Best of Times, Worst of Times: The Future of Feature Documentaries

Sheffield DocFest Podcast

Are we entering a new "Golden Age" for feature documentary? Will new funding sources create a flurry of blockbuster features, or is cinema exhibition inexorably declining as audiences ‘Netflix and chill’? The rising power of SVOD platforms opens up new audiences and revenue streams, but may also be skewing the market towards over-long, sensational documentaries based on profit algorithms. A panel explore who's got the money and whether today's market prioritises “Films that do Well" over “Films that do Good.”

Chaired by Rajesh Thind with Kim Christiansen (Danish Broadcasting Corporation), Mandy Chang (BBC Storyville), Elhum Shakerifar (producer) and Lisa Marie Russo (Doc Society)