Southern Documentary Fund

Music Cue Sheets
2025-03-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Halifax) | Virtual
Music Cue Sheets
Date/Time: March 26 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (EST)
Music cue sheets may seem like an administrative task, but they can have a significant impact on your projects and revenue. Poorly managed cue sheets can lead to legal complications, lost income, and unnecessary stress.
Join Director and Producer Gerald K. Barclay in this webinar for a detailed guide on the critical role cue sheets play, the benefits they offer and the overview of other music licensing options you should know about
This Webinar is presented by Gerald Barclay, Director and Producer.

Register Here

Kinema Screening: You Gave Me a Song
2025-04-16 19:00 - 21:30 | Virtual Screening
Kinema Screening: You Gave Me a Song

Kinema Screening: You Gave Me a Song
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: Kinema Virtual Screening
Join us for a special virtual screening of You Gave Me a Song, an intimate portrait of 84-year-old old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard. This heartfelt documentary traces Alice’s lifelong journey preserving and performing traditional music. Through a blend of candid rehearsals, archival recordings, and personal reflections, the film captures her enduring spirit and the powerful legacy she continues to inspire.
Get your tickets now to experience the story of a woman who shaped American roots music and still sings with soul!

Buy Tickets Here

Mentorship Webinar: Animation In Documentary
2025-04-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
Often, documentary films rely solely on talking heads, verité footage, and archival to tell a story. One of the most compelling ways to improve the visual recipe, to break up the standard visuals of documentary, is to incorporate animation into your film. This webinar will cover animation styles, budgets, methods for building illustrations and visual ideas, storyboarding, DIY animation, when to use animation, when not to use animation, and more.

Register Here

Kinema Screening: Bloom
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:30 | Virtual Screening
Bloom
May 15, 202
Virtual Screening
7:00PM (EST)
Join us for the virtual Kinema Screening of Bloom followed by a Q&A with directors Allison Rieff and Elizabeth Miller-Derstine!
About the film:
Journey with three couples and the doulas they partner with to achieve a safe and confident birth experience. Bloom, a feature-length documentary explores the work doulas are doing to fill gaps in the medical system. Doulas partner with expectant parents to assist them in advocating for themselves during pregnancy and birth. Having an educated advocate by one’s side during birth can not only safeguard against trauma but, quite literally be the difference between life and death, notably for BIPOC birthing parents. Following an ensemble cast of doulas and birthing parents, the feature-length film encompasses a breadth of experiences and challenges of giving birth at this moment. Stories about challenges in gynecological care are making headlines right now for important reasons. Those stories do need to be told and the public needs to understand those consequences. But while those stories are about how America makes it harder for people who need gynecological care to receive that care, this story is about the people who are making healthcare access an easier and positive experience.

Mentorship Webinar: Ideation and Aesthetics: Creating Documentary Films for Ya Folks
2025-05-28 12:00 | Virtural Webinar
Join us for an engaging and transformative workshop designed to empower filmmakers and storytellers who are passionate about representing and uplifting their communities through the art of cinema. “Ideation and Aesthetics: Creating Documentary Films for Ya Folks” invites participants to explore the intersection of creative ideation and visual storytelling, focusing on how film can serve as a powerful medium for cultural expression and community representation in a time where your unique voice is needed!

Mentorship Webinar: Shared Visions: The Director-Cinematographer Collaboration
2025-06-25 12:00 | Virtural Webinar
The collaboration between a director and cinematographer sits at the heart of great visual storytelling – but how do we develop these important relationships? Join award-winning cinematographer and director Sarah Hennigan for a conversation about establishing new creative collaborations and how to go about cultivating a shared vision for your project.

Maker After Dark Series: Darcy McKinnon
2025-07-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
Maker After Dark with Darcy McKinnonJuly 17, 2025 | 7:00 PM EST
Join us for an unforgettable evening of honest conversation and creative insight with acclaimed documentary producer Darcy McKinnon as part of our Maker After Dark Series. This exclusive, after-hours gathering invites you into a space where the stories behind the work take center stage—raw, real, and deeply Southern.
Seats are limited. Come ready for meaningful dialogue and rare behind-the-scenes reflections.
This is a members only event click HERE to learn more.

Mentorship Webinar: INNERviewing: Heart-Forward Storytelling Approach and Practice Broken Down into 4 Simple Steps
2025-07-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
NNERviewing: Heart-Forward Storytelling Approach and Practice Broken Down into 4 Simple Steps

Wil Weldon has two decades of experience interviewing people for video production. This seminar will dive into his approach of interviewing subjects, which he calls “Heart-Forward Storytelling.” The basics of the approach, how to apply it to a variety of situations, and a few examples, as well as time for questions. The focus is for interviewers to shift how they conduct interviews in a way that will transform results in multiple aspects of the interview.

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Southern Documentary Fund Grant Info Session 1
2025-07-29 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtural Webinar
SDF Production Grant Info Session

SDF is hosting two grant information sessions. Each session will give an overview of SDF’s Production Grant, eligibility requirements, and tips for writing a successful application. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the grant process. Information sessions will take place on Monday, July 29,1pm EST and Wednesday, August 13, 1pm EST via Zoom, and recorded sessions will be made available

Register Here

Southern Documentary Fund Grant Info Session 2
2025-08-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtural Webinar
Southern Documentary Fund Info Session 2

SDF is hosting two grant information sessions. Each session will give an overview of SDF’s Production Grant, eligibility requirements, and tips for writing a successful application. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the grant process. Information sessions will take place on Monday, July 29,1pm EST and Wednesday, August 13, 1pm EST via Zoom, and recorded sessions will be made available.

Click here

Kinema Screening: Refuge
2025-08-21 19:00 - 21:30 | Virtual Screening
Refuge
August 21, 2025
Virtual Screening
7:00PM (EST)
Join us for the virtual Kinema Screening of Refuge followed by a Q&A with Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship who are both directors and producers of the film!
About the film:
REFUGE is an award-winning feature-length documentary that follows a leader in a white nationalist hate group who finds healing from the people he once hated – a Muslim heart doctor and his town of refugees. Chris is a husband and father, a veteran, and until recently, a leader in the KKK. He started hating Muslims when the planes hit the Twin Towers on 9/11, but is forced to confront his hate when he receives a text from Muslim refugee, Heval.
REFUGE is set in the most diverse square mile in America – Clarkston, Georgia – and follows a Syrian Kurd, a former Klansman, and a town of refugees who seek belonging in an increasingly polarized and isolated America. Ultimately, REFUGE uncovers what is possible when we leave the security of our tribes and what is at stake for our country if we don’t.

Get Tickets Here

SDF Resource Webinar: The Ethics Resource Library with the Documentary Producers Alliance
2025-08-27 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
The Ethics resource library

On August 27 at 12PM ET, the Southern Documentary Fund is partnering with the Documentary Producers Alliance to introduce the Ethics Resource Library—a living, evolving tool designed to help filmmakers navigate the complex ethical questions that arise throughout the creative process.
Developed by DPA’s Ethics Subcommittee, the library offers curated, topic-based resources—from articles and toolkits to videos and keynote talks—designed to meet our industry’s changing needs around consent, representation, authorship, and more.
This webinar will explore how the library was created, why it matters now, and how you can use it in your own practice.

Register Here

Kinema Screening: Elephant 6
2025-09-18 19:00 - 23:00 | Virtural Webinar
Elephant 6

Join Southern Documentary Fund for a special virtual screening of Elephant 6 on September 18 at 7:00 PM (EST).
This vibrant documentary captures the rise of the Elephant 6 Recording Company—a visionary collective of musicians including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, The Olivia Tremor Control, and more. With rare archival footage and intimate interviews, the film explores how a group of friends from small-town America created some of the most influential sounds in indie rock, reshaping the musical landscape for generations to come.
After the screening, stay for a live conversation with co-director Chad Stockfleth, who will share behind-the-scenes insights on making the film and reflect on the enduring legacy of the Elephant 6 movement.

Register Here

Kinema Screening: Mama Bears
2025-09-18 19:00 - 23:00 | Virtural Webinar
Mama Bears

Join us on November 20 at 7:00 PM EST for a special virtual screening of Mama Bears, directed and produced by Daresha Kyi. This powerful documentary follows the extraordinary journey of Christian mothers who risk their personal, political, and spiritual lives to support and affirm their LGBTQ+ children. Fierce in their love and unwavering in their faith, these women form a growing movement that is transforming families, communities, and the church itself.
Experience this moving story of courage, conviction, and unconditional love from the comfort of your home.

Register Here

Mentorship Webinar: Finding Your Creative Voice in Times of Crisis
2025-09-24 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
Finding Your Creative Voice in Times of Crisis

In a time of uncertainty for the documentary field, this webinar offers Southern filmmakers practical tips, creative methods, and encouragement. Learn strategies to navigate challenges, sustain your projects, and stay grounded in your storytelling. Join documentary filmmaker Pilar Timpane for a focused, supportive session designed to strengthen your work and community.

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SDF Presents: The Last Partera
2025-10-01 19:00 - 21:00 | Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main Street, Columbia, SC, 29201, United States
SDF Presents: The Last Partera

Doña Miriam Elizondo has lived nearly a century, ushering countless lives into the world as the last traditional Costa Rican midwife in her region. At nearly 100 years old, she reflects on her life with both humor and wisdom — blessing mothers with a Catholic cross, teasing her protégés, and offering frank advice on love and death.
The Last Partera is more than a documentary — it’s a portrait of a woman whose influence inspires a new generation to fight for stronger, women-centered healthcare, even at the foot of an active volcano.

Buy Tickets Here

Mentorship Webinar: Film Festival Strategies for Documentary Filmmakers
2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
Film Festival Strategies for Documentary Filmmakers

Choosing the right festivals can shape your documentary’s success. Join documentary filmmaker Colleen Thurston as she shares tips on selecting festivals, planning submissions, and maximizing your film’s impact on the festival circuit.

Register Here

Mentorship Webinar: BEING RESOURCEFUL
2025-11-19 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
BEING RESOURCEFUL

Documentary filmmaker and podcast host, Eli Yetter-Bowman walks you through the process of making a living in the industry. Eli has led the North Carolina based documentary company, Ethereal Films, for almost a decade raising nearly $1M in funding for various projects. In this webinar they cover all aspects of how to be resourceful: making due with little and getting more to do more. Advice for producing, pitching, and marketing plus a crash course on getting resources for your project, especially at the beginning.

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Kinema Screening: Mama Bears
2025-11-20 19:00 - 22:00
Mama Bears takes us inside the world of conservative, Christian mothers who find themselves at a crossroads when their children come out as LGBTQ+. Faced with an impossible choice between their church and their kids, these women choose love—and in doing so, transform into some of the fiercest advocates for equality.
Their stories are raw, tender, and deeply human. They remind us that change often begins at home, and that the courage to embrace your child fully can ripple out to change entire communities.
On Wednesday, November 20 at 7:00 PM (EST), join us for this unforgettable virtual screening and stay afterward for a conversation with director and producer Daresha Kyi, who will share what it took to bring these stories to the screen.
Buy tickets HERE.

Buy Tickets Here

Giving Tuesday: Monday Break with Emily Harrold
2025-12-01 12:00 - 13:00
Join us this Giving Tuesday for a live conversation with filmmaker Emily Harrold on December 1, 2025 at 12:00PM on Southern Documentary Fund’s Instagram page. We’ll talk about Southern storytelling, creative process, and why supporting documentary makers matters now more than ever. This mid-day chat is a chance to hear directly from a Southern filmmaker shaping the landscape of nonfiction work. Tune in, bring your questions, and learn how your Giving Tuesday support helps stories like Emily’s thrive.

Maker After Dark: Tom Hansell
2025-12-18 19:00 - 21:30
You are invited to join us for a special Maker After Dark session with filmmaker, author, and educator Tom Hansell on Thursday, December 18 at 7:00 PM ET.
This evening gathering brings our community together to slow down, learn from one another, and hear directly from Southern makers about the craft and care that shape their work. Tom will share insights from his decades of documentary practice focused on coalfield communities in Appalachia and the environmental, social, and cultural stories that define the region.
This is a members only event. Learn more about memberships here.

Directing for Impact with Resita Cox
2026-01-21 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtural Webinar
As funding and distribution opportunities shrink, independent documentary filmmakers must rethink sustainability. This workshop explores impact-driven filmmaking as a pathway to long-term artistic stability, community transformation, and systemic change.
Led by impact producer and director Resita Cox, the session reframes impact campaigns as a core part of the filmmaking process—not an afterthought. Using the Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp as a case study, participants will learn how prioritizing community contribution over profit can build equitable models that pay filmmakers, remove barriers for underserved communities, and create lasting impact.
This webinar will be in partnership with the Duke Center for Documentary Studies.
This is a FREE webinar, you can register HERE.

Screening: Beyond the Belt: The Legend of Karriem Abdallah
2026-02-07 16:30 - 21:00 | THE CARY THEATER, 122 E. Chatham St., Cary, NC, 27511, United States
Join us for a powerful screening of Beyond the Belt: The Legend of Karriem AbdAllah, a moving portrait of Al-Mu’assis Karriem AbdAllah, the Newark-born martial arts innovator who became the first American to create his own system.
The film traces AbdAllah’s extraordinary journey—from making history in the world’s first televised MMA match during the “Thriller in Manila” scorecard to building a legacy rooted in pride, discipline, and empowerment within the Black community.
Through rare archival footage and intimate personal stories, Beyond the Belt reveals how his vision and relentless drive reshaped martial arts and inspired generations far beyond the mat.
Following the screening, stay for a filmmaker Q&A to dive deeper into the making of the film, its historical significance, and AbdAllah’s enduring impact.

Date | February 7, 2026
Doors Open | 4:30PM
Film Begins | 5:00PM
Location | 122 E. Chatham St. Cary, NC 27511

Kinema Screening: Ghetto Children
2026-02-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual Screening
In the 1990s and early 2000s, New Orleans was the epicenter of Southern rap, thanks to influential artists Juvenile, B.G., and Soulja Slim. While Juvenile maintains a thriving career, the other two faced tragic outcomes: Soulja Slim was murdered in 2003 just as his career was taking off, and B.G. was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in 2012. Their sons—Young Juve, T.Y., and Lil’ Soulja Slim—met as teenagers and, inspired by their shared legacies, formed the group Ghetto Children, named after a Juvenile song. This documentary is an intimate portrait of Black boyhood transforming into manhood, shaped by their fathers’ legacies. The film explores how these young men strive to carve out their own identities in the music world, navigating the weight of generational expectations, the families they build, and the culture that surrounds them.

Directed by: Zac Manuel
Starring: Young Juve, T.Y., and Lil’ Soulja Slim
Buy Tickets Here: https://kinema.com/events/Ghetto–Children-jeylph

Screening: How To Sue The Klan
2026-02-18 18:30 - 21:00 | Nickelodeon Theatre, 1607 Main Street, Columbia, SC, 29201, United States
Join us for a powerful and timely screening of How to Sue the Klan, a gripping documentary that explores a landmark civil rights case and the courage of Black women who fought back against organized hate through the legal system.
This event offers an opportunity to engage with history, justice, and the enduring impact of community-led resistance. Attend for an evening of documentary storytelling that sparks conversation, reflection, and action.
There will be a virtual Q&A with director John Beder and lawyer, Randolph McLaughlin.

Mentorship Webinar: DIY: The Documentary Director as the Cinematographer
2026-02-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtural Webinar
When resources are limited, becoming the cinematographer of your own films can be a powerful creative advantage. In this webinar, filmmaker and cinematographer Andy Sarjahani breaks down the benefits of this approach and discusses how it has supported his filmmaking practice and independent career.
This event is free for Southern Documentary Fund members.

Mentorship Webinar: Ethical Filmmaking
2026-03-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtural Webinar
What does it truly mean to make films ethically? Join Emmy Award–winning producer and director Daresha Kyi for a powerful and timely conversation on embedding accountability, care, and justice into every stage of the filmmaking process.

This mentorship webinar is free for Southern Documentary Fund members.

Kinema Screening: Stay Prayed Up
2026-05-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Virtual Screening
Join us for a special Kinema screening of Stay Prayed Up, a moving portrait of faith, music, and community rooted in the American South. Centered on the powerful voice and spirit of Mother Lena Mae Perry and her gospel group, The Branchettes, the film captures a legacy of song that has uplifted generations. As Perry prepares for a long-awaited live recording, Stay Prayed Up offers an intimate look at devotion, friendship, and the enduring impact of Southern storytelling—on stage and beyond.

Mentorship Webinar: Crowdfunding to Build Independence with Seed&Spark
2026-05-27 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtural Webinar
Crowdfunding to Build Independence is Seed&Spark’s flagship class, and lays out the steps toward a successful crowdfunding campaign, as well as a career-long action plan most likely to create a lasting, flourishing, direct relationship with an audience.
Attendees learn how to find your audience, structure your crowdfunding campaign, pick the right goal and incentives, and much more.

Southern Documentary Convening
2026-06-05 08:00 - 2026-06-07 20:00 | The Fruit, 305 S Dillard St, Durham, NC, 27701, United States
The Southern Documentary Convening is an annual three-day conference for first-time, emerging and experienced documentary makers taking place this year in Durham, NC. Attendees will benefit from workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry professionals. The event aims to provide both practical skills and artistic growth through personal connections and relevant discussions.
