11/08/2026 - The new programme will select 12 Czech-based documentary teams to develop audience or impact strategies for feature-length films in production or post-production

The Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) has launched Docs Beyond: Audience, Impact & AI, a new training programme designed to help documentary teams develop concrete strategies for reaching audiences, building partnerships and creating impact, while exploring the practical and ethical uses of generative AI.

The programme is aimed at film professionals based in the Czech Republic who are working on unreleased feature-length documentaries in production or post-production, with footage already available. Twelve selected teams will receive guidance from international experts and develop tailored audience or impact strategies for their projects.

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Docs Beyond is designed for the stage when questions of audience, outreach and impact can no longer be postponed. The programme helps participating teams identify the communities their films could reach, build relevant partnerships, and consider how their projects can move beyond distribution towards meaningful engagement and impact.

The programme is structured around three expert-led modules covering impact producing, audience design and outreach, and AI in documentary filmmaking. Award-winning impact producer Khadidja Benouataf will lead the impact-producing module, focusing on impact strategies, relevant partnerships, and the connection between distribution and social goals. Benouataf is president of Impact Social Club, and has advised more than 70 film teams at international festivals and industry platforms.

Audience strategist Paul Rieth, co-founder of Get Your Crowd and author of DOK & CROWD, will lead the audience-design and outreach module. His sessions will focus on identifying the communities that documentary projects can reach and developing strategies to connect films with those audiences.

The third module will explore the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI. Filmmaker and researcher Dominic Lees, who leads the Synthetic Media Research Network and has advised the UK Parliament on film and AI policy, will examine where generative AI can practically support documentary practice, alongside the creative and ethical questions it raises. The module will also encourage participants to consider where AI should not be used, with an emphasis on responsible and purposeful applications, rather than technology for its own sake.

The programme is open to producers, directors, screenwriters, distributors and other members of documentary creative teams based in the Czech Republic. Each project will be represented by one member of its creative team, although projects may request representation by two participants in justified cases, subject to prior approval from the IDF. Participants must have a working knowledge of English and be available for all three workshop sessions.

The programme begins with an online preparatory workshop from 7-9 October, followed by a residential one from 25-29 November and a final online workshop from 9-11 December. Between the sessions, participants will continue developing their strategies and applying the knowledge gained to their individual projects.

By the end of Docs Beyond, each selected team is expected to have a concrete audience or impact strategy, clearer priorities and practical next steps adapted to the needs of its film. The programme aims to give teams a strategy that can be directly applied to their projects and to help them make informed decisions about audiences, partnerships, impact and the use of emerging technologies.

Applications are free of charge and must be submitted in English by 31 August 2026. Full eligibility requirements and application materials are available on the IDF website.

Docs Beyond: Audience, Impact & AI is organised by the IDF in cooperation with the Audiovisual Producers’ Association (APA), with support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.