Graduate Certificate
The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking
There are no other intensive graduate documentary studies programs in the nation like the one here at the George Washington University. The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking is held annually between January and June and leads to a Certificate in Documentary Filmmaking. For almost 30 years, we have been the only institution that offers this accelerated training and education in nonfiction production. Maintaining a standard of excellence found across all of the programs offered by the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW, the Institute for Documentary Filmmaking has been ranked one of the top ten documentary schools in the nation.
"A year before graduating from the GW Doc Institute I was a college graduate working a minimum wage job in my hometown with the dream of getting into documentary filmmaking. I had worked on a few independent projects but the Institute provided me with a professional skill set in a matter of months. As Producer at the Doc Institute I learned how to manage a team and produce a film on a deadline. Today I am working as a Video Producer in DC and was lucky enough to film in Afghanistan for a nationally aired PBS documentary."
– John Dillon, Class of 2012
Documentary Center News
- Documentary filmmaker Sara Barger joins the 2020 Institute as co-instructor. Learn more about Sara.
- 2019 program alum, Giselle Hall, has been making news for her documentary production in Syria. Read more.
- All The Rage (Class of 2019) wins Best Student Film Award at the PA Indie Shorts Film Festival.
- ONE FALL (Class of 2019) screened recently at local favorites - the Alexandria Film Festival and Docs In Progress' Community Stories Festival.
- AOC documentary Knock Down the House, co-produced by Institute alum Hermon Farahi, has been shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards and is now streaming on Netflix.
Our Films
Parables of War
Parables of War explores the intersection of art with the artist and the ways in which art can help bind the wounds of war -- both for the soldiers themselves and for those they left behind.
The Ballad of the Bering Strait
The Ballad of Bering Strait follows seven Russian teenagers who come to America to become country music stars. This true-life story witnesses the transformation of the band’s members as they wend the torturous path to fame that is littered with deals gone awry, unexpected personal sacrifice, hard-to-win audiences, and a revisioning of the American dream.
The Matador
The Matador is the epic tale of David Fandila's quest to become the world’s top-ranked bullfighter. It is a love story - of a son for his family, of a people for their traditions, and of the bullfighter’s paradoxical love for the beast that he must kill to create his art.
Documentary Center at GW(@GWdocs)At @sundancefest, the @nytimes will be debuting its first two feature-length documentaries. https://t.co/YM0NHTO8hg
GW Alumni(@GWAlumni)Retweeted byDocumentary Center at GW
Connect with alumni working in media, comms, and journalism at a networking breakfast on 1/29 at The Smith (Midtown… https://t.co/FuTVbtAb5I
Emily Best(@emilybest)Retweeted byDocumentary Center at GW
A practical recommendation for filmmakers who want to fest: Filmmakers can become screeners for festivals. That’s w… https://t.co/wyTWzf6u3T
