The documentary world is expanding, and Getting Real ’26 is here to examine what that means. This summer, we will explore what it might mean to bridge the gap between industrial reality and the expanding world of documentary filmmaking. What does documentary look like when we follow it beyond the festival circuit into community screenings, participatory media, and creator-driven nonfiction? Who is already doing this work, and what can the documentary community learn from them?

Join us for a conversation with Getting Real Conference Director Abby Sun, Conference programmers Lisa Valencia

Join Documentary magazine as we reveal the results of our “Greatest Docs of the 21st Century” poll. 

The hour-long virtual event will serve as an exclusive preview of the magazine’s 2025 poll results and will feature special guests unveiling the 25 projects that topped the list.

About the poll: 
In December 2025, Documentary organized a poll of the documentary community (both IDA members and past contributors to the magazine) to assess which documentaries they deemed the “greatest” released this century. Each voter could define “greatest” however they saw fit: the only criterion was that all

Due to high demand and to better accommodate our international IDA and community members, we’ve scheduled a second iteration of the Budgeting and Scheduling 101 workshop with Robert Bahar. If you missed the first session, don’t miss your chance to reserve a spot!

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm PT

Location: Location: Virtual on Zoom and at the IDA Office, 3600 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1810, Los Angeles, CA 90010

A very small number of film festivals seem to hold an enormous amount of sway over a film’s sales and distribution prospects, as well as the filmmakers’ chances at creating a sustainable living through filmmaking. This perception drives many filmmakers to pin their hopes on just a handful of market-driven festivals that are most important in their region, whether it’s North America (where Sundance looms large), Europe

IDAinsight: Budgeting and Scheduling 101 Workshop with Robert Bahar

Please note that the number of registrants for this "IDA Insight: Budgeting and Scheduling 101 with Robert Bahar" session has reached the technical capacity of IDA's Zoom account. Attendance will be limited to 500 participants and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure your spot, please log in to the Zoom room on time. A second workshop is scheduled and details will be announced shortly.

Date: Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Time: 10:00 am–1:00 pm PT

Location: Virtual on Zoom

RSVP Required: To RSVP, login to your MyIDA

Join us on Wednesday 14, at 10:00 am PT, to be in conversation with this year’s Getting Real Programmers, Meghan Monsour and Lisa Valencia-Svensson, along with Getting Real and IDA’s Director of Artists Programs, Abby Sun, about GR ‘24, their programming vision, and an early preview of this year’s GR conference.

IDA’s SPECTRES is a two-part forum with documentary producers, directors, academics, and security experts that attempts to demystify digital security and its need within documentary production. This series will culminate in a best practices field guide for documentarians and a burner OS that allows makers to ingest, edit, and communicate securely.

This workshop titled "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Getting Started" will guide you through identifying how to position your filmmaking practices and projects for a potential documentary market.