Mission & Philosophy

NW Documentary practices, teaches, and shares the art of non-fiction storytelling. We illuminate important stories that would otherwise be lost or overlooked, provide experiential learning opportunities, and generate better understanding, appreciation, and dialog within our community.

NW Documentary has become a center for documentary storytelling. Since 2003, NW Documentary's programs have reached half a million people. Our original productions have garnered prestigious awards, and have been shared in schools, museums, cultural centers, as well as broadcast. Our workshops have trained more than 200 new storytellers, creating hundreds of original documentaries, which are shared in public events and special presentations.

We believe real stories matter. They not only entertain, but they can enlighten. They can move us deeply, and change the world as we see it forever. In the process of gathering stories, meeting new people, and learning of their experiences, we break down invisible barriers of age, gender, class, and ethnicity. Documentary stories bring us together, to question, and to celebrate. With this value and this passion, we create original works of documentary art, teach others to tell their own stories, and gather community together in the sharing of significant stories of our diverse, yet shared, experiences.