Backyard Docs is back this fall and VC is sponsoring a number of the festival programs. Please see below for more details!

WORKSHOP: Animating the Documentary
Saturday, September 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Melwood Screening Room

At the 2025 Backyard Docs Film Festival, join award-winning filmmakers and animators for an engaging workshop on how to bring your nonfiction stories to life with animation. Hansen Bursic (Backyard Docs festival director and director of Trans Heaven), Imogen Pranger (director of Mail Myself To You), and Mallory Brangan (former motion graphics animator at Vox Media) will share their creative processes, technical tips, and real-world examples of integrating animation into documentary storytelling. From visualizing the unfilmable to enhancing emotional impact, this session will explore artistic and practical approaches to incorporating animation—whether you’re working with archival material, abstract concepts, or sensitive subjects. Participants will leave with actionable insights and inspiration to expand their visual toolkit.

DISCUSSION - Creating in our Backyard: Nonfiction Production Roundtable
Saturday, September 27, 2025 2:00 PM EDT
Melwood Screening Room

Creating in Our Backyard: Nonfiction Production Roundtable:
This roundtable is a meeting of the minds, bringing together acclaimed nonfiction filmmakers, production studios, visual journalists, and storytellers from across the Rust Belt and Appalachian regions to share their experiences, challenges, and successes working close to home. This discussion will feature Kristal Sotomayor (Expanding Sanctuary, Sotomayor Productions), Hansen Bursic (Trans Heaven, Backyard Docs Festival Director), Colleen C Brady (Amish Country Queer), Steph Strasburg (Senior Photojournalist, PublicSource), Alexis Johnson (Senior Reporter, Axios Pittsburgh), Nick Childers (Co-Lead Organizer, Pittsburgh Video Consortium), and more. The conversation will explore how place shapes storytelling, the unique opportunities and challenges of regional production, and exchange advice on how to work in our region, as well as strategies for building sustainable creative careers outside major media hubs. Attendees will gain valuable insights, practical advice, and connections to strengthen their own work rooted in our communities.

SHORTS: Made in PA
Saturday, September 27, 2025 3:30 PM EDT
Melwood Screening Room

This shorts program celebrates Pennsylvania’s rich documentary storytelling, featuring TWO RIVERS, Amish Country Queer, Expanding Sanctuary, Fox Chase Boy, and Death: The Life of Mike Egan. From intimate portraits to powerful social narratives, these films capture the diverse people, places, and stories that define the Keystone State.

FEATURE: They're Here
Saturday, September 27, 2025 7:00 PM EDT
Field Day

Join us for a special rooftop screening of They're Here! Join us early, at 6 pm, for a networking cocktail hour as we mingle with the filmmakers and stars of the film. Hope to see you there!