In a fully archival tour de force\, co-directors Brian Becker and Marley McDonald document the countdown to Y2K against the backdrop of the mass hysteria that infiltrated everything from politics to pop culture. Doomsday prepper communities started to proliferate and businesses popped up with products\, books\, and any way to make a quick buck off the looming disaster. Time Bomb Y2K is a wild ride through the final days of the ’90s and a compelling portrait of a turning point in the digital revolution.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nAbout Doc Fundamentals \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text css=””]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.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Reflections from past participants of Doc Fundamentals:” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_column_text] \n“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.” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“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” \n[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] \n“I really enjoyed the concept of breaking a single documentary down over several focus points. Looking forward to future courses! Thank you!” \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nSchedule \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 1: Friday\, June 28″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]How it Started \nTime Bomb Y2K Screening[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 2: Saturday\, June 29″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]11am EST – Pitching and Financing\nwith Penny Lane and Gabriel Sedgwick \n2pm EST – Archival\nwith Peter Nauffts\, Shelby Fintank and Rich Remsberg\n\n4pm EST – Editing\nwith Katyann Gonzalez\, Maya Mumma and David Teague[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”Day 3: Sunday\, June 30″ font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=””][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=””]2pm EST – Music / GFX\nwith Nathan Micay\, Cole Kush\, and Tom Goulet (Zoom) \n4pm EST – Releasing\nwith Chloe Trayner and Dara Messinger.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text] \nBios \n[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151012″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Marley McDonald is a filmmaker\, animator\, and painter living in Queens\, New York. In 2021\, she was chosen as a Points North Fellow and worked as an additional editor on Penny Lane’s film Listening to Kenny G. Her associate editor work includes Spaceship Earth\, and the Golden Lion-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary\, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. She most recently directed and edited her debut feature\, Time Bomb Y2K (co-directed with Brian Becker) for HBO.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151011″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Brian Becker is a New York-based filmmaker who directed and produced Time Bomb Y2K (co-directed with Marley McDonald)\, which premiered on HBO in December\, 2023. The film’s festival run included True/False Film Festival\, Hot Docs\, Sheffield DocFest\, IDFA\, Camden International Film Festival\, and DocNYC. Brian served as archival producer on Free Chol Soo Lee\, MLK/FBI\, and Spaceship Earth\, and as co-producer on the series Bobby Kennedy for President. Brian is a 2022 Doc NYC 40 Under 40 recipient\, Impact Partners Producing Fellow\, Points North Fellow\, and a FOCAL Jane Mercer Researcher of the Year award nominee. Before turning to production\, he worked as a mosquito ecologist.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151010″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Peter Nauffts is a New York-based archival researcher and producer. In addition to Time Bomb Y2K\, he has conducted archival research on films and series for Lucy Walker\, Alex Gibney and Mariam Ghani. He is currently working on a documentary about Sun Ra for Firelight Films. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151009″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Rich Remsberg is a two-time Emmy Award-winning archival producer with more than twenty years of experience in documentary films and series. Working with directors such as Lawrence Kasdan\, Ben Stiller\, Penny Lane\, Amir Bar-Lev\, Marshall Curry\, Eugene Jarecki\, Jesse Moss\, and Dawn Porter\, Remsberg specializes in creating fresh storylines and finding rare and unseen footage to support them. \nHis credits for HBO\, Netflix\, Disney+\, NatGeo\, History\, and PBS include Light & Magic\, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street\, Bobby Kennedy for President\, Happy Valley\, and the Academy Award-nominated A Night at the Garden. \nRemsberg has served on the faculties of the Maine Media Workshops and the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center Field School; was a frequent collaborator with the sampling-based music duo The Books; and has been a contributor to Vice Magazine\, Esopus\, and NPR’s online feature The Picture Show. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151718″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Shelby Fintak is a bi-coastal archival researcher and filmmaker from St. Petersburg\, Florida. She has worked as an archival researcher on Time Bomb Y2K and an upcoming Pee-Wee Herman documentary directed by Matt Wolf. Shelby has recently worked as a 1st Assistant Camera for Tubi\, an electrician on Rare Objects\, and production designer for numerous short films. Currently\, Shelby works as an archival production assistant on a documentary for PBS’s American Masters series.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151009″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Rich Remsberg is a two-time Emmy Award-winning archival producer with more than twenty years of experience in documentary films and series. Working with directors such as Lawrence Kasdan\, Ben Stiller\, Penny Lane\, Amir Bar-Lev\, Marshall Curry\, Eugene Jarecki\, Jesse Moss\, and Dawn Porter\, Remsberg specializes in creating fresh storylines and finding rare and unseen footage to support them. \nHis credits for HBO\, Netflix\, Disney+\, NatGeo\, History\, and PBS include Light & Magic\, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street\, Bobby Kennedy for President\, Happy Valley\, and the Academy Award-nominated A Night at the Garden. \nRemsberg has served on the faculties of the Maine Media Workshops and the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center Field School; was a frequent collaborator with the sampling-based music duo The Books; and has been a contributor to Vice Magazine\, Esopus\, and NPR’s online feature The Picture Show. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151008″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Maya Mumma\, ACE\, was an editor on the Academy Award winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America” for which she was honored with a Best Editing award from the LA Film Critics Association\, an ACE Eddie\, and a Primetime Emmy. She began her career in the edit room of the Academy Award nominated documentary “Restrepo”\, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. She has gone on to edit such films as “Which Way Is the Front Line From Here”\, “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley”\, the Peabody Award winning “Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown”\, the Emmy winning “King in the Wilderness”\, the Emmy and Peabody Award winning “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality”\, the three-part “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union”\, and most recently “Time Bomb Y2K”. She has mentored for the Firelight Media Documentary Lab\, the Open City Documentary Festival Assembly Lab\, the TFI/A&E IndieFilms StoryLab\, the Sundance Art of Editing Fellowship\, and the Chicken & Egg Pictures (Egg)celerator Lab. She is the current president of the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151007″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Gabriel Sedgwick hails from the grim and frostbitten kingdom of Sweden but lives in New York City\, where he has produced both fiction and documentary films that have screened at festivals including Sundance\, Toronto Int’l Film Festival\, SXSW\, Rotterdam\, Full Frame\, and New Directors/New Films. His productions include director Penny Lane’s documentaries Hail Satan? (Magnolia Pictures) and Listening to Kenny G (HBO) and Lanre Olabisi’s fiction features August the First and Somewhere in the Middle (Film Movement)\, as well as executive producing Brian Becker and Marley McDonald’s Time Bomb Y2K (HBO). On the shorts side\, he produced the sea-monkey documentary Just Add Water for CNN Films\, which garnered massive online popularity with eight million views and counting. He’s a Sundance Creative Producing Labs fellow\, Berlinale Talent fellow\, two-time Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Grantee\, and enthusiastic karaoke participant.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151006″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Katyann Gonzalez is a video editor born\, bred and living in New York. Having worked in documentary post-production for the majority of her career\, she recently made the jump into the narrative space on the upcoming A24 film\, Death of a Unicorne. She has worked as an assistant editor on several documentaries and docuseries which had major streaming distribution (HBO\, Netflix\, etc.) and successful film festival runs (Sundance\, True/False\, Camden\, Sheffield\, and more.) Some of the titles include Union\, Time Bomb Y2K\, and Love Has Won. Katyann is also a 2024 Karen Schmeer Editing Fellow under the mentorship of Penny Falk and Toby Shimin in a cohort of 6 talented editors in NYC. She also works as a colorist for fashion films\, short films\, branded content\, and music videos and in 2023 she color graded a feature-length documentary called Divisible.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151219″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]David Teague is an Emmy-winning documentary film editor and writer. His work as an editor includes the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Life Animated\, the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning Cutie and the Boxer\, the Independent Spirit-nominated The Departure\, the Emmy-nominated E-Team\, and the Oscar-winning Freeheld. He wrote and produced Stamped from the Beginning\, shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature\, and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for his work on the film. He was the supervising editor for the Sundance-winning Frida and the Emmy-nominated Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields\, for which he received a Cinema Eye Editing Award. As a consulting editor\, he worked on Knock Down The House\, Crip Camp\, Cameraperson\, Welcome to Chechnya\, and Mayor. He wrote the fiction film Cassandro with director Roger Ross Williams\, starring Gael García Bernal\, which premiered at Sundance 2023. David has served as an editing mentor with IFP/Gotham\, Firelight\, Tribeca\, Brown Girls Doc Mafia\, the Catapult True/False Rough Cut Retreat\, and the Sundance Institute.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151005″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Penny Lane has been making award-winning\, innovative nonfiction films for over a decade.  This includes six features – most recently Confessions of a Good Samaritan\, premiering at SXSW 2023 – and over a dozen short films.  A 2020 Guggenheim Fellow\, Lane has also received grants and awards from the Sundance Film Festival\, Cinereach\, Creative Capital\, Chicken & Egg Pictures\, Tribeca Film Institute\, Wexner Center for the Arts and many others. Penny has been honored with mid-career retrospectives at the Museum of the Moving Image\, San Francisco DocFest\, Open City Documentary Festival and Cinema Moderne. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And yes\, Penny Lane is her real name.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151004″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Tom Goulet is a freelance director / motion graphics artist living in Los Angeles working mostly on projects in the music\, commercial\, and film industries. Tom graduated Ithaca College in 2016 and worked for 4 years at Spikeball Inc. as their videographer/graphic designer/social media guy. Now he works full time on freelance projects directing videos\, doing VFX\, motion graphics\, graphic design\, title design\, and other stuff. He does almost everything in After Effects. He loves eating cereal but just plain cereal\, not sugary kinds. His two favorite cereals are Special K (Original)\, and Joe’s O’s\, but Joe’s O’s changed their formula slightly when they moved factories in 2020 and it’s a little worse than it used to be.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151013″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Cole Kush is a director and animator from Canada whose works tend towards the absurd\, often finding the bizarre in the mundane. He has directed projects for Adult Swim\, HBO\, SNL\, A$AP Rocky\, Nike\, Vice and a variety of artists to create innovative visual work. Cole founded Eternal Family\, an artist-run streaming service and co-founded the creative studio Grin Machine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151014″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Toronto born\, Berlin based artist Nathan Micay has been on quite the run these past few years. His debut EP on esteemed label AD93 (formerly Whities) in 2018 ‘First Casualtiy’ became one of the biggest hits of the dance music circuit\, gaining acclaim on best of year lists from Resident Advisor\, Mixmag\, Dj Mag. He followed this up in 2019 with his debut album ‘Blue Spring’ on Warp Records affiliate label LuckyMe. The album became a landmark release that effortlessly brought together the sounds of trance\, electronica and techno\, placing them under the roof of the avant-garde. The release received wide acclaim\, prominently featured on many end of year lists\, this time in dance music and beyond. As a DJ\, he has continued to make his mark on the international club circuit\, establishing himself as sa regular at key venues such as Berghian Berlin\, fabric London\, Contact Tokyo and Goodroom NYC. However\, in 2020 Nathan truly arrived\, offering two bodies of work that nobody saw coming. His surprise second album on LuckyMe ‘The World I’m Going to Hell For’ was released in May 2020. It was created entirely with his string instruments and limited electonics. Pitchfork called it “Uniquely powerful” and it offered fans and listeners alike a new window into Nathan’s growing artistic vision. The album expanded on his cinematic sound and perfectly positioned for the natural move into scoring. He spent the first six months of 2020 working on his biggest project yet: a full symphonic hybrid score for the new HBO series Industry. The three hours of score in the series received acclaim from The New Yorker\, The New York Times\, The Independent among other leading publications. He has followed this up with scores for HBO’s Reality\, HBO’s TimeBomb: Y2K and other scoring projects for studios such as Netflix and Paramount. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151003″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Dara Messinger is the longtime Director of Programming at DCTV where she has overseen many of the honored organization’s public programs. Her work as curator continues and deepens as she now programs its new Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film. She is also a filmmaker\, member of Meerkat Media Collective since 2008\, and a 2022 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”151138″ img_size=”200×200″ css=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Chloé Trayner is the Artistic Director of Ragtag Film Society working across True/False Film Fest and Ragtag Cinema in Columbia\, Missouri. Chloé previously worked in film and events programming in London with a focus on nonfiction and talent development. She is the Founder of Assembly Documentary Development Lab and has worked with organizations such as Open City Documentary Festival\, Bertha DocHouse\, BFI Future Film Festival\, The Guardian\, Wellcome Trust and UnderWire Festival.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:https://uniondocs.org/event/documentary-fundamentals-2024/
LOCATION:UnionDocs\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, 352 Onderdonk Avenue\, Ridgewood\, NY\, 11385\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshops & Labs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://uniondocs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/UnionDocs-GIF-downsized_large-1.gif
GEO:40.7099952;-73.9507576
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=UnionDocs 352 Onderdonk Avenue 352 Onderdonk Avenue Ridgewood NY 11385 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=352 Onderdonk Avenue:geo:-73.9507576,40.7099952
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