The DPA is launching a new educational program entitled “Producing Toward Equity” (PTE) to educate audiences in both dismantling inequitable producing practices and rebuilding ones that are more fair and just. PTE is a free-of-charge and accessible three-part workshop series that will offer interactive training through the lens of equity, inclusion, and accessibility in film financing, crediting, and labor practices, for independent documentary producers of all experience levels. Developed in partnership with the International Documentary Association (IDA), PTE will be launched at select independent film festivals and ultimately offered to the IDA and DPA’s combined membership, members of independent film collectives, and the broader independent film community, at no cost to participants, thanks to support from a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant. 

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Despite their critical role within projects and the broader industry, documentary producers are facing grave financial and career instability, which is further exacerbated by a lack of recognition, support, and professional development in a field grappling with its own internal structural racism. “Producing Toward Equity” is an interactive and accessible sequence of workshops offering participants an opportunity to engage with the DPA’s existing best practices resources — such as the Documentary Waterfall and Crediting — with a focus on addressing sustainable and equitable business practices in a field where unpaid labor and structural inequality are pervasive norms. The workshops will provide producers educational opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable or difficult to find, in areas often unaddressed in formal undergraduate/graduate programs and on-the-job training.