What Happens to Documentary Subjects After the Shoot?
MAY 1TARA THEATRE
indiedocumentaryhorrorindustryfilm
Fri, May 1 · 1:30 PM
About
After completing your documentary, what relationships do you maintain, if any, with the subjects of your films? After spending so much time with them and gaining the trust needed to tell their stories, do we just abandon them once we move on to the next project? How can we, or should we, stay involved in their lives? What is our ethical responsibility to the communities we center in our films? Panelists explore how we can make the films we create an instrumental part in improving the situations of the subjects we profile, and how working with affinity orgs can ensure that things are moving in the right direction, taking strong steps forward toward improving their situations. Panelists discuss how to protect their subjects and connect the distribution deals made for the films to the betterment of the lives of the participants, and protect those who often face backlash, political retaliation or the sudden effects of new found fame outside their communities. Moderator: Jennica Carmona Documentarians: Roy Cohen ( Far From Maine ), Mariah Norman ( Again I Dream ), and Jason Goldman ( Riverkeeper ) Jennica Carmona is a New York City-based Puerto Rican filmmaker, actor, and activist. Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and raised in Rochester, NY, she is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Jennica is a proud co-founder of Si Se Puede Productions , a theatre and film production company that creates material with a social justice theme. From 2008-2009, she worked with director Lee Daniels on the Academy Award-winning film, Precious , where she gained hands on experience with filmmaking and production. Jennica later went on to write, direct, and produce her first feature film, Millie and the Lords . The film was the recipient of several film festival awards and was sold to HBO/Cinemax shortly after its release. Jennica is currently in post production on her new short film, The Corito Project , which she developed and worked on as part of the 2024 Third World Newsreel Program. As an educator, Jennica has worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Arts Undergraduate Film Program, with the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, and with the Montclair Film Festival’s Education Department. She has also worked as a screener for SXSW and as a Guest Instructor for the Reel Sisters Film Festival. Currently, Jennica works as the Documentary Film Programmer for the Atlanta Film Festival. Far From Maine - Roy Cohen - Haunted by the killing by Israeli police of a Palestinian friend from his youth, an Israeli filmmaker embarks on a cinematic dialogue across time — confronting memory, friendship, and the genocide unfolding today. Roy Cohen is a filmmaker, writer and activist based in Tel Aviv. A Film Independent and Dok.Incubator fellow, he is the recipient of the Clayton-Goldrich Award. His 2026 poetic doc, "Far from Maine", premiered at IFF Rotterdam. His previous film, "Machine of Human Dreams", premiered at CPH:DOX and DOC NYC. As a journalist, Roy writes regularly for 972, and has published in The Guardian, Freitag and The Montreal Review. Again I Dream - Mariah Norman - Black Lesbian journalist and organizer Ivy Young knows that mainstream society will not preserve her story after she's gone, so she rallies friends and her niece Jade to defy the past for the sake of a righteous future. Mariah Norman is a writer, filmmaker, and dancer from Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of Harvard University with a degree in History and Literature, their practice blends archival research with speculative world-building across various mediums to work towards a more just future. And Again I Dream is Riah's first major short film, produced by Aubin Pictures. Riverkeeper - Jason Goldman - Veteran riverkeeper, Dr. Jackie Echols, protects the environment and majority Black communities throughout the South River watershed in metro Atlanta. When the city begins construction on the largest police training facility in America (Cop City), she joins the growing resistance movement, revealing the hidden connection between corporate development, unchecked pollution, and environmental racism persistent throughout the region. Jason Goldman ’s earliest filmmaking experience came under acclaimed documentarian Albert Maysles where he learned the principals of direct cinema. His directorial debut Rowdy Girl premiered at Hot Docs in 2023 and was selected by Vogue Magazine as one of the best and most anticipated docs of 2024. Riverkeeper , produced in association with Black Public Media, follows Dr. Jackie Echols in her fight to restore Atlanta's South River and communities throughout the watershed.
Details
Show
1:30pm
Tickets
Tickets available ↗
Getting There
2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, USA Brookwood, GA
Five Points · 2 min walk
Deck parking · available