Rough Cut The Video Consortium

The documentary industry has seen huge changes in the last decade. So where does the industry stand today? What are some of the greatest challenges documentary filmmakers face? And what kind of work do industry gatekeepers want to support?
Our guest, Sara Archambault, is leading a new initiative at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center that is trying to answer these questions. The program, “Documentary in the Public Interest”, surveys scholars, filmmakers, journalists, and industry leaders to find out the most prominent trends in the doc industry and the biggest challenges filmmakers face. 
Sara Archambault has been a documentary producer and programmer for more than a decade. She was Program Director at LEF Foundation for 10 years, and was the Founder/Programmer of The DocYard.

Note that is the last episode with Rough Cut's Creator and Host Jennie Butler. If you'd like to get in touch, she can be reached at jenniebtlr@gmail.com

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium

Aisha Jamal is a filmmaker, programmer and college professor. She is Canadian film programmer at Hot Docs Documentary Festival and previously worked for TIFF and Syria Film Festival Toronto, among others.

In this episode, Aisha talks about her path to programming, how her work as a filmmaker and film teacher informs her programming, and how programming decisions at Hot Docs are made.

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium

When filmmaker Amanda Kim discovered the artist Nam June Paik, she knew she wanted to make a documentary about him. Five years later, Amanda's debut film Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Amanda came on the pod to talk about what she learned as a first time filmmaker — from bringing on producers, to fundraising, to navigating the edit.

Moon is the Oldest TV is currently screening at Film Forum in NYC.

Find Amanda Kim on Instagram.

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium

The Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes has a distinct visual style: long, beautiful, perfectly-constructed shots akin to narrative films. How can one stay true to this style in the unpredictable, often chaotic environments that define documentary filmmaking?

Director Shaunak Sen came on the pod to discuss his film's visual style, how he was able to capture so many unique, organic moments, and his approach to the edit.

You can watch All That Breathes now on HBO MAX.

Find Saunak on Instagram

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium

In this episode, we sit down with director, producer, and cinematographer Rita Baghdadi, who's latest film Sirens premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest.

Rita talks about how she transitioned from competitive horse jumping to documentary filmmaking, her process in making the film Sirens, how she was able to bring Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne on as Executive Producers, her collaboration with the composer Para One, how she was able to juggle verité shooting and directing, and more.

Find Rita on Instagram
Check out the film Sirens on Instagram and sirensdocumentary.com

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium

Indian filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh were pleasantly surprised when their  independent feature doc Writing with Fire swept up awards, including at Sundance, and became the first Indian feature doc to ever be nominated for an Oscar.

But they were shocked when the film's subjects, after traveling with and celebrating the film for 14-months, suddenly pulled back from the project, releasing a statement saying that the film oversimplifies their work.

In this episode, Rintu and Sushmit talk about how they maintain the delicate balance between filmmaker and participant, as well as the stakes and challenges of storytelling in a dynamically evolving and complex democracy.

Host Jennie Butler on Instagram
Executive Producer Sky Dylan-Robbins
Producer Amy DiGiacomo on Instagram and Twitter
Producer Caley Fox Shannon on Instagram
Producer Abhishyant Kidangoor
Editor Audrey Horowitz on Instagram

Got an idea for an episode? Email podcast@videoconsortium.org

Click here to support the Video Consortium