IFI - Irish Film Institute

Event: Mary Raftery Journalism Fund announces details of ‘Ethics and Documentary Film-Making’ Seminar

Mary Raftery Journalism Fund has announced details of the “‘Are You Sitting Comfortably?’  Documentary Film Making: Ethics. Platforms. Challenges”. The event is a day-long seminar, taking place in the IFI Dublin on October 9th, featuring screenings and discussions chaired by three leading broadcasters; Olivia O’Leary, Miriam O’Callaghan and Keelin Shanley.

As the broadcast and funding climate changes, with digital media creating new platforms for documentary journalism, and commercial pressures challenging film-makers in how they fund their work, the Mary Raftery Journalism Fund (MRJF) aims to support journalists and film-makers in ensuring journalistic standards are maintained in this rapidly evolving landscape. The event will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to watch relevant work, gain insights into the challenges today for experienced journalists and documentary film-makers and a chance to examine one’s own practice and ideas in the context of the evolving digital environment.

Areas under discussion will include the relationship between the film maker and the subject; ethics around the management of personal material by documentary makers; the ‘authored’ documentary versus agenda led film-making; and an exploration of the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapidly changing digital environment.

In the morning there will be an opportunity to see Behind The Walls (2011)  the final documentary series made by Mary Raftery. The screening will be followed by a discussion of the issues raised in the film facilitated by broadcaster and journalist Miriam O’Callaghan.

The afternoon will see two panel discussions. The first discussion will be chaired by Olivia O’Leary and participants will include Christopher Hird (Dartmouth Films), Colin Murphy (film-maker / journalist) and Janet Traynor (documentary-maker and journalist).

The second panel discussion be chaired by RTÉ’s Keelin Shanley and will feature Malachy Browne (Reported.ly), Dearbhla Glynn (film-maker), Carl O’Brien (journalist) and Tom Warren (Buzzfeed UK).

For tickets & event details, see: www.ifi.ie/mrjf. Tickets (€5 per session/€10 for 3 sessions) available from the IFI Box Office on 01-6793477 or www.ifi.ie/mrjf.

For further information, see: www.maryrafteryfund.ie.