All episodes

Immersive media keeps evolving – but what will endure once the novelty fades? This UK–Germany conversation examines the forces shaping XR’s future, from sustainability and long-term structures to new creative practices. For anyone curious about where immersive media is truly heading, this episode offers rare insight, honest debate, and real inspiration.

In this conversation, cultural workers Abhishek Nilamber and Laura Kloeckner speak with film curator Lucy Mukerjee about their research with United Screens, sourcing the experiences of filmmakers and mapping pathways to audiences in the Global South, as well as their latest project Meshdia, which proposes a collaborative infrastructure for circulating cinema.

What kind of map do creators and institutions need to navigate, select, and support meaningful XR experiences for the next generation? Our guests discuss what exists, what is missing, and how ethical design and curation can foster imagination, agency, and digital literacy – while strengthening critical thinking in an era where real and fake constantly blur.

Iranian filmmaker Saleh Kashefi, Brazilian curator Heitor Augusto, and Talking Shorts commissioning editor Sanne Jehoul discuss what tensions and challenges they encounter in making, programming and viewing political short form work in the context of a Euro/Western-centric and elite festival circuit. 

Host Toni Achebe Bell talks with Ranell Shubert, Executive Director of the Disability Media Alliance (DMA), about reimagining nonfiction film through a disability justice lens. From research to reality, they unpack how disabled media makers are building power and shifting resources.

How do we navigate intercultural exchange for short films in the current political climate? Cultural workers Nihan Sivridag, Puiyee Leong, and Qila Gill sit down to discuss how care, collaboration, and radical practice shape short films in times of crisis and change.

In this episode of What’s Up With Docs in collaboration with DOK Industry Podcast, Toni Bell sits down with Claudia Chavez and Christine Mladic Janney, the creative forces behind Searching for Nora, a film honoring Nora de Izcue, Peru's pioneering filmmaker.

The conversation delves into their journey to recover Nora’s lost film prints, exploring the significance of film archives and cultural preservation. They also share insights into the unique challenges of documentary filmmaking, particularly in Peru, where recent attacks on the National Film Law have ignited passionate responses from the filmmaking community.

Docubox is East Africa's first independent film fund, started by filmmakers for filmmakers. Its goal is to challenge ideas and assumptions about Africa and the world, engage local and international audiences, and provoke dialogue and debate.

Join Docubox’s founder, Judy Kibinge, as she speaks with three of the fund's first grantees on a trip down memory lane. Through this lively and frank conversation, audiences will understand what a growing community of filmmakers can achieve

How our ears perceive space can transform storytelling! Weronika Lewandowska and Oliver Kadel engage with experts Aili Niimura and Ana Monte to explore spatial audio's role in visual narratives, XR, and dome experiences. They discuss inclusivity in sound design and share tips for crafting immersive soundscapes. Discover the creative processes behind this technology and its impact on storytelling.

How can BIPOC filmmakers uplift the stories of the communities from which they come?
In this episode American Documentary’s Executive Director, Erika Dilday, sits down Chloe Abrahams, the filmmaker behind POV’s The Taste of Mango, and Dawne Langford, Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough and Erricka Bridgeford, of POV’s The Body Politic, to explore the nuances and importance of community storytelling.