# DOC Film Institute

The Documentary Film Institute (or DOCFilm), is an independent organization within San Francisco State University that is dedicated to support non-fiction cinema by promoting documentary films and filmmakers and producing films on socially and culturally important topics which deserve wider recognition. The director is Soumyaa Kapil Behrens, a professor in the cinema department at SFSU. It is situated within the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University, with access to a broad cross-section of educational institutions in San Francisco and the Bay Area. It is a resource for undergraduate and graduate students studying film in the area as well as faculty interested in the artistic and politic dimensions of documentary cinema.

## History

Founded in 2005 by SFSU Cinema Department Chair and veteran film producer Stephen Ujlaki, DOCFilm organized thematic festivals, premieres, individual film exhibitions, tributes and pre-launch activities which brought national and international films and filmmakers to a broad base of people as well as producing original feature films. Tom Luddy, co-founder of Telluride and renowned producer, served as Docfilm’s creative curator. During his tenure DOCFilm promoted the work of emerging and established documentary filmmakers through tributes and annual thematic festivals. DOCFilm did the west coast premiers of acclaimed films like Darwin's Nightmare and Grizzly Man.
In 2006, the Doc Film Institute launched Oscar Docs (2006–09, 2011), an annual three-day festival of the Academy Award-nominated short and feature documentaries, featuring introductions and Q&As by many of the nominated filmmakers. The event is open to general public.
In 2011, film critic and theoretician Bill Nichols became chair of the advisory committee.

## Productions

DOCFilm produces films which provide a deeper introspection of a wide range of socio-cultural topics. Institute staff work with professional filmmakers, some of whom are Cinema Department faculty at San Francisco State University. State students benefit from working as interns on these films. Its productions include the following films:

### Cachao: Uno mas (2008)

Produced by DOCFilm founder Stephen Ujlaki along with Andy Garcia and Tom Luddy, DOCFilm's inaugural film is a tribute to Afro-Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" López. It was the result of a collaborative effort between professional filmmakers and Cinema Department students. It premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival (2008), and was selected by festivals worldwide. In 2010 it premiered in the PBS series "American Masters".

### Chang Dai-chien in California (2011)

This 23-minute film pays tribute to the 20th-century Chinese master painter Chang Dai-chien. The painter was filmed by Art historian Michael Sullivan in 1967. This footage was acquired by San Francisco State University who used the footage to create the documentary.

### God Willing (in development)

The upcoming feature-length document God Willing focuses on the lives of five Iraqi soldiers - one woman and four men - fighting with allied forces.

## Education

DOCFilm offers master classes, production internships, seminars and mentoring to students and audiences at large. Renowned filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Ken Burns, Bertrand Tavernier, D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Christopher Hampton and Hubert Sauper, have presented master classes for San Francisco State University students, sharing their inspirations, experiences, creative process and gave advice on pertinent issues of making films. Some of the classes were videotaped and will be available on the DOCFilm website soon.
Doc Film Institute is currently cataloging and reorganizing its documentary collection to make it part of the Cinema Department's new Media Library, thus giving the students access to a vast array of the best documentary films of the last decades.
Students can also benefit from Doc Film's Internship program, which allows them to become involved with professional filmmakers as well as general production experience and event coordination.