Folkestone Documentary Festival 2026: Industry Day

Calling all filmmakers, artists and documentary-curious people. Do you want to know more about documentary film craft, find out who is funding and distributing independent non-fiction projects and documentary art, and meet with other film creatives and potential collaborators? Then book for this jam-packed day of presentations, panel discussions, case studies, one-to-ones and networking in partnership with BFI Doc Society and Screen South.

The day features 5 varied and informative panels including conversations with talented filmmakers and execs about documentary features, shorts, and hybrid projects. Open to all, whatever level of experience. The sessions are ‘relaxed’ and there will be tea and coffee available throughout the day if you need to take a break.

There will also be a chance for Industry Day ticket holders to book 1-to-1s with industry experts. These slots are offered on a first come first served basis and will be available to book on the day.

The Industry Day will be followed by networking drinks at Club Folkestone sponsored by Docker and Dr Jekyll’s mysteriously refreshing beer. Free to Industry Day ticket holders.

www.folkestonedocumentaryfestival.co.uk

Schedule

9.30am – Doors Open

10am – Welcome + Introduction from the Festival Team

10.10am - Creative Distribution with Jeanie Finlay & Suzanne Alizart from Glimmerama
This year's keynote session will be led by the team from Glimmerama, the creative distribution arm of Glimmer Films, the company behind this year’s film All Rivers Spill Their Stories to The Sea and previous festival opening film Your Fat Friend. Jeanie and Suzanne will discuss ideas for rethinking audience engagement through innovative release strategies. Presenting case studies learned from their experiments in documentary distribution crafted for specific audiences, they'll present a new frontier for film releasing done with care.

11.10am - Using Archive in Documentaries
The process for using and clearing archive material in docs can feel daunting and expensive. This session will demystify the archive journey, featuring an expert panel who use archive material every day and help others to do it too. What archive is out there and available to use? How do you research and discover it? Who do you ask to use it, what are the costs, and how do you negotiate them? What does it mean when material is in the public domain, and is fair dealing actually a thing in the UK? Beyond the admin and finance side, what are best practices of using archive creatively and interestingly in your film? Featuring:

Stephen Slater, Archive Producer specialising in space.
Gonzalo Chacon, Director at Footage Farm, UK archive library specialising in public domain material.
Janet Mc Bride, Archive Film Consultant.
Simon McCallum, Archive Projects Curator, BFI.
Chair: Charlie Phillips

12.10pm - How Not to Annoy Your Editor, Top Tips!
More than any other film art form, the documentary film is really made in the edit, and your editor has to be your best friend. This session features three top UK editors talking about what you need to do as directors and producers to make the edit go well. Featuring:

Nicole Hálová (All Rivers Spill Their Stories To The Sea)
Emelie Mahdavian (The Lake, Sundance Special Jury Prize 2026)
Cassandra Roberts (Stich and Bitch Editors)
Chair: James Collie

1.10pm - Lunch
Bring your own, or buy from the amazing eateries around Quarterhouse.

2pm - Community Filmmaking & Video Activism with Ed Webb-Ingall
A session with filmmaker and researcher Ed Webb-Ingall on his new book The Story of British Video Activism. The event will trace the democratising impact of portable video recording technology from the late 1960s to the early 21st century. Webb-Ingall will introduce pioneering and dynamic video-makers showing how video played a powerful role in local and national campaigns on issues including housing, labour struggles and racial justice.

Ed Webb-Ingall will be joined in-conversation by Charlie Phillips.

2:45pm - Shorts!
Meet some of this year's brilliant short filmmakers featured in the festival programme, and hear how they got their films made. Featuring:
Daisy Ifama (Rap Baby)
Roopa Gogineni and Farhaan (Riding Time)
Louisa Rechenbach (Concrete Roots)
Callum McCulloch (The Weavers)
Chair: James Collie

3:15pm - What's the Film Tax Credit?
Anna Mansi, director of film and video game certification at the BFI, will present a practical guide to the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) for documentaries - essential tools for every UK filmmaker.

3:50pm - What's New in Funding & Other Opportunities?
Who's out there offering new opportunities to get your documentaries funded and otherwise supported? Hear from some documentary supporters who you may not have otherwise been aware of - what they're looking for, how you can approach them, and what they're excited about in documentaries right now. Featuring:

Sylvia Bednarz, Managing Director, Grierson Trust
Janine Thomas, Assistant Commissioner, BBC Storyville
James Weddup, Fund Manager for slate development and majority co-production, Global Screen Fund (BFI)
Harriet Gugenheim, Co-founder and Co-director, Placeholder Films
Jamie Allan, Talent Development Manager, BFI Doc Society Fund
Chair: Charlie Phillips

4:45pm - Closing Thoughts led by Charlie Phillips & James Collie

5pm - Networking Drinks at Club Folkestone