Industry Sessions
This year’s industry sessions combine urgent global issues and conversations with the practical realities of working in documentary today; from conflict reporting, citizen journalism and the ethics of authorship to political suppression and the evolving role of AI, drama and digital platforms.
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#DocSafe Roundtables: Towards a Community of Practice
Co-curated by #DocSafe and Film in Mind, the #DocSafe roundtables continue international dialogue across multiple forums, advancing safer, more equitable documentary practices and supporting an emerging community of practice (this is a closed session, by invitation only).
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Alternate Realities Challenge Lab
In order to support early career creatives in this sphere, the Alternative Realities Programme will host a three day Storytelling in Gaming: Challenge Lab.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Are you SUS? Sustainable Practice for Greener Production
Climate responsibility isn't just a moral imperative; it's fast becoming a commercial and reputational one. But where do you start, and who do you call?
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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BAFTA Elevate: Going the Distance
Join this year's BAFTA Elevate filmmakers to explore sustaining a documentary career, as rising stakes, creative risk and industry pressure reshape what it takes to keep going.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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BBC Docs Download: Redefining the Blitz
The team behind Children of the Blitz discuss reframing a familiar history through children's testimony, challenging dominant narratives and reshaping collective memory at a time of renewed conflict.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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BBC Storyville: Shaping the Future of International Documentaries
Join new Storyville Head Nevine Mabro and the BBC's Director of Factual, Fiona Campbell - together with key filmmakers - to unpack Storyville's commissioning strategy, reveal new opportunities, and discuss why the strand remains vital within the BBC's audience strategy.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Bearing Witness: Hear Our Voices
Can citizen journalism help unlock the untold stories from deadly conflict zones? How do lessons from Syria and Gaza shape coverage of Iran, Lebanon and beyond, and at what ethical cost?
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Better Together? The Necessary Power and Complex Process of Co-production
Does three countries mean 3x the power or 3x the challenges? The Forever is Now team reveals the real costs and wins of documentary co-production.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Between the Lines: Rethinking Subtitles and Captions
Subtitles and captions are often treated as technical afterthoughts, but we will explore how and why they become acts of authorship - shaping voice, meaning and access.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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Beyond the Algorithm: The Rise of YouTube Documentary
As audiences shift away from legacy media, YouTube is becoming a powerful, and deeply contested, space for documentary storytelling. But what happens to truth when we rely on platforms built for engagement?
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Beyond the Game: The New Era of Sports Documentary
Top filmmakers behind breakout sports documentaries take on access, authorship, and the shifting power dynamics redefining the genre.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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C4 Interview with Joe Bullman: Why Documentary Makers Create the Most Powerful Dramas
Award-winning director Joe Bullman discusses his journey from documentaries to factual drama, culminating in the making of Dirty Business.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Director Masterclass with Maite Alberdi: The Art of Storytelling
Oscar nominated director Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent, The Eternal Memory) explores her intimate documentary career in this in-depth masterclass.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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Director Masterclass with Sara Dosa: Ecological and Cultural Memory on Screen
A conversation with Sara Dosa about working with representations of more-than-human nature to craft stories that illuminate how people make meaning amidst environmental and existential crises.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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Documentary Film Council (DFC): Annual General Meeting 2026
Your chance to review the DFC's work serving the documentary community over the past year, to welcome your newly elected board, and set the path forward for 2026/27.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Documentary Showcase: Academy Award Contenders 2026
Presenting a collection of early frontrunners and a recent Academy Award winner, with exclusive clips and candid conversations as filmmakers prepare for the upcoming awards season.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Editors Don't Grow on Trees: Expanding the Editorial Pool
StitchNBitch Editors collective presents a candid case study of one production trialling on-the-job editor training; covering process, finances, and what it means for future productions.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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Fair Use LIVE!
How can we view fair use as a creative challenge? Come find out in this live event where filmmakers and a lawyer engage in a dance between the law and art to see how we can make affordable archive-laden artistic films possible.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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Five Myths About Film Distribution (and the Truths Worth Knowing)
A conversation that aims to debunk some of the smoke and mirrors around distribution, reflecting on the many ways that films can successfully land with audiences.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Craft Session
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From Headline to Screen: When Real Stories Become Drama
A behind the scenes look at Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, and the ethical, creative and legal tightrope shaping sensitive, high-stakes storytelling.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Futureproofing Factual: How the BBC is Driving Audience Connection
Join the new Director of Factual, Fiona Campbell, for a discussion about how the BBC is future proofing factual content at a time of intense media competition.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Goalhanger Greenroom Session: How Ideas Become Podcasts
A behind-the-scenes look at how podcast ideas are developed and commissioned - from the team behind Goalhanger's shows.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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Human Rights Film Festivals: From Grassroots to Global (And Back Again)
Human rights film festivals are facing growing political pressure and shrinking support. This session explores how grassroots and established models can learn from each other.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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The Indigenous Lens: Collaborative Filmmaking Workshop
A collaborative workshop with the team from If Not Us, Then Who?, an organisation supporting environmental leadership from Indigenous Peoples and local communities, exploring collaborative filmmaking practices.
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session
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The Indigenous Lens: Re-angling Climate Narratives
How are Indigenous filmmakers redefining filmmaking as a care-led, relational practice in the context of environmental justice?
  • Industry Programme
Industry Session

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