May 30, 2017
Announcing the AFI DOCS 2017 Impact Lab Participants
The third edition of the AFI DOCS Impact Lab will take place June 13–14. Presented in collaboration with NBCUniversal, the intensive program is designed for select filmmakers with issue-driven films who aim to create broader social and political change through the power of film.
May 26, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: NOBODY SPEAK Director Brian Knappenberger
When online gossip rag Gawker published a sex tape involving Hulk Hogan, the former wrestler sued, but who was the mysterious billionaire bankrolling his legal fees? Using this salacious trial as just one example, NOBODY SPEAK: TRIALS OF THE FREE PRESS is a cautionary tale about the dangers of the super rich controlling the message…
May 23, 2017
AFI DOCS Will Honor Laura Poitras
AFI DOCS will pay tribute to Laura Poitras — the groundbreaking filmmaker behind RISK (2016) and the Academy Award®-winning Edward Snowden portrait CITIZENFOUR (2014) — as the festival’s 2017 Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree.
May 22, 2017
Announcing the AFI DOCS Forum
Open to festival filmmakers and all passholders, the four-day AFI DOCS Forum will take place June 15–18 at the AFI DOCS Festival Hub at the District Architecture Center in Washington, DC. The Forum will present a variety of networking and professional development events for filmmakers, industry professionals and those with a passion for nonfiction storytelling….
May 18, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: FOR AHKEEM Director Landon Van Soest
Behind the headlines of Ferguson, MO, is 17-year-old Daje “Boonie” Shelton, a young woman from nearby North St. Louis struggling to make it to graduation, a goal further complicated by an unexpected pregnancy. Intimate and affecting, FOR AHKEEM is a delicately told coming-of-age story that underscores the complexities of race and class in America.
May 16, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: SAVING BRINTON Filmmakers Tommy Haines, John Richard and Andrew Sherburne
In his position as small-town Iowa historian and collector, Michael Zahs lucked into the acquisition of one of the rarest collections of turn-of-the-century cinema. Now turning his obsession into purpose, Zahs sets out to restore and exhibit his treasure trove of newsreels, home movies and lost films. He is the subject of SAVING BRINTON, which screens at AFI DOCS…
May 16, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: CHAVELA Directors Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi
The dramatic, soulful interpretations of Mexican lesbian singer Chavela Vargas paved the way for women seeking equality in a traditionally male world. A renowned nightclub performer reduced to alcoholic impoverishment, Vargas made a triumphant comeback in her 70s that secured her reputation as an artist of uncompromising passion and independence.
May 12, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: YEAR OF THE SCAB Director John Dorsey
In September 1987, for the first time in U.S. history, replacement football players took the field amidst a union strike. Seen as a second chance for these unknowns — or “scabs” — the ’87 season became one of the Washington Redskins’ most memorable. Using archival footage and personal interviews, filmmaker John Dorsey highlights a forgotten…
May 12, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: NEW CHEFS ON THE BLOCK Director Dustin Harrison-Atlas
Opening a new restaurant is not for the faint of heart. Time, money, stress, repeat. Two DC-area chefs put everything on the line to open two very different establishments — Frank Linn’s Frankly…Pizza! and Aaron Silverman’s Rose’s Luxury (Bon Appetit’s “Best New Restaurant in America” in 2014). Directed by Dustin Harrison-Atlas, NEW CHEFS ON THE…
May 12, 2017
The AFI DOCS Interview: TOUGH GUYS Directors Henry Roosevelt and W.B. Zullo
Told through the colorful stories of scrappy brawlers and amateur promoters, TOUGH GUYS brings to life the birth of mixed martial arts competitions in 1980s Pittsburgh. The idea to legitimize street fighting by putting it in the ring brought big money, crowds, copycat competitions and ultimately scrutiny and tighter control. AFI spoke with directors Henry Roosevelt…
May 12, 2017
AFI DOCS 2017 Reveals Full Slate
The full slate of films AFI DOCS 2017, a five-day documentary celebration in the nation's capital, is here. Each year, the festival is committed to providing artists with the opportunity to present powerfully told, artfully constructed stories — and to connect audiences and filmmakers with policy leaders. AFI DOCS 2017 runs June 14–18 in Washington, DC,...
May 4, 2017
Here Are the AFI DOCS 2017 Opening Night and Closing Night Films
AFI DOCS, AFI’s annual documentary celebration in the nation’s capital, announces the Opening and Closing Night films for its 15th annual edition. The festival will open with the East Coast premiere of Netflix’s ICARUS, directed by Bryan Fogel, and will close with ESPN Films’ YEAR OF THE SCAB, directed by Emmy® winner John Dorsey. Both…
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