2025 SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 30
BREAKFAST
8:30am
-9:30am
It's been a year. Get here early to say hello over coffee and a bite before heading to the sessions.
…
One Step Ahead: Protecting Stories and Sources in a Shifting Legal Landscape
9:30am
-10:45am
In recent months, the Trump Administration has eliminated long standing legal protections that shielded the notes and records of reporters in investigations of government leaks. Coupled with the dismantling of offices once charged with protecting whistleblowers from retaliation, the moves signal a wider climate of legal uncertainty for investigative filmmakers and reporters alike. This panel explores emerging risks—from leak investigations to defamation and surveillance—affecting anyone tackling…
One Year In: Forging New Alliances in Funding and Distribution
10:45am
-12:15pm
As PBS redraws its role for nonfiction films and as major streaming platforms and traditional broadcasters narrow their slates for investigative documentaries, independent filmmakers face both daunting challenges and rare opportunities in getting their work to audiences. Navigating this unsettled territory—where public infrastructure is receding and corporate algorithms reign—has become a defining issue along today’s “New Fault Lines.” This session brings together leading voices from long-standi…
Lunch
12:15pm
-1:00pm
Break bread with old friends and new after the morning sessions. There's lots more to come.…
Fog of Falsehood: Disinformation, AI, and the Battle Over Reality
1:00pm
-2:15pm
Governments have long used disinformation to destabilize publics, muddy accountability, and create atmospheres of deliberate confusion. Now, the rise of generative AI adds new layers to this fog, producing convincing falsehoods at astonishing speed and scale. In this session, investigative journalists and filmmakers probe the shifting terrain where truth itself can feel elusive and even unknowable.
How do journalists and documentary filmmakers navigate and expose realities when narratives are co…
Race in Real Time
2:15pm
-3:30pm
Dramatic steps to whitewash the American story in the name of “patriotic education” don’t simply reshape what we see on display at our national museums or read in textbooks—they rewrite who has a place in the American story. Black filmmakers committed to investigative, truth-driven work about Black heritage and experience, find themselves fighting not only for funding and access—but at times for the ability to tell stories that reflect an honest reckoning with racism, violence, and activism. The…
Piercing the Numbness: Getting Beyond the Intolerable Everyday
3:35pm
-4:50pm
The writer Isaac Bashevis Singer once wrote that the greatest curse of the human spirit is its ability to get used to anything. As the public becomes desensitized to stories of violence, trauma, and injustice, investigative storytellers face the challenge of breaking through the static. How can investigative storytellers bring a fresh eye to urgent, trauma-filled stories that the public often struggles to look at directly? This panel will explore the creative, ethical, and emotional strategies t…
Friday, October 31
Breakfast
8:30am
-9:30am
Come early for social time and breakfast before heading to the sessions.…
Echoes from the Embassy: A Conversation with Eugene Jarecki
9:30am
-10:15am
Eugene Jarecki, who recently won the inaugural Golden Globe Prize for Documentary at Cannes, will sit down for a director Q&A at Double Exposure. His new film, The Six Billion Dollar Man, shows how governments exaggerated accusations to discredit Julian Assange in the court of public opinion and undermine his status as a journalist, laying the groundwork to prosecute him under the Espionage Act. By weaving together original footage and critical context, the film challenges familiar narrative…
Against the Current: Breaking Through the Dominant Narrative
10:20am
-11:30am
How do filmmakers and reporters reframe stories so deeply woven into public consciousness that they rarely face real scrutiny? In this incisive panel discussion, the directors and journalists behind Magic & Monsters and Trade Secret reveal how their work challenged entrenched beliefs, uncovering what is overlooked or deliberately hidden. Together, they explore the creative, ethical, and practical challenges of confronting dominant narratives—perceptions so pervasive and protected by powerful…
Between Care and Truth: Ethical Dilemmas in Character-Driven Documentary
11:30am
-12:30pm
Documentary filmmakers spend months—and often years—cultivating trust with their subjects, bound by a deep duty of care that underpins the filmmaker–protagonist relationship. But what happens when the subject is deeply flawed, or when their values clash with those of the filmmaker? This panel explores the tension between honoring that trust and remaining accountable to history, truth, and the audience.…
Lunch
12:30pm
-1:15pm
Break bread with old friends and new after the morning sessions. There's lots more to come.…
Closed Doors, Open Wounds: Investigating Hidden Online Harm
1:15pm
-2:15pm
Predators who manipulate people in mental health crisis thrive in the shadows: closed groups, encrypted chats, disappearing platforms, and loopholes in policy and law. Joy Ash's new documentary Poisoned, based on reporting by James Beal, deputy investigations editor at The Times of London, shines a light on this hidden ecosystem and the devastating ripple effects on families and communities. Kenneth Law, a Canadian former chef, allegedly sent 1,000–1,200 packages to people in distress across 41 …
Meet the Funders Who are Meeting the Moment
2:20pm
-3:20pm
At a time when public interest documentary faces sharper headwinds and shifting terrains, the question of where support will come from has never been more urgent. With longstanding pillars like PBS, the NEA, and the NEH pulling back and streaming platforms proving increasingly wary of investigative content, filmmakers are navigating a landscape with new lines drawn—and deep uncertainty about what’s next.
This panel brings together funders who are stepping up in a pivotal, unpredictable moment. T…
Subterfuge in Search of Truth
3:20pm
-4:00pm
Mads Brügger has described The Black Swan as “a documentary disguised as a spy thriller.” At the center of his docuseries, the second most-watched documentary in Denmark history, stands Amira Smajic, a former insider in Denmark’s criminal world who goes undercover with hidden cameras. Brügger collaborates with Smajic to reopen her former consultancy office, now rigged to document real-time encounters with criminals, lawyers, and businessmen involved in corruption and fraud. Brügger intentionally…
OPENING LINES: MIX & MINGLE
4:00pm
-5:30pm
Come raise a glass and kick back for social time, drinks, and light fare, as panel discussions conclude and the evening's film premieres await.
…
Saturday, November 1
Workshop Day
9:30am
-2:00pm
Workshop Day at Double Exposure is all about rolling up your sleeves and diving into immersive, skill-building experiences alongside fellow filmmakers and journalists. Whether you're looking to master new techniques, sharpen your storytelling tools, or tackle the latest industry challenges, these workshops give you actionable insights and hands-on learning. Please note that space for each workshop is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis—so secure your spot early to make the…
DIY Impact and Distribution for Short Docs
10:00am
-11:30am
Today, traditional gatekeepers are fading and social platforms can offer investigative filmmakers the power to control their own distribution—and reach millions. In this session, we'll speak about how to integrate social video production into your larger vision, and I’ll share how we've built loyal audiences on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram by turning complex reporting into compelling short-form video. And how to use that to build an audience ready for your full-length feature.…
Bulletproof Your Film
10:00am
-11:15am
Learn how to protect your work before it hits the screen. This practical workshop, presented in partnership with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, walks filmmakers through essential legal review strategies to safeguard against lawsuits, including those involving inaccuracies, libel, and defamation. Participants will gain tools to identify legal vulnerabilities, correct potential issues, and ensure their films stand on solid ground—legally as well as creatively.…
Pro Bono Legal Clinic for Investigative Storytellers
11:30am
-12:45pm
The Pro Bono Legal Clinic offers investigative storytellers (filmmakers and journalists) lacking legal representation the opportunity to connect with experts in a position to knowledgeably discuss the legal challenges they are confronting. Leading attorneys in the areas of First Amendment law, privacy and libel, Freedom of Information, whistleblower protection, and copyright and intellectual property are on hand. Attorneys will brief participants on case law and trends relevant to problems that …
Visual Investigation: Innovative Tactics for Video Journalism
12:15pm
-1:45pm
From international conflict to mass deportation, Evident Media and Bellingcat collaborate to cover major stories through video journalism driven by open-source reporting, including satellite imagery, analysis of user-generated content, and other innovative visual storytelling tactics. This work has fueled Emmy and Murrow-winning projects. In this workshop, team members from Evident Media and Bellingcat walk through their recent reporting and their approach to visual journalism, providing actiona…
Digital Security in the Surveillance Age
1:00pm
-1:50pm
Photographers and videographers face unique digital security challenges in an inescapably connected world. Drawing from real-life case studies and nearly a decade in newsrooms, this presentation will cover practical strategies for protecting creative work, client data, and personal privacy.
Topics include: understanding threats, vulnerabilities, and risk assessment; managing your attack surface (ASM) and digital footprint; the dangers of metadata in your files; encryption fundamentals for files …