MFA in Documentary Film at Stanford University
Through working and learning together, students develop unique artistic voices and create impactful, innovative documentaries.
Site news
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Reid Davenport Named 2026 Guggenheim Fellow
Stanford MFA alum receives the prestigious fellowship in Film-Video. -
Stanford Alumni Films Premiere at 2026 Tribeca
Documentary films by Stanford MFA alumni are screening at Tribeca 2025, including a World Premiere that reimagines a former institution's dark history through performance. -
Stanford Doc Program Alumni Earn 2026 Emmy Nominations
Stanford documentary alumni have been nominated for News & Documentary Emmy Awards including directing and producing nods for a film about disability rights and editing recognition for a climate crisis investigation
Situated in the Department of Art & Art History, Stanford University’s Master of Fine Arts program in Documentary Film is a two-year program in which small cohorts of six students immerse themselves together in documentary filmmaking.
In addition to the core production courses, students take a range of film studies and art practice courses, placing their documentary film practice within a context of critical engagement with the world. Students become conversant with the documentary tradition as well as with alternative media and new directions in documentary. The MFA degree prepares students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media, with the qualifications to teach at the university level.
Still from Entre Le Feu et La Clair de Lune (dir. Dominic Yarabe)
Fellowships cover the full cost of tuition and more
Fellowship support covers the full cost of tuition and a stipend toward costs of living. In addition, the program offers funds toward the costs of student productions.
The Game God(s) (2021) by Adrian Burrell
Crisanto Street (2018) by Paloma Martinez
“The program produces filmmakers who can do it all — produce, direct, shoot, edit, distribute."
— The Hollywood Reporter
Featured Alumni
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Paloma Martinez
Paloma Martinez was named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker in 2018. Her short documentaries made at Stanford have been broadcast nationally on PBS, featured in The Guardian, The New York Times Op-Docs, and The Atlantic. -
Elizabeth Lo
Elizabeth Lo (‘15) was named one of the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker Magazine in 2015 and was featured in the 2015 New Directors Showcase at Cannes Lion -
Reid Davenport
For his debut feature, Reid Davenport ('16) received the 2022 Sundance Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition.
