IFP Documentary Lab
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IFP Announces 26 Projects Selected for 2020 Documentary, Narrative and Episodic Labs
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced today twenty-six feature projects and series selected to participate across three labs over the next month: The IFP Filmmaker Labs’ Documentary Lab (currently running through May 22) and Narrative Lab (running June 15 – 19) for feature films by directors currently in post-production on their debut features; and the IFP Episodic Lab (running June 1 – 5), for outstanding series projects in development for TV and digital platforms from breakthrough creators. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, all labs will take place virtually. The IFP Filmmaker Labs support first-time feature filmmakers through the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on May 21, 2020 -
IFP Announces 2019 Documentary Lab Fellows and Projects
IFP, Filmmaker‘s parent organization, has announced the 10 feature documentaries in post-production that will take part in its 2019 Documentary Lab, which begins today at the IFP’s Made in New York Media Center. They include films about Central American mothers searching for sons and daughters who vanished en route to the U.S., a man struggling to recover his life after being wrongfully imprisoned, and a group taking part in a year-long experiment simulating life on Mars. Commented IFP Executive Director Jeffrey Sharp, “The IFP Filmmaker Labs have a history of singling out unique voices and diverse approaches to storytelling from […]
by Scott Macaulay on May 20, 2019 -
IFP Announces 20 Feature Films Selected for 2018 Filmmaker Labs
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), Filmmaker‘s publisher, announced today the 20 feature films selected for the IFP Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s year-long fellowship for first-time filmmakers currently in post-production on their debut feature. Combining documentary and narrative features together for the first time, the program begins today, running May 21-25 at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP located in DUMBO, Brooklyn. The Filmmaker Labs continues its dedication to supporting underrepresented voices. Over 60% of this year’s attending Lab Fellows, and over 70% of the directors specifically, are diverse in regards to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability. Furthermore, this year’s […]
by Filmmaker Staff on May 21, 2018 -
IFP Announces Documentary Projects For its Annual IFP Labs
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), announced yesterday the ten documentaries selected for the 2017 IFP Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s annual yearlong fellowship for first-time feature directors. The creative teams of the selected films are currently attending the first week’s sessions – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place through May 26 at the Made in New York Media Center by IFP in DUMBO, Brooklyn. “The wide and continuing success of documentaries on multiple platforms demonstrate they are no longer for niche audiences nor uniform in style or format,” says Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media […]
by Filmmaker Staff on May 24, 2017 -
Inside the IFP Labs: How to Claim Your Emerging Voice
Monday night’s event at the Made in NY Media Center — “Inside the IFP Labs: How to Claim Your Emerging Voice” — brought together three film directors and an episodic series producer, all of whom had gone through the various Labs, to talk about the process. A bit of background: the IFP Filmmaker Labs — the Narrative Lab and Documentary Lab — are open to first-time feature directors with works in post-production. Films must be budgeted under $1 million. The Screen Forward Lab is geared toward episodic media intended for any platform. All applicants must be IFP members. Sessions are […]
by Audrey Ewell on Feb 15, 2017 -
10 Ways to Advance Your Film’s Story, Outreach and Impact: A Report from the IFP Filmmaker Lab
With all the trauma of this past week, I at least had the good fortune of spending it at the IFP Filmmaker Lab in New York City. Filmmakers and my fellow mentors all showed up Wednesday morning stunned, tired and depressed from watching the election returns all night. Some stayed home but by the middle of the morning nearly all the filmmaking teams had turned up. I say that I was fortunate because one of the things that I love about the labs is that we become a community of support for each other. Even though my morning presentation was […]
by Jon Reiss on Nov 22, 2016 -
“Apply To Everything, Even If You Don’t Think You’re Ready”: Elan Bogarin at the IFP Documentary Lab
To paraphrase E. L Doctorow: Making a film is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to drive with more than headlights. My film 306 Hollywood was one of ten films chosen for the IFP Documentary Lab, and participating is like driving on a well-lit highway. With five days of presentations and workshops with industry insiders and peers you get a blast of clarity on how to finish your film and get it out into the […]
by Elan Bogarin on May 27, 2016 -
Paula Eiselt on Birthing Her Hasidic EMS Documentary 93QUEEN at the IFP Documentary Lab
I came out of hiding on May 9th, literally and figuratively. After starting production on 93QUEEN three years ago — and giving birth to my third child three months ago — I walked into the IFP Documentary Lab armed with my breast pump and a 10-minute trailer, ready to present both of my “babies.” While Libbie, my actual baby, did stay home, I was finally able to share my project with the film world; my acceptance into the Lab marked a seminal turning point in the life of 93QUEEN and my career. 93QUEEN follows a group of Hasidic women […]
by Paula Eiselt on May 25, 2016 -
IFP Announces Documentary Projects for Annual IFP Labs
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), Filmmaker‘s parent organization, announced today the ten documentaries selected for the 2016 IFP Filmmaker Labs, IFP’s annual yearlong fellowship for first-time feature directors. The creative teams of the selected films are currently attending the first week’s sessions – The Time Warner Foundation Completion Labs – taking place May 11-15 in New York City. As of 2015, the 196 projects that have gone through the program include such critically acclaimed films as the recent documentaries (T)error by Lyric Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe (Independent Lens), Nanfu Wang’s Hooligan Sparrow (POV), Sharon Shattuck’s From This Day Forward (POV), Leah […]
by Filmmaker Staff on May 9, 2016 -
Deadline Approaching for the IFP Narrative and Documentary Labs
The IFP Labs, which offer intensive, year-long mentorship to first-time filmmakers with features in post-production and budgeted less than $1 million, has a March 1 deadline coming up. Still the only Labs focused on post-production, festival strategy, marketing, distribution and DIY strategies, the program is, I think, an invaluable resource and one of the IFP’s best activities. (Full disclosure: IFP publishes Filmmaker, and I was a creator of the IFP Narrative Labs.) In addition to the guidance and advice from Lab Leaders and professional mentors, the Labs also create a tight-knit community of filmmakers who wind up being their own […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 24, 2016
