The Iowa City Documentary Film Festival (ICDOCS) is an annual, weekend-long event organized by students at the University of Iowa. Offered each spring as CINE:2863, the course is taught by festival director Laura Gede with assistance from programming director Jacob Kessler. ICDOCS is dedicated to engaging local audiences through the exhibition of recent short films that explore the boundaries of visual storytelling and challenge conventional approaches to nonfiction and documentary cinema. This year’s festival featured over 60 films across eight competitive programs, along with four feature-length documentaries. In addition to screenings, the festival hosted coffee talks with filmmakers—from local artists to international guests—post-screening Q&As, and nightly social events that fostered conversation and community.
When I first enrolled in the course, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. After applying to the social media team at the beginning of the spring semester, I worked to develop skills in public outreach through graphic design, scheduled posting, and digital content creation. It took several weeks to establish teams and decide on a theme, but once we found our groove, the work became consistent and focused, resulting in a significant increase in engagement across social media platforms. Throughout the festival, communication was a big part of what made us successful. By working closely with the design and outreach teams, over the semester, I was able to significantly strengthened my skills in social media management and marketing.
Early on, students participated in activities designed to simulate what working on each team would be like. One of our first major collaborations involved developing a theme for the festival. Each team proposed three ideas and presented them to the class. After extensive discussion, we selected “Metamorphosis” as the overarching theme. Moths emerged as central to the design—chosen for their association with transformation and their edgier, more experimental qualities compared to butterfly imagery.
One challenge shared across all teams was determining how to market a somewhat niche film festival to a broader audience. With this in mind, our social media team focused on engaging new audiences in ways that made sense, and this year’s attendance and online engagement grew significantly. On social media alone, the festival saw growth rates as high as 6,000 percent in certain metrics, with nearly 140,000 total impressions over two months. ICDOCS Instagram accounts reached more than 14,000 users and generated over 3,000 interactions from just 26 posts, far exceeding our original goals.
Beyond strong pre-production and teamwork, the festival’s success was bolstered by visiting filmmakers, collaborations with campus organizations, thoughtfully experimental programming, and engaging and well-known jurors. Partnerships included Bijou Film Board’s Open Screen, which showcased local documentaries and sold out even after additional seating was added.
I loved getting to see everyone mingle and talk to those who were curious about what ICDOCS is. Also, getting to push our merch out and brag about our amazing design team is always a plus! - Audrey Adams, Screenwriting Arts and Cinema major
A standout guest this year was filmmaker Khalik Allah. His films Field Niggas and Black Mother screened on opening night at FilmScene at The Chauncey alongside a post-screening Q&A where he was joined in conversation with multidisciplinary artist B. Robert Moore at the Stanley Art Museum, facilitated by Derek (DK) Nnuro, curator of the exhibit Flex: Masculinities in the Arts of Global Africa Throughout the festival, Allah attended additional screenings, connected with fellow filmmakers and community members, and championed students, staff, and filmmakers alike.
The festival also benefited from the presence of jurors Anna Hogg and Jean-Jacques Martinod, who both curated programs that highlighted their own work alongside films that inspired their own artistic practice. One particularly successful event was the Analog Coffee Talk, featuring filmmakers Kate Hinshaw, Anna Hogg, and Tristen Ives. The discussion included an interactive film-marbling activity, allowing attendees to engage directly with analog filmmaking techniques.
In the end, ICDOCS demonstrated the value of experiential learning beyond the classroom and promoted both community growth and student engagement. The course helped me learn how collaborate professionally, manage conflicts, apply research techniques, and plan large-scale events, while building lasting connections within local and international film communities.
“It’s not every day you can say you planned an international film festival," said Audrey Adams. "Being able to showcase the avant-garde cinema that makes up ICDOCS is really something special. The arts are vital to our campus and surrounding community, granting a safe space to learn, create, and express yourself."
For many students, the experience also broadened their understanding of career paths within film and media. Lee Baker, Cinema and Theatre Arts major, reflected on the impact ICDOCS had on their future goals.
”I had never considered film festivals to possibly be part of my future, but ever since my friend mentioned looking at working for film festivals, I considered the same."
That sentiment stood out to me, too. When I first declared my major, I didn't know about all of professional possibilities within cinema. Through ICDOCS, my perspective expanded beyond traditional industry roles to include festival work, curation, and arts administration.
Looking ahead, ICDOCS can continue to grow through increased outreach within the University of Iowa’s own film community. Encouraging faculty and students to advertise events in their classrooms can help with visibility. Showing support for one another is a key part of our success and the ICDOCS students are beyond grateful for all of the support and engagement we received this year. We are especially grateful to the Department of Cinematic Arts' Instagram page for promoting the festival throughout the weekend and to the campus and community members who helped make this year’s ICDOCS a success.
