{"id":890537,"date":"2026-06-24T23:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/890537\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:52:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:52:20","slug":"ida-announces-full-lineup-for-getting-real-26-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/890537\/","title":{"rendered":"IDA Announces Full Lineup For Getting Real ’26 Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE:<\/strong> The International Documentary Association<\/a> has announced the full lineup for Getting Real<\/a> \u201926, its upcoming biennial conference \u201con the art and industry of documentary filmmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe event, set to unfold in person in Los Angeles from July 20-23 and globally online, will feature keynote addresses by Mandy Chang, CEO, UK Documentary Film Council, and Petna Katondolo, filmmaker and artistic director, Yole!Africa. A panel discussion on the State of the Business will feature Sam Denby (chief content officer of the Nebula streaming service and founder of Wendover Productions) and Sohini Sengupta (cofounder of Doverlane), among others.<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo panels promise candid stories of documentary production, some of them disturbing. \u201cStories We Do Not Tell,\u201d facilitated by Tracy Rector, is \u201cbuilt from accounts of exploitation, bad faith, and outright abuse submitted by documentary filmmakers and carefully reviewed by IDA<\/a>.\u201d It will explore \u201cprivate, anonymous experiences of our industry colleagues read aloud, organized into categories of harm that reveal the systemic patterns behind individual cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Filmmaker<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFilmmaker Alan Berliner<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmanda Edwards\/WireImage<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the panel \u201cHere\u2019s What Really Happened,\u201d acclaimed filmmaker Alan Berliner will reveal how his documentary Letters to the Editor \u2013 on which he spent decades \u2013 was scuttled by \u201ca major legal challenge.\u201d The film had already premiered at festivals and was set for an HBO broadcast before it got derailed. \u201cFive years after the dust settled, he is ready to talk about it publicly for the first time,\u201d notes the Getting Real \u201926 program.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year\u2019s Getting Real program is centered around the theme Terms of Service, \u201cfocusing on investment, inspiration, and impact.\u201d The conference is open to the public; find more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Getting<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGetting Real \u201924<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIDA<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cRather than simply restating the industry\u2019s many challenges,\u201d states a release, \u201cGetting Real\u2019s program is organized around what filmmakers are doing in response\u2014the tactics, models, and alliances being built in practice\u2014and the conversations usually too risky or too raw to have anywhere else.\u201d The IDA notes the conference \u201cgathers the industry\u2019s most powerful players and visionary filmmakers, including editors, producers, funders, studios and streaming platforms \u2014 for candid, revealing conversations on the most pressing issues facing the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGetting Real \u201926 is programmed by Abby Sun, Meghan Monsour, and Lisa Valencia-Svensson. Below are some of the program highlights:<\/p>\n