Variety is expanding its coverage of the booming documentary sector with the launch today of a dedicated Docs vertical on Variety‘s online and mobile platforms.
The new section, sponsored by Showtime Documentary Films, highlights news and trends in documentary content, as well as reviews of new and vintage docus, filmmaker interviews, trailers, other video content and viewing recommendations by genre. It also features an extensive listing of film and TV documentary premiere dates.
The inaugural lineup includes a lengthy Q&A with Richard Ray Perez, the newly appointed executive director of the International Documentary Assn.
“Variety is making a huge push into the art and business of documentary filmmaking,” said Claudia Eller, Variety’s Editor-in-Chief. “There’s been an explosion of compelling content across the media landscape — both in the form of feature docs and docu-series — which our new vertical is devoted to celebrating.”
The launch of the Docs section is part of a larger joint initiative between Variety and Rolling Stone, which share a parent company in PMC, to showcase documentary filmmaking at a time when the form has never been more vibrant. Variety and Rolling Stone are co-presenting the upcoming Truth Seekers virtual summit on Aug. 26. The event will shine a spotlight on leaders and innovators from around the world who are driving the expansion and diversification of the documentary form. Rolling Stone and Variety are also producing the stand-alone “Truth Seekers” journal to be published in conjunction with the summit.
Longtime Variety contributor Addie Morfort has been tapped to drive editorial coverage for Docs. The New York-based journalist is well known in the documentary community for her reporting for Variety and other platforms. Among her recent stories for Variety include a deep dive into the issues involving the fair use doctrine in nonfiction productions and the evolution of the docu-series format.
The Docs section launch comes as Variety is expanding the depth and breadth of its digital and video coverage across the global media and entertainment business.