As DOXA Documentary Film Festival prepares for its in-person opening this week, the festival also announces it’s also bringing back its Industry program in-person venues, offering a chance to learn from leading documentary professionals, activists and academics.
DOXA’s 2023 Industry program kicks off on Saturday, May 6 at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at 12pm is a Masterclass with Amy Miller, co-presented by DOC BC | YT | NWT. Miller, an award-winning director, producer and activist, will present a special masterclass to celebrate the World Premiere of her latest feature, Manufacturing The Threat. The session will examine her work in the documentary medium and the power of doc as a catalyst for social change and justice. At 2:30pm, a conversation with celebrated filmmaker and educator Katerina Cizek on collective authorship, after successful events in Amsterdam, Washington and New York. This discussion will explore co-creation in media-making, taking a page from the collectively authored book Collective Wisdom; what would alternatives to the idea of the solitary author, and its privileged status in top-down media, look like? The day wraps up with a mixer hosted by DOC BC | YT | NWT, at Clough Club, an opportunity for filmmakers, colleagues and new friends to mingle.
Sunday, May 7th at 5pm, DOXA is offering a very special work-in-progress screening of Jason McNamara’s Norita, examining the life and revolutionary work of Nora Cortiñas, the most famous of the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo—Argentina’s movement of women fighting for justice amidst the country’s rampant political oppression. This film was chosen by DOXA guest curators Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein. Featuring entirely women participants, the film is a sweeping intergenerational story about the bonds of motherhood and the strength found in joining forces between young and old, offering a deeply moving defense of the right to reproductive freedoms. Norita is still in post-production, and offers the public a true immersion into the work, as guest curators and McNamara discuss the secrets of the film, anecdotes about its making and its political context.
On Monday, May 8, 1pm at SFU’s World Art Centre, DOXA presents a case study of Tiny and animated documentaries; diving into the work of filmmakers Ritchie Hemphill and Ryan Haché as they discuss the creation of their short film Tiny and the power of animation in documentary storytelling. Following, at 3pm, DOXA Director of Programming Sarah Ouazzani hosts a talk called Alternative Forms of Distribution — how do you get your film seen? And how do you plan a successful release? This distribution panel will look at alternative forms of distribution (i.e. artist run centres, documentary streaming platforms, independent distributors and co-ops) from across the country. Finally, at 5pm a conversation with Terra Long with a focus on her editing career, hand-processing practices, and her feature debut Feet in Water, Head on Fire, co-presented by Canadian Cinema Editors.
The 2023 Festival also welcomes the launch of the Kris Anderson Connexions Mentorship Program. The Kris Anderson Youth Connexions Forum, named after DOXA’s founder, was an exciting part of DOXA’s programming from 2006 to 2013 and was designed to foster documentary filmmaking and storytelling skills in emerging filmmakers who face barriers in attaining their career goals. DOXA now carries forward the original spirit and intent of the program, while continuing its evolution in meeting the matters of the day. The Kris Anderson Connexions Mentorship Program will facilitate one-on-one mentorship between an experienced documentary filmmaker and an emerging filmmaker. The program will create a space for participants to discuss their creative practice and their goals with a mentor who can speak to their specific needs, while also making space for peer mentorship and collaboration.
All DOXA Industry sessions are pay-what-you-can/sliding scale, and will include ASL interpretation onsite (excluding the work-in-progress screening of Norita). For more information, visit: doxafestival.ca/doxa-industry.