Industry Talks

Working with the BFI National Archive

13:00 / Sat 5 June / Online

Founded in 1935, the BFI National Archive cares for Britain’s national collection of moving image, one of the largest and most diverse in the world. Alongside a million film and TV items, paper collections include a dazzling array of scripts, stills, posters and designs. This event o ers an introduction to BFI collections and how producers and filmmakers can engage with them, from the practicalities of footage licensing and rights clearance to in-house curatorial expertise and opportunities for bespoke broadcast collaboration.

Making My First Film

10:00 / Mon 7 June / Online

The BBC invites five young filmmakers to share their experiences of making their first film for BBC Three. This is a chance to find out how they got that break and whatthey learned along the way – from pitching their own ideas and working with editors to filming hacks and navigating the next steps in their directing career.

The Case for Documentary Funding

11:00 / Mon 7 June / Online

The recent UWE report ‘Keeping it Real’ determined UK documentary to be “chronically under-funded, under-valued and rarely understood even by executives in the wider screen industries”. Among many recommendations, the researchers highlightthe need to raise the cultural status of feature documentary and champion its social value. This session assembles international perspectives to explore how the case for documentary funding is made abroad and reflect on how it can be articulated in the UK.

First Cut: The Top Tips

12:00 / Mon 7 June / Online

David Brindley, CCO of TwoFour, ex-BBC and C4 commissioner and former First Cut director, hosts a panel of both highly successful and still-rising First Cut directors. They talk candidly about the scheme, what they learned and what they wished they had asked when directing their first hour-long film. This talk o ers insights into the dos and don’ts of First Cut – and how to get one commissioned!

Success and creative freedom for producers is inevitably linked to commercial viability, but is there a lack of support for diverse led companies in achieving success? Rejecting the idea that only some companies can make popular programmes and succeed in mainstream TV, and addressing concerns that talent and new perspectives are overlooked, a panel of Channel 5 gatekeepers and producers take a frank look atthe industry, the opportunities available, and finding a balance between commercial success and creative passion.

Journalism & Creative Documentary

15:00 / Mon 7 June / Online

Presented by The Guardian, this session discusses the ways in which journalism and creative documentary can successfully intersect. What can the pursuit of creative documentary learn from the principles of good journalism – and vice-versa – and why does that matter in the 21st century? And what are the possibilities for collaboration?

Chicken & Egg Pictures’ 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab Pitch

16:00 / Mon 7 June / Online

The (Egg)celerator Lab is a Chicken & Egg Pictures program focused on identifying and supporting nonfiction directors working on their first or second feature-length documentary. This program brings together 10 projects, with a special focus on self-identifying women and gender nonconforming directors. The 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab participants will pitch their projects to a panel of international decision makers and industry representatives taking part in DocFest’s online marketplace. Moderated by award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand, Chicken & Egg Pictures’ Co-Founder and Senior Creative Consultant. To coincide with the launch of ‘World Records Vol. 5: Beyond Story’ and to continue the conversation with industry gatekeepers initiated at DocFest in 2019, sparked by the online community manifesto from Alexandra Juhasz and Alisa Lebow, this session brings together scholars, filmmakers and industry commissioners to discuss and examine why ‘story’ has become today’s pre-eminent mode for documentary, and what gets lost when storied structures prevail.

UK Commissioners: Looking Ahead

10:00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Factual commissioners assemble to look ahead and share what’s in store from the broadcasters in the coming months. Tune in to clue-up on the variety of editorial directions, programme announcements, and the latest initiatives and opportunities for UK producers and talent.

Know Your Rights: Bullying and Discrimination in the Workplace

11:00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Navigating bullying and discrimination in the workplace can be confroting, confusing and complicated, especially in the film & TV industry when formal processes may not always be in place or made clear. This session will explore the rights of freelancers and employees, avenues for reporting and ways in which companies, institutions, and policy around these matters can be improved.

Female Gaze

12:00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Women are still the largest consumers of broadcast media and yet are still underrepresented on and o screen and they still struggle to obtain leadership roles. Channel 4 Factual have been leading the way of changing this in the industry with over 50% of directors used being females for single films and limited series. A panel of expert directors discuss how an increased female perspective can progress documentary filmmaking across the board.

How does a producer get the total financing for a project when broadcasters pay less than 100% of the budget? And at what stage could a producer go to a distributor? Discover the answers and learn how ITV Studios have helped finance projects and bring them to audiences worldwide.

The Whickers Pitch

15:00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Who will be awarded the coveted £80,000 Film & TV Funding Award to make their first feature-length documentary? The Whickers Pitch brings together five emerging directors from around the world to pitch their non-fiction projects to a panel of industry judges. Log on to support the finalists, be your own armchair judge and bear witness as the legacy of pioneering broadcaster Alan Whicker brings another exceptional documentary idea to life.

Working with ESPN

16:00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Since the launch of 30 for 30, the series has become one of the premiere brands in all of documentary film. With over ninety documentaries under its belt, including the 2017 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, O.J: Made in America, ESPN has helped foster a genre that continues to grow exponentially. Join Senior Director Of Development at ESPN Adam Neuhaus to discuss the evolution of the channel.

Docs Online

18.00 / Tue 8 June / Online

Looking to watch docs online beyond the most wellknown platforms & channels? Or perhaps you’re a filmmaker interested in connecting your work with audiences. Join this session to hear representatives from a variety of online film spaces discuss their collections, curatorial approaches and processes for considering and showcasing new work. Through authentic storytelling, disabled filmmakers are demanding representation, refusing ableist conventions, and securing critical recognition along the way. The time is now for dismantling barriers across the doc sector and powering inclusivity and accessibility for D/deaf and disabled talent. Meet the filmmakers who are reshaping the narrative and learn how BFI Doc Society is working with the FWD-Doc collective to inspire new audiences for British disability-centred documentaries.

This event will be BSL interpreted

EU-UK Co-Productions After Brexit

10:00 / Wed 9 June / Online

How can UK and European producers co-produce in the post-Brexit era? What criteria must be fulfilled for co-production and eligibility for tax relief and UK and European Funds? Presented in partnership with the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE), producers and policy experts will share experience and expertise on co-production opportunities for EU and UK filmmakers as well as discuss what principles should guide policy going forward.

Working with UKTV

11:00 / Wed 9 June / Online

UKTV’s network of channels reaches 30 million viewers a month and the commissioning team are working with their biggest ever budget over the next 12 months. The broadcaster’s Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment Hilary Rosen and Senior Commissioning Editor Helen Nightingale are returning to She eld DocFest this year to divulge their top tips for getting your ideas to them, how to establish a working relationship and how to make a successful, long-running show for popular factual channels W, Yesterday and Gold.

In its first year, Sky Documentaries has seen stellar performances for films and series such as Framing Britney Spears, McMillions, and TINA, across Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky Crime. The UKbased content team – led by Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual – will give a preview of upcoming content, share their vision for the channel’s future and give a snapshot of the type shows they are looking to commission.

Whose Voice? Whose Story?

18:00 / Wed 9 June / Online

As part of this year’s festival, the BBC is hosting a special session to explore how background, experience and identity shapes the stories we tell. A panel of established filmmakers and journalists will discuss the relevance of who is telling the story, both from their own perspectives and also more broadly, as well-known story tellers. WaterBear is a new interactive video platform dedicated to supporting life on our fragile planetthrough world-class storytelling, cutting-edge technology and a global network of partners working together for impact. In partnership with She eld Hallam University and She eld DocFest, WaterBear will award a proposal for a student short film (<5 mins) with a £500 production grant and presentation of the completed film on the WaterBear platform.

The Whickers Award Ceremony

18:00 / Thu 10 June / Online

Everyone is invited to join us for The Whickers Award Ceremony. It’s happening via Zoom on Thursday 10 June at 18:00 BST. Dust down your party frock, grab a bottle of bubbly and join us. We can’t wait to see you there!

Working with National Geographic

15:00 / Wed 9 June / Online

In the wake of this extraordinary and unprecedented year, National Geographic continues to focus on telling stories that transport audiences around the world. In this session, the UK-based commissioning team share insights into the development and production of exceptional contentthat supports the National Geographic Society’s core mission of science, exploration, conservation and education. Hear what ittakes to bring globe-spanning ideas to life for National Geographic’s platforms.

Channel 4 Interview: Simon Ford

13:00 / Wed 9 June / Online

Simon Ford is one of the giants of access documentaries. He’s the Exec behind many great series, such as 24 Hours in Police Custody, Ambulance, Coppers, Drugsland or single films such as Barrymore Body in the Pool or My Brother The Terrorist.

He shares his views about the power of unfolding documentary observational narratives, as opposed to the current proliferation of more controllable past tense stories. He also o ers views and advice on gaining access, legal and editorial boundaries and how to push narrative in a time where most stories have been told in some form.

This talk will be available to live stream for all Online Industry Pass holders on our Doc/Player platform. All live-streamed talks will be captioned, provided by AI Media.