July 2, 2021

In this episode, I speak with curator, Abby Sun about her work with the DocYard, an award-winning film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. We also chat about her work with Distribution Advocates, an organization committed to demystifying and transparency in distribution with the goal of creating a more ethical and equitable framework. Because ethical and equitable practices are rooted in liberation and require us to take actions that break us from the things that seem safe and stable, this episode’s song is Queen’s “I Want to Break Free.”

Photo Credit: The DocYard, Leah Astore

[Image Description: B&W photo. Abby stands on stage holding a microphone and book in front of an audience of onlookers in an auditorium. She wears dark shoes and a dark dress. There are two chairs and a screen behind her.]

[Image Descriptio: the DocYard logo is against a white background. “The” is a small grey font. “DocYard” is written in lower case but larger font. “Doc'“ is bright red and “yard” is grey.]

Abby’s Bio

Abby Sun is an artist, film programmer, and researcher. Through her work, Abby considers the power dynamics in the documentary form’s inherent smudging of reality, with a particular interest in the media infrastructures and cultural artifacts of moving image exhibition. Abby has bylines in Film Comment, Filmmaker Magazine, Film Quarterly, Hyperallergic, and other publications. She has served on juries for Palm Springs, New Orleans, CAAMfest, and DOC NYC, as well as nominating committees for the Gotham Awards, Cinema Eye, and IDA Documentary Awards. Abby has reviewed applications for the NEA, SFFILM, Center for Asian American Media, LEF Foundation, Sundance Catalyst, If/Then Shorts, and spoken on and facilitated panels at TIFF, NYFF, and other film festivals. Her latest short film, “Cuba Scalds His Hand” (co-directed with Daniel Garber), premiered at Maryland Film Festival in 2019.

Most recently, Abby is the Curator of the DocYard and co-curated My Sight is Lined with Visions: 1990s Asian American Film & Video with Keisha Knight, which runs through Jan 25, 2022, The series celebrates all that is underground, weird, transgressive, and uncompromising about film, video and artists' film in the 90s. 50% of the proceeds go directly to the filmmakers! She previously was senior editor of Nat. Brut and programmer for True/False Film Fest and Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. Her hometown is in Columbia, Missouri, USA.

About the DocYard

Launched in 2010 by Sara Archambault, Sean Flynn, and Ben Fowlie, the DocYard is an award-winning film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, and which also sponsors special screenings and co-presentations throughout the year. Each screening is a new experience as we connect audiences directly with filmmakers exploring the documentary form through insightful post-screening discussions.

Since its inception, the DocYard has helped to bring over 150 films and filmmakers to Cambridge. In 2011, the DocYard was awarded a Special Commendation by the Boston Society of Film Critics for “presenting a vibrant forum for the Boston documentary community to see important new non-fiction works and to have meaningful discussions with the filmmakers.” In 2014, the DocYard was voted a BostInno “50 on Fire” Media Award Winner.

Our commitment to sharing and promoting cutting-edge work in documentary is emphasized by the community we call home. Boston has long been a center for documentary filmmaking. It continues to be a place where students come to learn and experiment; where world-renowned documentary filmmakers are teaching and creating work; and where the craft is continually being developed and expanded. Many filmmakers breaking new ground in non-fiction storytelling today are building on Boston’s rich legacy of documentary and innovation of the form.

The DocYard is a program of the LEF Foundation. A private family foundation dedicated to the support of contemporary arts, LEF was established in 1985 with offices in Massachusetts and California. The Moving Image Fund was launched in 2001 through the LEF New England office in Cambridge, MA. LEF New England supports the work of independent documentary film and video artists in the region and broadens recognition and support for their work nationally and locally. The Moving Image Fund has awarded $4 million in grant funding to over 300 projects.

About Distribution Advocates

Distribution Advocates works to collectively reclaim power for independent storytellers in the current systems of distribution and exhibition. We are a coalition-in-formation striving to advocate for filmmakers and maintain plurality and originality in a culture that needs it more than ever. We fight for radical transparency, rebalancing entrenched inequities and blazing a new, more interesting, accessible, and inclusive way forward.