AFI Docs
 | This article needs more citations. (January 2026) |
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| Location | Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| No. of films | 103 as of 2017 |
The AFI Docs, formerly Silverdocs, was an American international documentary film festival held in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. from 2003 until 2022, when it was merged into AFI Fest.
History
[edit]Silverdocs was founded in 2003[1] by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel.[citation needed]
In 2013 it was merged into AFI Fest, a Los Angeles-based film festival.[2]
Its last edition took place in 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic had caused it to be held fully online in 2020 and mostly online in 2021, when it was fully merged into AFI Fest.[1] Former employees of the festival, Sky Sitney and Jamie Shor, went on to create a new documentary film festival in Washington DC, DC/DOX, in 2023.[3]
Description
[edit]The festival was held for five days in June at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland,and other locations in and near Washington, D.C.[4][5][6]
Several organizations usually took part in the events: BBC, CPB, Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Ford Foundation, HBO, Latino Public Broadcasting, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Miramax, National Black Programming Consortium, National Geographic, PBS, the Sundance Institute, The Weinstein Company.
Notable people
[edit]In 2013, the AFI Docs Advisory Board comprised: Ken Burns, Davis Guggenheim, Chris Hegedus, Werner Herzog, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Albert Maysles, Errol Morris, D A Pennebaker, and Frederick Wiseman.[2]
Other notable people involved with AFI Docs included:[citation needed]
- AOL vice-chairman emeritus Ted Leonsis
- BET co-founder Sheila Johnson
- Former Vice President Al Gore
Award recipients
[edit]Yoruba Richen won the Audience Award in 2013 for The New Black, which looked at about the African-American community response to marriage equality initiatives.[7][8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Hornaday, Ann (February 3, 2022). "AFI Docs is hitting pause on programming". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- 1 2 Kay, Jeremy (April 13, 2013). "Silverdocs rebrands, expands". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
- ↑ ""We Are Grounded Here": DC/DOX's Inaugural Edition Goes Live". International Documentary Association. June 6, 2023. Archived from the original on September 21, 2026. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
- ↑ Dry, Kate (June 16, 2020). "AFI Docs 2020: 10 of the Most Exciting Films in This Year's Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ↑ Johnson, Ted (May 6, 2020). "AFI Docs Announces Plans For Online Film Festival, 'Boys State' Will Open Event". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020.
- ↑ "The American Film Institute Announces Dates For 2021 AFI Docs Film Festival". SHOOTonline. November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ↑ "The New Black | A film by Yoruba Richen". newblackfilm.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ↑ "The New Black | African American Debate over Marriage Equality". Independent Lens. PBS. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
External links
[edit]- "Silverdocs Awards" (via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center)
- AFI Docs section of AFI Fest