Skidmore’s 2021 MDOCS Forum goes global
The John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) at Skidmore College is bringing together nonfiction artists, students, scholars and activists from around the globe for the 2021 MDOCS Forum, which will be held virtually for the first time and feature presentations in five languages from four continents.
Through workshops, screenings, panels and conversations, the June 6-13 documentary festival will consider how co-creation has shaped the year in nonfiction art making and connections to communities that have been working toward liberation and equity in the United States and beyond. “Co-Creation: Delights, Discontents and Dislocations” is the theme of this year’s event, which is organized annually by MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute.
MDOCS Forum is free and open to the public. Participants must register by June 3 for full access to the programming. For more information and to register, visit skidmo.re/forum2021.
“Over the course of the last year, we have seen devastating loss and violence. However, we have also seen an abundance of outrage, creativity and communal care in the form of protest, mutual aid and reinvigorated creative communities,” said Storytellers Institute Director Sarah Friedland. “Expanding to a global conversation is particularly resonant this year, with the mutual experience of the pandemic making the world’s interconnections and divisions even more apparent.”
With over 60 presenters representing diverse mediums and disciplines, MDOCS Forum features three main components:
The Playlist features 14 pre-recorded panels, screenings and conversations that registered participants can explore at their convenience from June 6 to 13. Highlights include a panel featuring Another Kind of Girl Collective, film screenings such as Scribe Video Center’s “We Tell: 50 Years of Participatory Community Media,” and panels on community engagement, collective processes and more.
Forum Weekend features six interactive sessions that will be hosted synchronously on Zoom from June 11 to 13.
International co-presenters include Documentary Africa (DocA), Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture, the International School of Film and Television (EICTV), and China Residencies.
MDOCS Forum is presented by the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS), which embeds documentary within the intellectual and cultural life of Skidmore College and explores how documentaries can enhance capacities for mutual understanding, innovative artistry, public engagement and social impact.
The MDOCS program was founded in 2014, thanks to seed funding from Moore family members Jim and Sue Towne. MDOCS Forum is also funded by Skidmore College and the Ford Foundation.
For more information, visit skidmo.re/forum2021.
