In the most extensive research ever conducted on representation in documentary, the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) studied the racial and gender diversity of directors and protagonists across more than 1,200 documentaries distributed between 2014 and 2020. Caty Borum, one of the leaders of the study, presents its findings hinting at the new distribution patterns, defining nonfiction storytelling for audiences.

Noting the market is ever more reluctant to take risks, how can we ensure the richness, heterogeneity and artistic freedom of the non-fiction genre? While we are finding ways to document inequality in terms of race and gender, can we find a method that would reflect the various historic, cultural, social and geopolitical realities? And is there a systemic way to secure space for the variety of artistic expressions themselves?

Unrestricted grants, fellowships and career support programmes represent a compelling innovation in the funding ecosystem. Can setting filmmakers – instead of their projects – in the center of the industry counterbalance market pressures and guarantee artistic originality, access to talents from underrepresented communities and deeper artistic reflections of the world?

2022’s Word of the Year “Permacrisis” fittingly reflects a dizzying sense of lurching from one trouble to another. The DocuMentality initiative is currently running a thorough research of the roots – and solutions for disproportionally high levels of stress, depression and sense of powerlessness in the nonfiction industry. Rebecca Day, one of the initiators of the project, will introduce the work on a mental health toolkit of resources for the documentary community, and invites us to participate in research focus groups at CPH:DOX.

Given the role producers play in finding, shaping, and championing the voices of independent filmmakers, what structures do we need to ensure their own endurance? As market demands, distribution outlets and financing opportunities change constantly, how can producers survive and thrive, in order to honor their commitment to filmmakers? And how are their business strategies shaping the field at large?

With the documentary film market increasingly shaped by commercial entertainment entities, how can independent filmmakers sustain themselves? What role can talent agents, representing actors, artists, athletes – but also documentarians – play in navigating the challenging landscape of rapidly changing opportunities for their clients to make a living while finding a space for independent, artistic projects?

“Being distributed doesn’t mean being seen,” writes Brian Newman, in his Sub-Genre newsletter – suggesting that in a time of turmoil in the documentary ecosystem, we need to put aside our fears, give up on antiquated systems and build something new for the future. What could that look like, and what steps do we take to get there?

The pandemic has accelerated the countless challenges documentaries and their distributors face. While despairing over evaporating audiences, what if the middle-aged, middle-class cinema-goers are just the wrong demographics to chase? Could more diverse programming bring more diverse audiences? In a series of inspiring mini key-studies, innovative distributors, visionaries and radical thinkers explore new possible ways to meet new audiences, on both big and small screens.

In the context of a growing global demand for commercial, smooth nonfiction stories – what role can major public institutions and philanthropic organizations play in the support of independent artistic practice? Is there a way to overcome issue silos of various nonprofits and develop broad, inclusive structures (and budgets) that would enable filmmakers to systematically contribute to civil society’s work and benefit from its resources?