In the Field: Your Guide to AmDoc Events & Appearances, May 2026
With the May flowers in bloom our busy AmDoc staff is back on the road to attend the spring film festival season and industry events around the U.S. and Europe. See where we’re going next!
Margaret Mead Film Festival
May 1 - 3| New York, NY
Robert Y. Chang will attend the Margaret Mead Film Festival in NYC. Taking place in the American Museum of Natural History this 3-day festival celebrates voices and perspectives from around the world. Their slate offers a rich slate of contemporary documentary films to showcase storytelling talents from near and far.
Robert Y. Chang (Coordinating Producer, POV & POV Shorts)
PBS Annual Meeting
May 5 - 7| Austin, TX
Erika Dilday and Gina Basso are headed to the Lone Star state to mix and mingle with PBS station staff around the country for the PBS Annual Meeting. Situated in a different host city every year, PBS Annual Meeting is the place where PBS staff and independent producers, filmmakers and industry colleagues across public media gather to network and hear what’s coming up in the year ahead, learn about trends in digital technology, and best practices for community engagement, and see previews of new seasons on PBS, including a presentation by Erika who will share the trailer for POV’s upcoming 39th season.
Erika Dilday (Executive Director, American Documentary & Executive Producer, POV, POV Shorts, America ReFramed) and Gina Basso (Senior Manager of Station Relations and Partnerships, POV)
Cannes Doc
May 17-20| Cannes, France
Erika Dilday, Carmen Vincencio, Opal H. Bennett and Cecilia R. Mejia will represent AmDoc at one of the Marché du Film’s key programs, Cannes Docs. This event celebrates the vital role documentary cinema plays in contemporary storytelling, while facilitating its integration into the global film industry. Across four days they will attend panels, showcases, presentations, get-togethers and the signature Doc Day, Cannes Docs is where documentary films come to life, networks expand, and impactful collaborations take shape.
Opal H. Bennett (Executive Producer, POV Shorts; Senior Producer, POV), Carmen Vicencio (Supervising Producer, America ReFramed), Cecilia R. Mejia (VP, External Affairs) and Erika Dilday (Executive Director, American Documentary & Executive Producer, POV, POV Shorts, America ReFramed)
CAAMfest
May 7 - 10| San Francisco, CA
Robert Y. Chang and Gina Basso will be in attendance at CAAMfest. In this 44th iteration, the festival’s focus “returns us to our roots, with an ethos that is scrappy, inspired, and full of attitude.” Taking place in San Francisco’s historic Japantown, CAAMFest is the nation’s leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond. In addition to screenings, they offer a Filmmaker Summit, designed for industry professionals, which will feature AmDoc’s own Robert Y. Chang in a panel discussion on Friday May 8 to represent AmDoc in the program From the Margins to the Blueprint: Building the Future of Public Media Around Filmmakers of Color. This three-part keynote panel takes an honest look at the state of public media: where we've been, where we are now, and where we're headed – all while centering the communities at the heart of this work. Featuring representatives from the NMCA, ITVS, Firelight and American Documentary (AmDoc/POV).
Robert Y. Chang (Coordinating Producer, POV & POV Shorts) and Gina Basso (Senior Manager of Station Relations and Partnerships, POV)
DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival
May 7-17| Barcelona, Spain
Opal H. Bennett will head to Spain for the 29th DocsBarcelona International Documentary Film Festival. A unique festival that presents a premier selection of international, Catalan, and Latin American documentaries focusing on bold, innovative non-fiction films. The events includes 50+ screenings, including special retrospectives, competitive sections, and an industry networking event.
Opal H. Bennett (Executive Producer, POV Shorts; Senior Producer, POV)
News and Documentary Emmys®
May 28| New York, New York
Rounding out the month, Erika Dilday, Opal H. Bennett and Chris White will be in attendance at the 2026 News and Documentary Emmys® to support the film teams nominated for awards across several categories including Outstanding Social Documentary (The Ride Ahead); Outstanding Social Issue Business and Economic Documentary (DRIVER and Made in Ethiopia); Outstanding Short Documentary (Chasing Time) and Best Documentary (UNION).
Erika Dilday (Executive Director, American Documentary & Executive Producer, POV, POV Shorts, America ReFramed), Opal H. Bennett (Executive Producer, POV Shorts; Senior Producer, POV), and Chris White (Vice President, Programming & Production, Executive Producer, POV, POV Shorts, America ReFramed)