Through working and learning together, students develop unique artistic voices and create impactful, innovative documentaries.
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.
Site news
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Shirley He’s thesis film to premiere at IDFA
The film follows He’s father, an artist, in search of his childhood home in southwestern China, fulfilling a wish of his aging mother -
Elizabeth Lo’s MISTRESS DISPELLER awarded in Venice
Lo's second feature focuses on a new industry devoted to helping couples stay married in the face of infidelity -
Stanford alumni and faculty win ITVS grants
Work by alums Reid Davenport, Laura Gamse, professor Jamie Meltzer and others receives ITVS funding.
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.
