Take it From Them: Our Fellows Tell You Why to Apply to the 2025 Doc Story Lab
Ah, editing: the one phase of production that is truly unique to motion pictures (at least according to some people). Documentary editing is an even more unique form of alchemy. After years of researching, gathering material, shooting, building relationships with participants, and generally filling up hard drives with terabytes of footage, you have to remove yourself from that experience, and look at your film like someone who hasn’t even heard the subject of your film. There are thousands of ways to tell that story, and it can be easy to get lost in the weeds. Once it’s all done, then there’s getting it in front of the right people, whether that’s sales agents, distributors, or organizations that you could partner with.
The Film Independent Documentary Story Lab is there for those intrepid directors who have projects in late production/early post-production. In the Lab, filmmakers attend workshops with established names in the documentary world, everyone from directors to producers, to institutional funders and distributors. Fellows will also be paired with a Creative and Editing Advisor as they work towards a final pitch event with industry executives.
Applications for the 2025 Documentary Story Lab are now open, with a non-Member deadline of December 16 (Film Independent Members have until January 6). But don’t take our word for it. We asked what some of last year’s Documentary Story Lab Fellows what they took out of the labs, and here’s what they had to say:
Why did you apply for Documentary Story Lab?
Lilyana Torres García (Project: I Want to Kill My Grandfather): One of the main reasons I applied for the Lab is because it’s very important to have a community that reminds us why we do documentary filmmaking. It just makes it easier and it gives you more power and more love to keep doing it, because it takes a long time to do a film.
Cody Stickels (Project: A Texas Son): I applied to the Lab because I had this project that was really important to me. And it’s been such a long process, ten years in the making, and I just got in the weeds about it. I didn’t know what to do next. The Film Independent Documentary Story Lab was a place that I could bring it, and have a fresh perspective from people who really care about documentary.
Chelsi Bullard (Project: Unfiltered): I applied to the Film Independent Documentary Story Lab because I’m at a critical time. I’ve been protecting my baby for five years now, and it’s time for new eyes to look at it for me to get feedback. And even if it’s critical, I know it’s coming from a place of love.
Adelina Borets (Project: Flowers of Ukraine)
I’m from Ukraine, and for me, it was a big step, getting knowledge about the American film industry. It was like a big rain of knowledge: How does everything work here? It was also important to understand that my work, a comedy film, be understood and be humorous here.
How would you describe what a documentary filmmaker does someone who wasn’t a filmmaker?
Lilyana Torres García: We have to understand first that, documentary is not a genre, but it’s a form of expression and understanding.
Kenny Rigsby (Project: Pine Curtain Fighters): A documentary filmmaker is someone who empathetically captures a real life, in its specificity, in order to speak a greater or more broad truth.
Suzannah Herbert (Project: Natchez): Documentaries take years and years to make, and there’s so many different layers to making a documentary. There’s research, there’s development, there’s meeting people, there’s production, then there’s the edit and the fundraising. Then there’s the distribution. That that’s one thing I actually love about the process, just how varied it is. Every day is different in documentary filmmaking.
What is something that people don’t realize that a documentary filmmaker does?
Kenny Rigsby (Project: Pine Curtain Fighters): They go to great lengths to build trust with those that they film with. I think that’s really where the magic happens– in that trust.
Cody Stickels: Something people may not realize a documentarian does is push culture forward.
Suzannah Herbert (Project: Natchez): I think one of the things that I love about documentary filmmaking is bringing stories to the world that otherwise wouldn’t be told and giving a voice to the voiceless.
Lilyana Torres García: I think people don’t know that documentary filmmakers, we do a lot of spreadsheets.
What’s one thing you learned from another Fellow during the Lab?
Adelina Borets: My colleagues from the lab opened their worlds. And I also shared mine as a Ukrainian and it is unbelievable how we could exchange them and remind each other that we are different people from different nationalities, but we have something in common.
It’s unbelievable how I could dive into a Mexican story, or an American story. And they could also understand my story.
Cody Stickels: I’ve learned so many things from the other fellows in the lab. And I think overall, just seeing how different we all are and how many stories are being told, is reinvigorating in documentary.
Chelsi Bullard: One thing I learned from the Fellows in the Lab is just to know your story through and through. I think that sometimes it’s intimidating pitching to new people and having outsiders hear your story for the first time. And maybe I felt like I’ve had to construct the narrative in a way that’s more accessible to them. But if I can just be myself, and let my individualism shine, then that’s more than enough.
What was the best part of the lab?
Suzannah Herbert: A week in the Fi Documentary Story Lab was creatively inspiring and encouraging in every way. In between learning from seasoned filmmakers, workshopping our films, and pitching to industry executives, the best part was forming lasting, supportive friendships with the other fellows.
Chelsi Bullard: Having dedicated time away from the edit bay to simply be present was fabulous. It’s always reassuring to learn our feelings are not in a vacuum, and that there are other artists out there who now we can lean on as well all push through and deliver our films out into the world. I left the week-long intensive feeling a renewed sense of confidence and brimming with ideas on how to shape the film into its final form.
Kenny Rigsby: The best part of the Documentary Story Lab was the in-between conversations with the other fellows are where I felt like I learned the most. Being able to ask so many off-the-cuff, informal questions to filmmakers who are a few steps ahead and in the trenches was very valuable. Also, the Film Independent staff’s support and kindness, and taco & margarita nights! The Fi Documentary Story Lab provided exactly what I needed at this stage in my filmmaking journey — objective feedback on my film, access to filmmaking networks, creative sessions with top-notch professionals, and a wonderfully supportive group of peers!
Why should a documentary filmmaker apply to this program?
Lilyana Torres García: One of the most important things is to create community, because that feeds the power of what we do.
Suzannah Herbert: I applied to the Documentary Story Lab to foster relationships with other filmmakers. I think that during the pandemic, especially, I felt very isolated from the doc community. We’re all siloed in our own little bubbles making our films, whether it’s in the field or in front of a computer. This was such an incredible opportunity to meet with, other creatives and also people in the industry. I received so much amazing creative feedback and support, and it was just very nurturing.
Chelsi Bullard: A filmmaker should apply to the program because we can’t do this alone. We have so many speakers that come in that take us out of just sitting in our office chair, where we can learn from producers in the field, where we can learn from legal counsel in the field. There’s just so many parts of filmmaking. It’s not just the creative side. It’s a great marriage of creative and business that is going to be lasting in our careers.
Kenny Rigsby: You’re just in the trenches for so many years. To be able to come somewhere and spend time with other people who understand it and do the same thing is just invaluable.
Header image by Alana Waksman
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