News from Docs In Progress including announcement of this year's Documentary Inspiration Award Honoree, Open Submissions for Community Stories Festival, our Next Work-in-Progress Screening, and More on our Summer #Docspiration Campaign

We are excited to welcome her for a special evening program on Thursday, October 20 at Landmark's E Street Cinema in Washington DC. In an intimate master class conversation, Ramona will discuss her career path to directing some of the most renowned documentaries of the past decade, including Don't Stop Believin: Every Man's Journey, The Learning, and Imelda. Following the conversation, we will honor her with the award, and screen Imelda, the documentary which helped put her on the map.
Now in its second year, the Documentary Inspiration Awards honor individuals whose work and contributions to the field are an inspiration to the documentary community. Last year, the inaugural awards were given to Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek.
Tickets are now on sale for this year's Inspiration Awards. We are also offering VIP Passes (which include a private reception with Ramona plus a ticket to the Awards) exclusively as a perk on our #Docspiration Summer Crowdfunding Campaign.

Find out more and submit on Film Freeway.

From the outside, it may seem like Docs In Progress is a large nonprofit with a lot of resources at our disposal. In reality, Docs In Progress is small. With a staff of one full-time person and two part-time people joined by a cadre of contract teaching artists, and a highly dedicated group of board members and volunteers, Docs In Progress offers more than 50 programs and services each year which reach more than 1500 documentary filmmakers and other community members. All on an annual budget of less than $200,000! More than 15% of that modest budget comes from people like you.
While we may be small, we are mighty. And that is also why we have embraced crowdfunding. It gives even the smallest of donors the ability to be mighty by joining forces with other mighty donors to add up to make a collective impact on Docs In Progress. So far this year, we have raised more than $3,000 from online donations and checks from individuals and businesses. Our goal is to raise another $12,000 by the end of July.
Funds will go towards supporting our free and near-free programs like the Roundtables, Community Stories Festival, these E-Newsletters, and the program which started it all for Docs In Progress 12 years ago - our Work-in-Progress Screenings.
As an added incentive, we have perks available for every interest, with brand new offerings this year, including t-shirts, consultations, graphic design services, and All-Access Passes to all our programs for a full year. Whether you give for a perk or give because you believe in what Docs In Progress does, we appreciate your support. Learn more and make a donation today.
A big thank you to these mighty ones who have already contributed to Docs In Progress this year:
Timothy Allan, Nels Bangerter, Vivian Blevins, Yi Chen, Sara Daines, LeeAnn Dance, Michael Dinkin, Hugh Drescher, Jay Elvove, Erin Essenmacher, Anna Fitzgerald, FlowState Films, Brenda Foust, Roger Gastman, Leon Gerskovic, Dean Hamer, Melissa Houghton, Nicole Gray, Cliff Hackel, John Heyn, Chithra Jeyaram, Anna Jhirad, Miles Joyner, Jeff Krulik, Lance Kramer, Paige Smith Lee, Anne Mathis, Joan Mathys, Sam Meddis, David Owens, Paul Moon, Annabel Park, Matthew Radcliff, Bonnie Rich, Robert Rooy, Karen Ruckman, Bahar Shoghi, Hal Smiler, Sean Tracey, Barbara Valentino, Susan Winchell, Word Wizards, and Da-Yu Wu.
August Docs In Progress Screening Features
My Dear Children
We are pleased to announce that our next Work-in-Progress Screening will take place on Wednesday, August 3 at the George Washington University in Washington DC in partnership with The Documentary Center. Filmmakers and film lovers are invited to join us at this workshop-style screening of a not-quite-finished documentary and participate in a facilitated workshop-style feedback session with the filmmakers to help them get to the next stage of completing and distributing the film.
The film being screened is My Dear Children by LeeAnn Dance and Cliff Hackel. The film follows one woman's journey from South Africa to Poland and Ukraine to discover the truth her father never wanted to talk about - a humanitarian tragedy which pre-dated the Holocaust.
Find out more.
Ten Tips on Making Voiceovers Work for Documentaries

"We are so much more than our voices. We are our choices." This was just one takeaway from several of the top voiceover artists in the Washington DC region when they came together to speak at a WIFV/Docs In Progress Documentary Roundtable in May about how documentary filmmakers can work with talent.
Read more
The next free Documentary Roundtable is tonight (Monday, July 11) and features Amy DeLouise discussing how to work with real people on camera - whether doing interviews or re-enactments.
RSVP Now
UPCOMING DOCS IN PROGRESS PROGRAMS AND DEADLINES
July 11: Documentary Roundtable DC: Interviewing Real People with Amy DeLouise
July 14: Houseparty in DC to Raise Funds for Docs In Progress
July 15: Deadline to Submit Trailers for August Roundtable
July 18–29: Documentary Filmmaking Summer Camp II (for Ages 15-18)
July 23–August 27: Intro to Documentary Production Class
July 31: Deadline to Submit Films for Community Stories Festival
August 3: Work-in-Progress Screening of My Dear Children
August 8: Documentary Roundtable Silver Spring: Trailer Night
August 15: Deadline to Submit Rough Cuts for October Work-in-Progress Screening
August 16–24: Backpack Filmmaker Bootcamp I: the Self-Sufficient Doc Shooter
See our full calendar at http://www.docsinprogress.org/calendar
NEWS FROM OUR COMMUNITY
A First-Time Filmmaker Reflects on How She Pushes Through Internal Conflict2016 Fellow Alyscia Cunningham began filming subjects while working on her second book, I Am More Than My Hair: Bald and Beautiful Me, a social-change photography project paying tribute to girls and women who have lost their hair involuntarily. Along the way this became a documentary project and a new journey of discovery for Alyscia. Read more.
Congratulations to 2015 Documentary Inspiration Award Recipient Matthew Hamachek, 2016 Documentary Inspiration Award Recipient Ramona Diaz, and Work-in-Progress Screening alum Aviva Kempner, on being inducted into the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. They are among 683 new inductees, including 42 in the Documentary Branch.
Fellow Presents at AFI Docs Filmmaker Forum
Rooftop Launch Party for Kol Hanashim July 28
We are excited to hear that current Fellow Yisrael Welcher will be hosting a launch party for the trailer and Indiegogo campaign for his work-in-progress Kol Hanashim (Voices of Women), on the rooftop of the Embassy Row Hotel on Thursday, July 28. The trailer will screen hourly from 6:00–9:00 pm and will be followed by Q&A. Plus enjoy the DJ, drinks and beautiful sunset views. RSVP is required.
Paul Moon Interviewed About West Documentary Project
Peer Pitch alum and teaching artist Paul Moon was recently interviewed on KENT-TV Nevada about his film project, WESTDOCUMENTARY, an in-progress feature documentary about Western folklife, cowboy poets, and the American frontier. Check out the interview.
Exotic Premieres in Washington DC August 28
Attention Alums!
Cine PitchFest: Do you have an idea for A&E?
For the fifth year straight, our friends at TIVA are holding their new/used gear yard sale. In the past, it's been a great opportunity for folks to unload gear that's gathering dust, be it production gear, post-production gear, or any flotsam related to the film/video/audio industry. For folks who need gear, it's a chance to see the gear in person, talk to the owner, and hopefully make some handy purchases. Find out more.
Getting Real Documentary Film Conference September 27-29 in Los Angeles
ITVS Offers Webinars on Crafting a Competitive Application for Funding
Have you been too busy to keep up with what's been going on in the world of documentary? No worries. We now have a permanent place on our website which you can bookmark to keep up with the latest articles and blogs of interest. You can access the page for free as long as you sign in to our website (with the same e-mail address where you are receiving this e-mail). Among the latest features:
- Why filmmakers need to be accountable to their sources and viewer;
- How to successfully pitch your documentary according to filmmakers who have done it;
- Why first-time filmmakers should beware of financial pitfalls;
- and much more. Check them out at http://www.docsinprogress.org/hotreads
UPCOMING FUNDING AND PITCH DEADLINES
We now have a permanent place on our website which you can bookmark to see a full list of funding and pitch deadlines and get links to more information on major film funders. You can access the page for free as long as you sign in to our website (with the same e-mail address where you are receiving this e-mail).
Find out more at http://www.docsinprogress.org/funding_for_documentaries