Double Exposure is the United States’ first and only film festival dedicated to investigative reporting on film. It pairs four days of film screenings with a professional symposium that brings together watchdog journalists and filmmakers venturing into investigative storytelling.
Today, much of the world finds itself caught in the spaces in between, as our planet experiences a period of upheaval and profound transformation. From the lighting rise of AI and global warming to political polarization and economic uncertainty, thresholds and a sense of impending change loom large. Boundaries blur, as basic assumptions, like what is real, become basic questions.
These forces present untested challenges for humans everywhere, acutely so for the investigative filmmakers and journalists who go after the hidden stories of our times. Thus our theme for 2024, a first ever for Double Exposure, is In Flux | Out of Bounds.
Porous borders are not entirely new to Double Exposure, rooted as it is at the meeting of two disciplines. For ten years, DX has navigated the space in between cinematic storytelling and investigative reporting, each with its distinct sense of standards and strengths, ethics and missions. Through the films that DX premieres to intimate discussions that explore the values and practices of cinematic vs. journalistic storytelling, we have managed to create relationships and tools that support practitioners and bodies of work across these camps in concrete ways.
This inescapable sense, of a universe In Flux | Out of Bounds, surfaced time and again as we shaped symposium and festival programming. Through panel discussions, masterclasses, Q&As with leading storytellers in investigative journalism and cinema, and skill-building workshops, DX24 is preparing to equip storytellers with the insight and skills to move smartly in a sea of uncertainty and transition.
We’re thrilled to part the curtain on Double Exposure’s tenth season, running from November 7-10, starting with the DX Symposium lineup. DX brings you timely conversations, skill-building workshops, master classes, one-on-one meetings, and–after long years of distance–plenty of opportunities to kick back with friends and colleagues.
From discussions about the use of A.I. deepfakes in filmmaking, to a masterclass on fictionalizing investigative stories, this year’s symposium lineup is packed with compelling sessions you won’t want to miss.
Here’s a look back at some of the intriguing sessions from Double Exposure 2023.
When NFTs and cryptocurrencies collapsed, they took with them $2 trillion, countless dreams, and a once-promising paradigm for funding independent filmmakers and journalists. How did that loss course through society, and who felt it most? Post-collapse, where did the hot money go, and what does the answer to that question mean for content creators? (Hint: it’s not pretty.)
Zero in on the physical, social and legal attacks faced by the investigative filmmaking team of The Holly, which tackled the story of an unholy nexus between gangs, gentrification, and law enforcement in Denver.
Discover strategies and insights for building diverse and inclusive film teams. Learn how to work through potential sources of tension to enhance creativity and storytelling, leading to more authentic and powerful narratives.
Digging deep to find the story: Join trina reynolds-tyler from the Chicago-based Invisible Institute for a workshop on mining public records to expose patterns of policing gender-based violence. trina and cai thomas will provide training in interpreting and using this valuable source material.
DX Access + Pitch, the festival’s pre-arranged one-on-one meetings with industry figures, is back this year, for both virtual and in-person attendees, included with all DX passes.
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