Documentary Magazine

Today we announced the honorees for the 42nd Annual IDA Documentary Awards, including a Career Achievement Award for the late Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán. The Awards will take place December 4, 2026, at The Ebell of Los Angeles, hosted for the second year in a row by documentary field leader Tabitha Jackson. Guzmán, who passed away in September 2026, made Chile's history and memory his life's work.

Independent Television Service (ITVS) announced today the first cohort of filmmakers selected for its ITVS Incubator Fund, a new initiative to support nonfiction features and short-form series. In addition to editorial guidance and participation in a 3- to 12-month incubator aimed at helping move projects toward production and distribution, the fund is offering up to US$40,000 in development funding.

The End of Times (El fin de los tiempos). All images courtesy of the Settimana Internazionale della Critica In this interview, the filmmakers behind The End of Times talk about using AI to reimagine our ways of thinking about family, memory, and history Welcome to The Synthesis, a monthly column exploring the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and documentary practice.

Jennifer Sofio Hall is an Emmy award-winning producer and dynamic leader in the production industry, known for her dedication to innovation and growth. Under her leadership, MakeMake emerged as a leading force in advertising and entertainment, designing industry-changing titles for television and film, from Game of Thrones to TheLast of Us, and collaborating with some of advertising’s best creative talent, winning dozens of awards, including Cannes Lions, BAFTAs, and Emmys.

IDA calls on the Israeli government to withdraw its threats against filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. We also call for an end to the public campaign of intimidation against them. Since NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, senior Israeli officials have moved against its directors. The Culture Minister has accused them of treason and sought to revoke their citizenship.

It was a sign of the times that this summer’s edition of Sheffield DocFest saw mental health support made available after a screening of one of the competition entries. That title, which was rightly awarded the Best Film prize by the jury, was Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar’s Filthy (Sucia – Per què no vas fer res?).

Taylor Hosking still lives in the apartment where she grew up, in the same building where her grandmother raised Hosking’s mother and aunt, and where her grandmother still lives today.

On Monday, the twelve US state Attorneys General who sued to block the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger settled with Paramount. The Ellison family will take over Warner Bros. Discovery. On behalf of filmmakers, we are disappointed and angry that this has been allowed to happen. It is a bad deal for independent documentary film and journalism, and for a democracy that depends on both. The settlement is not a win. The consolidation stands, and Paramount’s commitments are weaker than they appear.

No Money No Honey. Photo credit: Máxima Mauricio Rodas. Courtesy of Máxima Mauricio Rodas In this interview, filmmaker Nicole Costa talks trust, the archive, and trans representation in her new film, No Money No Honey What do you do when you accidentally discover a treasure trove of personal archives about a life in and of transition? Filmmaker Nicole Costa faced such a question while working on her first feature documentary, The Journey of Monalisa (2019).

Beginning with How to Clean a Cast Iron Pan in 2012, John Wilson has created an invaluable, ongoing document of life in New York City in the 21st Century. Through various short films and his singular three-season HBO series, How To with John Wilson, the filmmaker has honed an unmistakable style.