Ondi Timoner's Masterclass

How To Make A Great Documentary (In My Opinion) 

In this two-hour masterclass, critically-acclaimed two-time Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning director Ondi Timoner (DIG!, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, BRAND: A Second Coming, JUNGLETOWN, MAPPLETHORPE) takes you through the process of creating a great documentary – from choosing a subject to developing your idea into reality. Timoner shares clips from her films to demonstrate tips and techniques that will forever transform how you approach filmmaking – from pre-production through production, to post-production through distribution and beyond!

ONDI TIMONER has won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival twice – for her 2004 documentary DIG! , about the collision of art & commerce through the star-crossed rivalry between two bands, and WE LIVE IN PUBLIC (2009) a dark vision of the Internet. Both films were acquired by the MoMA NY for their permanent collection. Her other award-winning features include The Nature of the Beast (1994), Join Us (2007), COOL IT (2010) & BRAND: A Second Coming (2015). Most recent career achievement awards include: The Rogue Award (Ashland Film Festival 2015), The No Limits Award (Sarasota Film Society 2015), The Auteur Award (Kodak 2017), the Maverick Award (The Audience Awards 2017.)

In March 2017, she completed JUNGLETOWN , a 10-hour documentary tv series which premiered on VICELAND to critical acclaim. She is continuing to direct the feature-length documentary which follows the building of “the world’s most sustainable modern town” through the eyes of the young adults who move to the Panamanian jungle to combat climate disaster. In August, she completed production on MAPPLETHORPE, a scripted feature film she wrote, produced & directed. It stars Matt Smith, who plays controversial visionary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
Timoner’s most notable shorts include “Library of Dust” (2011), about the missing cremated remains of thousands of patients at The Oregon State Mental Hospital, which won Traverse City, Seattle, Taos & Int’l FF of Puerto Rico, “Amanda F—ing Palmer on the Rocks” (2014) premiered at Tribeca FF & won Sheffield Doc Fest, “Obey the Artist” about Shepard Fairey (2013) & “The Last Mile” (2015) about a tech incubator inside San Quentin prison- both SXSW.

Timoner has produced & hosted BYOD (Bring Your Own Doc) the only doc talk show in the world, with over 250 episodes covering 350 films since 2011. She’s the Founder/CEA (Chief Exec Artist) of A TOTAL DISRUPTION an online network dedicated to telling the stories of creators who use technology to change the way we live. Timoner has released 2 masterclasses for filmmakers on ATD: Lean Content – a 10-part series she co-hosts & co-wrote with best-selling author Eric Ries & “How to Make a Great Documentary (In My Opinion).” Ondi’s TEDxKC talk is “When Genius and Insanity Hold Hands.”