IDA appoints three new board members and appoints the director of development

Exclusive: The International Documentary Association added three new members to the board and hired a director of development.

The board includes Maria Agui-Carter, director, founder of Iguana Films and professor at Emerson College; Michael Turner, director and senior consultant for Netflix original documentaries, and Inna Fitchman, producer of documentaries whose credits include the fire of love Y Oslo Diaries.

The trio will fill the gap left by board members James Costa, the Burroughs Foundation, Lauren Lexton and Caroline Libresco, who have all completed their terms. Fichman’s appointment is particularly noteworthy because his production company, Intuitive Pictures, is based in Montreal and serves on the board of directors of Toronto’s Hot Docs Festival and chairs the national board of the Canadian Documentary Association.

“It is a privilege to be a member of the first international board of the IDA,” said Fitchman. “IDA is one of the legacy organizations in our community that continues to strengthen and support the voices of documentary filmmakers around the world.”

Brian J Davis, IDA’s new director of development, joins the organization from the American Museum of West Austria, where he served as senior director of development. Previously he worked as a director of gifts at the Trevor Project and was involved in nonprofit development at the LGBT Center.

“Davis will oversee all aspects [IDA’s] “Fundraising efforts to support the organization’s strategic vision and growth and its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility,” IDA said in a statement. “Brian is an experienced fundraiser and nonprofit administrator with twenty years of experience with the Los Angeles Philanthropic Society.”

“Brian understands the role of a documentary in helping audiences better understand the world around us,” said Rick Perez, executive director of IDA. “He brings more than two decades of experience that will help shape the future of the organization, expand the field of documentaries and make the role of IDA more critical than ever.”

Davis commented, “Working on IDA is a dream, connecting philanthropists with a thriving community of filmmakers and storytellers. I look forward to being part of a historic organization that is no different and strengthening it to bring about unprecedented progressive change. “

The IDA board of directors is chaired by Chris Perez and Grace Lee. In a statement, they welcomed the addition of three new members to the board, calling Agi-Carter, Fitchman and Turner “stellar leaders whose commitment to IDA’s mission and documentary filmmakers will help the organization as it continues to serve on the field”.

Founded in 1982, the non-profit organization IDA, which provides grants to independent filmmakers, an ombudsman for the documentary community, and an annual award show for documentaries. The 40th anniversary coincided with a period of perhaps unprecedented turbulence at the facility described by the council. Like the “existential crisis” earlier this year. According to an unofficial figure, fifteen employees have left the IDA since the beginning of the year, or about two thirds of the staff. Many have publicly criticized the leadership of IDA Executive Director Rick Perez, who was appointed a year ago.

The latest employee to leave is Hansen Bursic, digital communications coordinator, who announced his resignation this morning. Bursic was one of those who spearheaded recent unions among grassroots employees, prompting IDA management to voluntarily recognize Documentary Workers United as a formal low-level personnel officer. DWU is affiliated with the local organization 9003 American Telecommunications Workers.

Contractual negotiations are underway between DWU and the IDA management.