MIT Open Documentary Lab

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MIT Open Documentary Lab The MIT Open Documentary Lab brings technologists, storytellers, and scholars together to advance the new arts of documentary.

When access is impossible: An entirely GenAI docudrama about the January 2026 Iranian RevolutionJoin us tomorrow, Octobe...
10/19/2026

When access is impossible: An entirely GenAI docudrama about the January 2026 Iranian Revolution

Join us tomorrow, October 20, for the REALITY CHECK: AI + Documentary Working Group keynote conversation:

DREAM OF VIOLETS

Dream of Violets was the first feature-length fiction film entirely made with GenAI to premiere at a major film festival. “Made at the speed of news,” according to its creators, it was made in only a few weeks following the January 2026 Iranian revolution in time to screen at Tribeca Film Festival. Its a 75-minute docudrama feature inspired by real events from 47 years of Iranian civilian resistance. Through the eyes of five strangers, it brings protest footage to life, generated by AI. At dawn, as Iranian forces execute wounded protesters, a violent soldier discovers the five hiding in a dead-end alley. Above them, Amir, a child in a wheelchair, watches from a window and decides to act. What are the implications for the ethics of representation, human rights and perception of reality? What does this mean for documentary production?

In this special presentation for our Reality Check working group, director Ash Koosha will be in conversation with Mahsa Alimardani Mahsa Alimardani , Associate Director of the Technology Threats and Opportunities program at WITNESS WITNESS. Alimardani has researched, written and spoken extensively about the impact of AI technology on the political landscape of Iran.

Please join us for what will undoubtedly be a mind-expanding and complex conversation.

📅 Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20
🕛 12–1:30 pm ET
📍 RSVP via the link in bio for the AI + Documentary Working Group to receive the Zoom link.

How do AI editing tools shape the stories we tell?Join us tomorrow, September 29, for the REALITY CHECK: AI + Documentar...
09/28/2026

How do AI editing tools shape the stories we tell?

Join us tomorrow, September 29, for the REALITY CHECK: AI + Documentary Working Group keynote presentation:

STORY MACHINE: Documentary Film Editing and the Digital Process, presented by Nick Hector, ACE.
Story Machine: Documentary Film Editing and the Digital Process examines the artistic consequences of assistive AI on documentary editorial practice. Drawing on a practitioner-based comparative study in which the same raw materials were edited using contemporary digital methods and analogue-inspired strategies, the presentation considers how editorial tools shape narrative form. It argues that AI-assisted workflows tend to encourage non-linear, dialogue-driven structures, while analogue approaches foster more immersive narratives organized around time and place. Ultimately, Story Machine proposes that documentary filmmakers must resist digital tools that impose mechanical order on the emotional complexity and inherent unpredictability of human experience.

Presenter: Nick Hector, ACE, is an Associate Professor and Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication, Media, and Film at the University of Windsor. He has worked in documentary production for over 40 years as a film editor and producer. Nick’s creative work has been exhibited by Sundance, Berlinale, TIFF, IDFA, Hot Docs, Visions du Réel, DOK Leipzig, Sheffield DocFest, and MoMA and is included in the Criterion Collection.

📅 Tuesday, September 29
🕛 12–1:30 pm ET
📍 RSVP Link in Bio for the AI + Doc Working Group to receive the Zoom link.

Experience powerful stories in virtual reality at the Medford Public Library! 🎧🌍The MIT Open Documentary Lab (MIT Open D...
07/24/2026

Experience powerful stories in virtual reality at the Medford Public Library! 🎧🌍

The MIT Open Documentary Lab (MIT Open Documentary Lab), in partnership with the Independent XR Distribution Coalition (IXRDC), invites you to explore a curated collection of award-winning immersive documentaries at our next:

🎥 IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY POP-UP

📍 Medford Public Library – Bonsignore Hall
111 High St, Medford, MA 02155
🗓 Monday, July 27
⏰ Drop in anytime from 2:00–7:00 PM

Step into groundbreaking VR experiences that explore climate change, identity, immigration, indigeneity, racial justice, disability, memory, and civic life through the work of innovative artists from around the world. No prior VR experience is needed—just bring your curiosity.

Featured projects include:
• Ice Sailors
• Less Than Five Grams of Saffron
• Travelling While Black
• You Destroy. We Create.
• Notes on Blindness
• Danse, Danse Matisse
…and more.

Presented as part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs, an MIT Open Documentary Lab civic research initiative exploring how public libraries can become welcoming spaces for immersive media, community dialogue, and shared discovery.

With generous support from Agog

PublicLibraries MedfordMA CommunityArts ImmersiveMedia CivicMedia InteractiveDocumentary IXRDC

📚✨ Join us tomorrow for an evening exploring the intersection of books, art, technology, and collective experience.We’re...
07/23/2026

📚✨ Join us tomorrow for an evening exploring the intersection of books, art, technology, and collective experience.

We’re excited to welcome Sister Sylvester for an artist talk and book exhibit, “Against Immersion: The Essay Form, Chaos and Order, and Emerging Technology.”

In this talk, Sister Sylvester will explore the possibilities of the essay form within emerging and immersive media, sharing insights from her practice that brings together ✍️ handmade books, 💻 digital technologies, and 🤝 audience participation to create shared experiences.

She will discuss projects including The Eagle and The Tortoise, Drinking Brecht, and Constantinopoliad, as well as methods for exploring the philosophical questions and possibilities of new technologies through works such as Shadowtime and Our Ark.

Whether you’re interested in 📖 reading, ✨ writing, 🎨 book arts, or the future of storytelling through technology, we’d love to have you join us!

📍 Medford Public Library
111 High St, Medford, MA 02155
🗓️ Thursday, July 23
⏰ 7:00–8:30 PM

🎟️ Free and open to the public — bring a friend and come be part of the conversation!

MIT Open Documentary Lab today announced that Lab Director Sarah Wolozin is stepping down from her role, effective Sept...
07/20/2026

MIT Open Documentary Lab today announced that Lab Director Sarah Wolozin is stepping down from her role, effective September 1, 2026. Wolozin’s departure marks the culmination of fifteen years of leadership that has shaped the global documentary media field.

Under Sarah’s tenure, Open Documentary Lab has flourished, reinforcing its position as an industry catalyst that unites, sustains, and grows a diverse creative field. Working with Lab founder and Principal Investigator, Professor William Uricchio, Wolozin served as the first director, designing its programming, resources, research, and convenings, forging partnerships supporting artists and scholars, and creating opportunities for students.

We are deeply grateful to Sarah for all she has built and stewarded. The Open Documentary Lab and Co-Creation Studio will continue key projects while restructuring in the fall of 2026 and will announce a new programmatic framework.

Read the full announcement in link in bio.

Experience award-winning immersive documentaries—right at your neighborhood library! 🎧🌍The MIT Open Documentary Lab and...
07/10/2026

Experience award-winning immersive documentaries—right at your neighborhood library! 🎧🌍

The MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC (Independent XR Distribution Coalition) are bringing immersive storytelling to:

🎥 IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY POP-UPS

📍 Mattapan Public Library - 1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan, MA 02126
🗓 Tuesday, July 14 | Drop in during event hours

Step into powerful virtual reality experiences that explore themes of climate change, identity, immigration, indigeneity, racial injustice, disability, memory, and civic engagement through the work of groundbreaking artists.

Featured projects include:
• Ice Sailors
• Less Than Five Grams of Saffron
• Travelling While Black
• You Destroy. We Create.
• Notes on Blindness
• Danse, Danse Matisse
…and more.

Presented as part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs, an MIT Open Documentary Lab civic research initiative exploring how libraries can become welcoming spaces for immersive media, community dialogue, and shared discovery.

Upcoming VR Pop-Ups at Massachusetts libraries:
📍 Mattapan Public Library — July 14
📍 Medford Public Library — July 13 & July 27
…and more coming soon.

Upcoming artist talks and workshops:
✨ Rashin Fahandej , Iranian-American immersive filmmaker, futurist, and cultural activist
✨ Michèle Stephenson , Emmy award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author
✨ Sister Sylvester , multimedia artist
✨ L’Merchie Frazier , multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poet

With generous support from

WatertownLibrary PublicLibraries VR ImmersiveMedia CivicMedia InteractiveDocumentary IXROC

Discover the power of immersive storytelling at your local library! 🥽📚✨The MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC (Independ...
07/10/2026

Discover the power of immersive storytelling at your local library! 🥽📚✨

The MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC (Independent XR Distribution Coalition) invite you to:

🎥 IMMERSIVE DOCUMENTARY POP-UPS

📍 Medford Public Library — 111 High St, Medford, MA 02155
🗓 Monday, July 13 | Drop in anytime from 3:00–8:00 PM

Explore an inspiring collection of virtual reality documentaries created by visionary artists examining climate change, identity, immigration, indigeneity, racial justice, disability, memory, and civic life.

Featured experiences include:
• Ice Sailors
• Less Than Five Grams of Saffron
• Travelling While Black
• You Destroy. We Create.
• Notes on Blindness
• Danse, Danse Matisse
…and more.

These events are part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs, a civic research initiative from the MIT Open Documentary Lab exploring how public libraries can foster immersive storytelling, community connection, and new ways of learning.

Upcoming VR Pop-Ups at Massachusetts libraries:
📍 Medford Public Library — July 13 & July 27
📍 Mattapan Public Library — July 14
…and more to come.

Upcoming artist talks and workshops:
✨ Rashin Fahandej , Iranian-American immersive filmmaker, futurist, and cultural activist
✨ Michèle Stephenson , Emmy award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author
✨ Sister Sylvester , multimedia artist
✨ L’Merchie Frazier , multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poet

With generous support from

WatertownLibrary PublicLibraries VR ImmersiveMedia CivicMedia InteractiveDocumentary IXROC

Updated graphic: The event is Monday, June 15, 6:30–8 PM.✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨Join the MIT Open Do...
06/10/2026

Updated graphic: The event is Monday, June 15, 6:30–8 PM.

✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨

Join the MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC for a public talk with Peabody-nominated and Emmy award-winning director Michaela Ternasky-Holland

🎥 Navigating the Crossroads: When Art and Technology Intersects and Diverges
📍 Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA
🗓 Monday, June 15
⏰ 6:30–8 PM

Part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs.

Upcoming VR Pop-Ups at other MA libraries:
📍 Mattapan Public Library — June 24 & July 14
📍 Medford Public Library — July 13 & July 27

Upcoming artist talks and workshops:
✨ Michèle Stephenson , Emmy award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author
✨ Sister Sylvester , multimedia artist
✨ L’Merchie Frazier , multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poet

Learn more: opendoclab.mit.edu/presents/libraries

✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨Join the MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC for a public talk with Peabody-no...
06/09/2026

✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨

Join the MIT Open Documentary Lab and IXRDC for a public talk with Peabody-nominated and Emmy award-winning director Michaela Ternasky-Holland.

🎥 Navigating the Crossroads: When Art and Technology Intersects and Diverges
📍 Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA
🗓 Monday, June 15
⏰ 6:30–8 PM

Part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs.

Upcoming VR Pop-Ups at other MA libraries:
📍 Mattapan Public Library — June 24 & July 14
📍 Medford Public Library — July 13 & July 27

Upcoming artist talks and workshops:
✨ Michèle Stephenson , Emmy award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author
✨ Sister Sylvester , multimedia artist
✨ L’Merchie Frazier , multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poet

Learn more: opendoclab.mit.edu/presents/libraries

✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨Join the MIT and IXRDC for a public talk with Peabody-nominated and Emmy awa...
06/09/2026

✨ Artist Talk at Cambridge Public Library ✨

Join the MIT and IXRDC for a public talk with Peabody-nominated and Emmy award-winning director Michaela Ternasky-Holland

🎥 Navigating the Crossroads: When Art and Technology Intersects and Diverges
📍 Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA
🗓 Monday, June 15
⏰ 6:30–8 PM

Part of Libraries as Immersive Storytelling Hubs.

Upcoming VR Pop-Ups at other MA libraries:
📍 Mattapan Public Library — June 24 & July 14
📍 Medford Public Library — July 13 & July 27

Upcoming artist talks and workshops:
✨ Michèle Stephenson , Emmy award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author
✨ Sister Sylvester , multimedia artist
✨ L’Merchie Frazier , multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poet

Learn more: opendoclab.mit.edu/presents/libraries

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