Speaking truth to power: the role of the documentary filmmaker | Panel

Documentary can expose injustice, hold the powerful to account, and give voice to those who are silenced – but it can also carry real risk, both for the filmmaker and for the people who trust them with their stories. How do documentarians pursue difficult truths without compromising their safety, their ethics, or their subjects? This provocative session explores the risks, the challenges, and the hard-won approaches behind investigative filmmaking that is safe, ethical, and fearless.

Moderated by Julian Carrington – TTFF/26 programmer and executive director of the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) – this panel brings together filmmakers Michèle Stephenson, Kaneal Gayle, and Rachelle Salnave, alongside writer and columnist Sunity Maharaj.

🎟️You’ll need an Industry Pass or Ticket to attend this event. Passes + tickets can be purchased at Island E Tickets: https://islandetickets.com/company/TTFF

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Julian Carrington

Julian is executive director of the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) and a film programmer, curator, and industry consultant. He previously programmed for Hot Docs, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival, and is the founder of ‘For Viola’, the Hot Docs Cinema’s community screening series dedicated to celebrating BIPOC filmmakers and expanding documentary audiences. He has also served as a project evaluator for Telefilm Canada and the Jamaica Screen Development Initiative. As a child, Julian moved to Toronto from Barbados, and he maintains close ties to the island and to the wider Caribbean. Passionate about supporting filmmakers from across the region, he previously served as a juror for TTFF and is delighted to return this year as a member of the programming team.