DCEFF2023:

There is a strong tradition in documentary filmmaking, just as there is in journalism, to hold power to account. Numerous films across the 2023 lineup are confronting powerful institutions, corporations, or governing agencies. This panel asks, what are the risks – legally, reputationally, bodily – involved in daring to speak truth to power? How might films serve as agents for positive change and shine a light on corruption or collusion through impact and engagement strategies? Can documentaries actually change the conversation? We’ll hear from filmmakers and film protagonists who dared to stand up and speak out.

A staggering number of short films in this year’s lineup explore a legacy of exclusion from nature and natural resources amongst BIPOC communities, and introduce a number of extraordinary individuals and organizations reclaiming nature for traditionally disenfranchised groups. This panel will hear from the filmmakers, organizers and activists who are connecting communities of color to outdoor spaces and building a coalition of diverse outdoor leaders.

Join the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG) and Working Films for a panel discussion on ethical, non-extractive storytelling within documentary filmmaking. This panel will cover DAWG’s core values of ethical storytelling and will provide a glimpse into their Framework for Values, Ethics, and Accountability in Nonfiction Filmmaking, in particular how these issues resonate in environmental filmmaking. They will be joined by filmmakers who model and explore what accountability looks like in practice, from reflection and pre-production through the release of their film.