Finding Your Compass:
A Documentary Ethics and Accountability Workshop

Presented by the Ethics Squad and the Emory Center for Ethics, in partnership with the Atlanta Film Society, Video Consortium, and the Documentary Accountability Working Group.

Join us for a two-day in-person workshop on Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7, 2025, at The Plaza Theatre and The Supermarket in Atlanta, Georgia.

DATE: 12/6/25 & 12/7/25
TIME: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
LOCATION: Plaza Theatre & The Supermarket
PRICE: STANDARD REGISTRATION: $100 NON MEMBERS – Now until December 6th (Day of first event) | DAY OF REGISTRATION: $125
Save $25 if you register by Friday, November 7, 11:59 PM EST with discount code: OPS to PROVIDE
College Students receive free entry with proof of enrollment
ATLFS Member discounts applied at checkout

Do you wonder about what responsibility documentary filmmakers have to their participants throughout the filmmaking process and beyond? Should filmmakers compensate participants? When we use AI to create images, what could go wrong?

This interactive workshop invites filmmakers to grapple with the real-world ethical challenges of documentary filmmaking. Together, we will:

  • Explore the nuances of ethical responsibility to film crews and participants (past and present) through disseminating multiple ethical frameworks

  • Discuss and analyze dilemmas from contemporary documentary filmmakers

  • Workshop participants’ own projects in facilitated small groups

While documentary ethics rarely offer simple answers, engaging with case studies and peer discussions can offer guidance as you wrestle with dilemmas from your own projects. This event is designed for filmmakers at all stages of their careers and offers concrete tools, resources, and community support to strengthen your filmmaking practice.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Explore ethical frameworks from The Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG) and Markkula Center of Applied Ethics. 

  • Interrogate generative AI with the Archival Producers Alliance, who will conduct an interactive discussion and presentation.  

  • Hear from and discuss real-life examples of ethical challenges from invited documentary filmmakers.

  • Workshop and brainstorm conference participants’ projects in small, facilitated groups. 

  • We ask guests to bring a compassionate and open mind as we explore these sensitive and complex case studies.

FACILITATORS AND SPEAKERS

  • Anjanette Levert is a Peabody Award-winning documentary producer, filmmaker, curator, and professor based in Atlanta. Her work centers Southern Black life and amplifies underrepresented voices through powerful nonfiction storytelling. She produced The Only Doctor (Hot Doc Film Fest, PBS Reel South, Al Jazerra Witness), and has led documentary education as a professor at Spelman College, where she received Presidential Awards for Teaching and Mentorship. A frequent speaker, moderator, and cultural strategist, she brings decades of experience connecting art, activism, and media across platforms, classrooms, and communities.

  • Sarah Rachael Wainio is a film and television producer with 15 seasons across WEtv, MTV, TLC, Food Network, and Magnolia Network. She field produced THE LOST KITCHEN Season 2 (HBO Max), winner of Realscreen's 2023 Best Lifestyle Docureality Food Show. Her filmography includes THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON (Netflix) and 32 PILLS: MY SISTER'S SUICIDE (HBO Max). A 2023 DOC NYC and A&E Documentary New Leader, Sarah co-chairs the Documentary Producers Alliance Ethics Subcommittee and debuted the Ethics Resource Library at 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.

  • Laura Asherman is an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, stop-motion animator, and educator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Interested in the boundaries of documentary and fiction, Laura’s recent work takes a hybrid approach to address social issues with a sense of humor. In 2023, she earned an MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts from Duke University. Currently, Asherman serves as Director of Ethics and the Arts and teaches in the film department at Emory University, and as an organizer for Video Consortium’s Atlanta Chapter.

Thank You to Our Partners