NDA's DocFarm '06

Putting my screenplays aside this past weekend, I attended the Northwest Documentary Association’s (NDA) DocFarm ’06. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the retreat exceeded my wildest expectations and even inspired me to get back into some forgotten documentary projects.

The NDA (http://groups.myspace.com/northwestdocumentaryassociation) is a new group connecting documentary filmmakers. From my experience at the retreat, it’s a great organization, bringing together a disparate group of filmmakers ranging from rank beginners (I was a good example of this) to seasoned veterans with decades of experience. I doubt that bringing together a similarly diverse group of fictional filmmakers would result in such an open, attitude-free weekend.

The retreat was two days at Smoke Farm up near Arlington (http://www.smokefarm.org). Smoke Farm is an old dairy farm, purchased by the Rubicon Foundation to make an alternative Secondary school in the 90’s. That didn’t quite pan out so now they’re un-farming the space and returning it to nature: moving the creek back where it used to be and planting native trees in the farmland. It seems that they are still defining all that the space can be. This weekend they feature a festival called “The Secret of Gold.” I don’t know the secret, but by the size of the stage they were building it’s bigger than a breadbox. I know there’s music and art and camping and dinner included in the $25 price. You can check out details on their website.

But back to DocFarm… The steering committee did a fantastic job in scheduling the myriad workshops so things kept moving but didn’t feel rushed. I learned something in every workshop: from how to throw a fund-raising party and deal with foundations, to story development, to distribution and on and on. The Works in Progress screening featured great projects, insightful comments, and professional moderation. They plan to have periodic such screeenings throughout the year, and I'll be at the next one with something to share. All this gushing isn’t very critical I know, but I can’t stress how inspiring and inclusive the whole thing was. It was mentioned at the retreat that filmmaking is often a very solitary pursuit. And having a support structure that shares experience rather than hoarding knowledge is only going to lead to better films and a stronger film community. Plus there was booze, fire and great food.

So bravo NDA – keep it up. Send them an email if you’re interested in getting more info or want to hear about their next todo: ndamembers@yahoo.com. Or you can come to the opening night of member John Sinno’s “Iraq in Fragments” at the Varsity on November 10th. I’ll see you there.