The Boulder Shambhala Center has requested that all attendees remove their shoes upon entry to their shrine room, where the workshops are to take place. Shoe bags and covers will be provided.

BIFF’s three workshops offer a direct infusion into the filmmaking industry, giving advice to up and coming artists hoping to make a name for themselves. From a panel discussion with documentary filmmakers of every role, to an overview of how to find support and better your art, to an in-depth breakdown of the market of screenplays, join us for these three 90-minute workshops led by award-winning filmmakers.

11am | PATHWAYS TO A CAREER IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING:
Interactive Workshop and Panel Discussion

Boulder’s own award-winning production team Daniel Wright and Olivia Ahnemann are back to share trade knowledge from their combined 40 years of documentary producing experience. In this interactive workshop and panel discussion they will assemble several filmmakers from a variety of key creative roles to discuss how they first got into documentary filmmaking as a career and how their skills contribute to projects today.

Daniel Wright is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer known for “Chasing Time” (2025) “The Social Dilemma” (2020), “The Human Element” (2018), “Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back” (2016), and “Racing Extinction” (2015). He is presently producing a hybrid animated/documentary series at Exposure Labs and co-directing his first short. Daniel strives to build teams upon strong foundations of trust and collaboration, ones that are collectively invested in telling stories that shift viewers’ perspective through creative and empathetic leaps.

Olivia Ahnemann is the producer of the Academy Award nominated documentary, “Porcelain War,” which won Sundance’s US Grand Jury Prize in 2024. She co-produced the Academy Award winning feature documentary, “The Cove,” which garnered over 70 awards globally, including the Producer’s Guild of America’s Best Documentary award. Olivia was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and she has served on the board of the Documentary Producers Alliance. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and teenage daughter.

1pm | YOUNG FILMMAKERS RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Join two new additions to the Boulder film community, Kristin Feeley and Toby Brooks from the Sundance Institute, for an afternoon of insider direction for young filmmakers. Kristin and Toby will give an overview of Sundance Institute Artist Programs and opportunities for support, with a special focus on the Ignite Program, geared towards ages 18-25. They will also offer tips and insight into Fellowship application and grant writing – including ways to better position artists and their work.

Kristin Feeley is the Director of the Sundance Documentary Film and Artist Programs where she supports storytellers focused on human rights, social justice and innovative storytelling. She has worked in artist development at the Sundance Institute for over fifteen years, supporting the careers of nonfiction directors, editors, producers. She launched the Sundance Documentary Producers Lab and Fellowship and created the Art of Editing Fellowship. Kristin is committed to supporting artists who contribute to a collaborative, inclusive artistic process in independent nonfiction.

Toby Brooks runs the Sundance Institute’s Sundance Ignite Program, which cultivates and supports a new generation of filmmakers. Alumni of Brooks’ work with Sundance have been recognized by the Oscars, and gone on to win top prizes at festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Venice and Toronto. Brooks has worked for Sundance Institute since 2012, first as the Assistant to the Director of the Sundance Film Festival. Brooks has served on juries at Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, NotFilm Festival and NFFTY. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he received his B.A. from UCLA.

3pm | WANT TO BE A HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER?

Join Harrison Query, a Boulder native, as he reveals how he navigates the world of writing original and adapted screenplays. His work as a writer has spanned genres, with recent projects picked up by Amazon-MGM, Netflix, and Paramount, plus an upcoming thriller novel from publisher Simon & Schuster. This interactive workshop gives aspiring filmmakers the rundown on how to navigate the world of writing and selling a screenplay.

Harrison Query is a Colorado native whose work as a writer has spanned multiple genres. He has sold projects to Lionsgate, Netflix, Amazon, and Sony Pictures, developing screenplays with Ridley Scott, Chris Columbus, Robert Zemeckis, and Andrew Dominik. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.