A panel of documentary filmmakers explore topics like using social media, crowd funding, and strategies for distribution. You’ll hear from filmmakers with various backgrounds, philosophies, and approaches. Moderator: Ben Fowlie, Director/Founder of Camden International Film Festival. Confirmed Panelists: Mike Woolf (Man On A Mission)  Mark Dixon (YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip).

Rebecca Richman Cohen (War Don Don) has spent the last two years documenting the contentious Medical Marijuana issue in Montana.  In her new as yet unfinished film, Code of the West, she follows the 2011 Montana state legislature as it debates the fate of medical marijuana.  Richman Cohen will offer a sneak peek at the film and guides Doc Shoppers through the process of documenting a balanced view of the politics and personalities

Marshall Curry’s (STREET FIGHT, RACING DREAMS) newest film won the Sundance Film Festival award for Best Documentary Editing and has been nominated for an Academy Award®.  The film tells the story of the radical environmentalist who faced life in prison for burning two Oregon timber facilities.  Through clips and discussion, Curry will walk participants through the film’s development, from research to distribution.

A panel, including filmmakers and composers, discusses the art of weaving together music and film, investigating the unique challenges facing filmmakers as the document the lives and work of musicians. Moderated by filmmaker Doug Hawes-Davis (Facing The Storm, All The Labor).  Confirmed panelists: Jeanie Finlay (Sound It Out), Composer Mark Orton (The Real Dirt On Farmer John), Composer Silas Hite (Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin’)

As audiences migrate to the web and broadcast slots for features decline, short-form documentaries are on the rise. Richard Saiz examines what makes a 30-minute documentary tick. What kind of stories work as short subjects? Where can short docs go for funding and broadcast? Saiz is one of the facilitators for the next International Public Television Conference (INPUT) in Sydney, Australia in May. Until recently he was Senior Programming Manager for the Independent Television Service.

Reva Goldberg, Communications & Fellowships Manager for Cinereach, offers funding advice for filmmakers. As a member of a grant-making foundation, and a filmmaker who has applied for and received grants for films - Reva has been on both sides of the funding coin. The workshop will involve an extensive Q&A session tailored to the needs of attendees, whose projects will be used as case studies to raise other important issues.

A panel of some of the top commissioning editors and funders for documentary film in North America will address issues in contemporary non-fiction. The panel will also involve an extensive Q&A session.  Moderator: Gita Saedi Kiely (Jailed For Their Words, The New Americans).  Confirmed panelist include Yance Ford (POV), Reva Goldberg (Cinereach) and Amy Shatsky-Gambrill (ITVS).

The Winding Stream is a documentary-in-progress that tells the story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and the Cashes. The film traces the ebb and flow of their influence, and the efforts of present day family to keep this long musical legacy alive.  Beth Harrington will present clips and explore the process of putting the lives of legends on screen.

A sparkling opportunity to meet Doc Shop attendees, The Doc Shop party allows for general hobnobbing with industry executives and other industry folks. Drinks, food, music, and excellent company – all thanks to the fine folks at POV.

15 carefully selected documentary filmmakers will publicly present their work-in-progress documentary. A panel of commissioning editors, funders, and other film industry executives will then engage in a dialogue with each filmmaker. These elite 15 films, chosen from a large submission pool, represent some of the most promising and diverse documentary films in production today.

2012 Pitch Selections:

9:00am – Street Fighting Man – Andrew James
9:25am – The Great Hip Hop Hoax – Jeanie Finlay
9:50am – The Quiet Riot Movie – Regina Russell
10:15am – The Winding Stream – Beth Harrington
10:40 am – Amber Waves & Checkered Flags – Sue Arbuthnot & Richard Wilhelm
11:05 am – Story of Pain – Michael Galinsky
11:30 am – Bluebrain – Noah Hutton
11:55 am – HOUR FOR LUNCH
1:00 pm – We Live Outside – Jeremy Yaches
1:25 pm – The Liberation – Christoph Green
1:50 pm – Acceptable Limits – Cosmo Pfeil
2:15 pm – The Birth Right Debate – Lisa Levey
2:40 pm – Higher Law – Todd Darling
3:05 pm – Top Spin – Mina T. Son & Sara Newens
3:30 pm – That’s Crazy – Lise Zumwalt
3:55 pm – The Brooklyn Defense – Alejandro Guerra