The Institute for Documentary Filmmaking
Documentary Center News
- Boys in the Boat (Class of 2018) selected for the Sprout Touring Film Festival.
- AOC documentary Knock Down the House, co-produced by Institute alum Hermon Farahi, premieres at Sundance, wins Audience Award.
- Institute alums Brad Forder and Caitlin Carroll named D.C.'s Filmmakers of the Month.
- Center Director Nina Gilden Seavey has finished principal photography on her next feature documentary, My Fugitive.
- Boys in the Boat (Class of 2018) premiered Oct. 3rd at Awareness Fest in Los Angeles, winning the Audience Award for Best Student Film.
- Bow With Me (Class of 2018) named Best Student Short by the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards.
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.

REMINDER: Tickets for our #DCEFF Opening Night Screening of @riverandthewall are still available through our venue… https://t.co/WT6WwBlJsn

The #Oscars2019 Documentary race is inspiring some very interesting new twists and turns... https://t.co/0j2zIOHMq1

This is a stunning short documentary, A Night at the Garden, directed by Marshall Curry, about the infamous Nazi ra… https://t.co/Z6VoNuJ9f2