MEMBERSHIP FOR docshop south

New member applications for our Spring 2026 Docshop South workshop are open!

Applications are due by January 11, 7:59pm ET, and the season begins February 25 and runs through June 3.

We encourage all applicants to attend one of our virtual open house events on January 6, 12pm ET (11am CT) or January 7, 8pm ET (7pm CT). RSVP on Eventbrite here.

(Existing Filmshop members: Please fill out our separate returning member application to apply for the coming season. Do not fill out the form on this page.)

Docshop South is a weekly works-in-progress workshop for independent documentary filmmakers working on films in and about the American South, an offering of Filmshop in partnership with Southern Documentary Fund. Each week filmmakers will share works in progress with other members for feedback. The meetings will also feature occasional talks by industry experts and skill shares for continued filmmaker development.

Before you apply, please keep in mind:

  • Applicants should reside, or the documentary should have deep roots in, one of the following 12 Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

  • In order to be eligible, you must be actively working on a documentary project you’d like to workshop with the group. (Questions about what this means? See the “What project do you plan to workshop” section of the application below, or read more here.)

  • As part of your application, you will need to submit a work sample for the project you plan to workshop.

  • Members are vetted and admitted on an individual basis. If you are working on a project collaboratively with other filmmakers, each team member must apply separately for Filmshop membership.

  • In addition to filling out this application form, applicants may be asked to speak with a current Filmshop member via a phone or video call for an informal interview.

  • Members are expected to miss no more than 4 meetings per season (out of 15 total). Our meetings take place Wednesday nights on Zoom, 7:30 to 10:00PM ET.

  • Applicants are strongly encouraged to join Southern Documentary Fund (SDF), though this is not required to be eligible for Docshop South.

  • If you are open to joining Filmshop’s Docshop Virtual chapter, which meets on Tuesday nights on Zoom, 7:30 to 10:00PM ET, you can indicate this as a backup choice in the application. (Docshop Virtual is a non-specialized Filmshop chapter for documentarians across all regions.)

  • Dues are $150 for the season; with a discounted rate of $125 for members of Southern Documentary Fund. (Dues for Docshop Virtual are $175 for the season, the standard Filmshop rate.) We also offer financial aid for those who are unemployed or underemployed; priority is given to artists from communities that are underrepresented in the industry. If you are interested in applying for discounted fees, you will be able to request a financial aid form once accepted.

  • It is free to submit an application.

We look forward to learning more about you!

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at docshopsouth@thefilmshop.org.