LOS ANGELES:

Filmmakers and Steve James have been selected as keynote speakers for the Getting Real ‘16 documentary conference next month.

The filmmaker-to-filmmaker conference, presented by the International Documentary Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be held Sept 27-29 at the AMPAS’ Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study and other locations in Hollywood. The goal is to focus on the critical issues facing the documentary community.

DuVernay, James and Shola Lynch will appear at sessions on Sept 27. Marcia Smith, president and co-founder of Firelight Media, will speak on Sept 28.

Additional programs will include a conversation with filmmaker Ezra Edelman, a virtual reality documentary summit and a conversation between Roger Ross Williams, recently elected to the Academy Board of Governors, and producer Julie Goldman.

“Getting Real represents the coming together of a diverse and dynamic community, not just to celebrate individual films, but to strengthen the connections within