Held every two years in Los Angeles, the Getting Real conference produced by the International Documentary Association is an important gathering place for the documentary community and an essential opportunity for the field to reckon with the rapid economic, political, technological, and structural changes that have threatened the livelihood of documentary filmmakers and the funding/distribution models for documentary films worldwide. That said, this year’s Getting Real was both bracing and heartening: Filmmakers and other participants confronted the facts on the ground, shared resources and ideas, and pledged support to make change. The work ahead will be hard, but those who came together felt a common sense of purpose.
Our own HSDFF Filmmaker Forum team of Ashley York and Ken Jacobson participated in Getting Real, sparking ideas for this year’s Forum and connecting with many friends, including the Arkansas born-and-raised filmmaker Andy Sarjahani and producer Farley Ziegler.
Those gathered at Getting Real capped off the conference with a fabulous party marking the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking organization A-Doc (Asian American Documentary Network). A-Doc co-founders Grace Lee and S. Leo Chiang (donning the birthday hat) led the crowd in a group singalong of “Happy Birthday.”
Even amidst the hard times, there is still much to celebrate and hold dear.
-Ken