Here at Stranger Than Fiction we’ve scoured the Twitterverse to bring you those people and institutions driving the best doc-related conversations happening in 140 characters or less. Please note: we’ve left off feeds that promote a specific film; and the data on numbers of followers is approximate, collected in recent weeks. Please click “Read more” below to take a look at our top 100 documentary twitter accounts. Be sure to join our Twitterthon on Thursday, May 10 at 9pm at #SundanceNOW.
| Author | Handle | Followers | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Moore | @MMFlint | 1,021,233 | Filmmaker ('Fahrenheit 9/11'), author ('Stupid White Men'), citizen ('United States of America'). |
| Gary Hustwit | @gary_hustwit | 151,100 | The jet-lagged and guitar-obsessed director of the documentary films Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized. Proud new father of Hazel Hustwit. |
| Louis Theroux | @louistheroux | 144,175 | I make documentaries for the BBC |
| Sundance Film Festival | @sundancefest | 126,715 | We find, love and share the best independent films in the world. We are presented by the non-profit Sundance Institute. |
| HBO Documentary | @HBODocs | 44,158 | HBO Documentary Films. Defining. Moments. |
| Errol Morris | @errolmorris | 31,839 | writer, filmmaker, something else maybe… |
| National Film Board of Canada | @thenfb | 30,000 | Films from NFB.ca. News, updates and human tweets by @spittin_nickels and @jmatlin. |
| Scott Macaulay | @FilmmakerMag | 24,268 | Editor, Filmmaker Magazine |
| Christian Payne | @Documentally | 20,279 | storymaker. social technologist. occasional speaker. http://OurManInside.com, UK |
| SnagFilms | @SnagFilms | 18,588 | Stream over 3,000 films for FREE on SnagFilms.com. Or watch anytime, anywhere on your iPad, Kindle Fire, Blackberry tablets, and Android smartphones & devices. |
| Independent Lens | @Independent Lens | 15,726 | Award-winning independent films and documentaries on PBS. Tweeting tasty morsels for your indie pleasure. |
| Hot Docs | @hotdocs | 11,829 | Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America's largest documentary festival, conference and market |
| Sheffield Doc Fest | @sheffdocfest | 11,264 | The UK's leading documentary and digital media festival, conference and market. |
| POV | @povdocs | 9,000 | Documentaries with a point of view on PBS. |
| Zeitgeist Films | @zeitgeistfilms | 8,286 | Bringing the best in documentary, foreign and independent cinema to American screens since 1988. http://zeitgeistfilms.tumblr.com/ |
| IDFA | @idfa | 7,134 | The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is one of the leading documentary events in the world. IDFA 2012: 14-25 November. |
| Documentary Site | @documentarysite | 6,313 | Die-hard fan of all things documentary. Blogger for the awesome @povdocs. RTs are not endorsements. |
| The Documentary Blog | @DocumentaryBlog | 6,000 | A blog for documentary film fans. |
| Documentary Channel | @DOC_Channel | 5,700 | DISH Network 197 DIRECTV 267 Passionate. Perspective. |
| SundanceNOW | @sundancenow | 5,510 | With SundanceNow, you can rent and buy the best in contemporary and classic independent films from all over the world. |
| Channel 4 Documentaries | @DocsOn4 | 5,433 | he home of documentaries on @C4Insider, @More4Tweets and @Film4. Join the conversation on #OneBorn, #DeathRow and #Undateables |
| Silverdocs | @SILVERDOCS | 5,400 | Silverdocs Documentary Festival, taking place June 18-24, 2012. Celebrating our 10th year! |
| Basil Tsiokos | @1basil1 | 5,300 | Documentaries: Sundance. Film & Festival Consultant. Co-Producer: THE CANAL STREET MADAM. Former Artistic & Executive Director: NewFest. |
| Eugene Hernandez | @eug | 5,266 | Now: Film Society of Lincoln Center (@FilmLinc @FilmComment). Also: Co-Founder, indieWIRE (@Indiewire). |
| True/False Film Fest | @truefalse | 5,187 | Documentary film festival in Columbia, MO, February 28–March 3, 2013 |
| Thom Powers | @thompowers | 5,120 | Festival programmer for @MontclairFF (May), @TIFF_net (Sept), @DOCNYCfest (Nov), @STFdocs (year round). Curator for @SundanceNOW Doc Club. |
| Kartemquin Films | @Kartemquin | 4,891 | Documentary Powerhouse. Producing social change since 1966. Films include The Interrupters, Hoop Dreams, Typeface, A Good Man, No Crossover, Milking the Rhino. |
| Ingrid Kopp | @fromthehip | 4,700 | People & teach workshops on docs, social media, engagement & technology. Also consulting on the TFI New Media Fund. |
| Full Frame Doc Fest | @FullFrame | 4,156 | Each spring since 1998, Full Frame's 4 day festival celebrates the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema in historic downtown Durham, NC. |
| Danfung Dennis | @Danfung | 4,100 | Founder of Condition ONE/ Director of Hell and Back Again |
| Mona Nicoara | @monanicoara | 4,000 | Doc filmmaker and human rights activist. Made OUR SCHOOL, which deals with Roma school segregation |
| Icarus Films | @IcarusFilms | 3,935 | Distributor of documentary films. Main web site www.IcarusFilms.com |
| Christopher Campbell | @thefilmcynic | 3,807 | Editor of the Documentary Channel Blog. Documentary columnist and contributing writer for Movies.com. |
| Documentary Club | @documentaryclub | 3,651 | People that like watching documentaries discussing and sharing their suggestions, opinions, and of course – documentaries. |
| DOC NYC festival | @DOCNYCfest | 3,623 | DOC NYC, New York's Documentary Festival, takes place Nov. 7 – 15, 2012 in Manhattan's West Village. |
| Cinereach | @cinereach | 3,611 | Cinereach funds and produces vital, artful fiction and nonfiction films. |
| Docs In Progress | @docsinprogress | 3,371 | Non-profit arts organization dedicated to empowering independent documentary filmmakers and showcasing documentary film as an art form to the public. |
| Real Screen | @realscreen | 3,303 | devoted exclusively to the non-fiction film and television industries, we aim to bring diverse communities together for dialog, debate and discussion |
| Lee Schneider | @docuguy | 3,207 | DocuCinema. Directing a documentary called Shelter. Interviewing for the be global podcast. Consultant at Red Cup. |
| Center for Social Media | @Ctr4SocialMedia | 3,157 | Investigating and showcasing strategies for socially engaged media making. |
| AJ Schnack | @ajschnack | 2,795 | Filmmaker [Gigantic, Kurt Cobain About a Son, Convention] and co-chair of Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. |
| Charlotte Cook | @CharlotteCook | 2,697 | Director of Programming @hotdocs |
| Joe Berlinger | @joeberlinger | 2,660 | Documentary film-maker whose films include Paradise Lost, Brother's Keeper, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, and Crude. |
| IDA/Documentary.org | @IDANews | 2,600 | Filmmaker Services, and Public Programs & Events from the International Documentary Association. |
| Dok Leipzig | @DOK_Leipzig | 2,464 | 55th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Germany |
| Doc Movies | @DocMovies | 2,463 | Documentary, DIY, Digital Distribution, and New Media www.docmovies.com |
| Scottish Documentary Institute | @ScottishDocInst | 2,462 | All about creative documentary, Scotland |
| Cinema Guild | @CinemaGuild | 2,358 | A distributor of documentary, foreign and independent film. |
| Maysles Films | @mayslesfilms | 2,351 | Company headed by legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles |
| DFG | @the_dfg | 2,254 | The UK's national organisation working to promote talent and innovation in documentary filmmaking |
| Simon Kilmurry | @SKilmurry | 2,147 | Exec Producer of POV |
| Marshall Curry | @marshallcurry | 2,100 | Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker. Director of Street Fight, Racing Dreams. |
| Anthony Kaufman | @antkaufman | 2,051 | freelance journalist, covering indie film beat for Variety, Village Voice, indieWIRE, Filmmaker, IFC.com, et. al. |
| UnionDocs | @UnionDocs | 2,026 | UnionDocs (UnDo) is a Center for Documentary Art that generates and shares big ideas. |
| The D-Word | @dwordcom | 1,924 | The D-Word is the leading independent documentary community, with more than 8,300 Professionals and Enthusiasts from 117 countries. Founded in 1999. |
| ITVS | @ITVSIndies | 1,857 | Official Twitter account for the Independent Television Service (ITVS) |
| Maysles Cinema | @MayslesCinema | 1,837 | The Maysles Cinema, non-profit theater located in Harlem dedicated to the exhibition of documentary film and video |
| IDFA Doc Lab | @DocLab | 1,821 | Showcasing new and unexpected forms of digital documentary storytelling since 2007. Official new media program @IDFA. Curated by @CasparSonnen |
| Chicken & Egg Pictures | @chickeneggpics | 1,808 | Chicken & Egg Pictures is a hybrid film fund and non-profit production company dedicated to supporting women filmmakers. |
| Tom Roston | @DocSoupMan | 1,737 | Doc Soup Man blogs at the PBS POV website, where he reports and rants on all things documentary. Other news, food & culture bits here, too. (www.tomroston.com) |
| Ryan Harrington | @ryejh | 1,736 | Director of Documentary Programming for the Tribeca Film Institute |
| Ken Burns | @kenburns | 1,722 | Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has been producing films for PBS for more than 25 years. His next film, 'The Dust Bowl,' airs November 2012 on PBS. |
| European Documentary Network | @EDNEDN | 1,659 | EDN is stimulating networks & knowledge within the documentary sector. 1000+ members from over 60 countries. Releasing DOX Magzine and The EDN Financing Guide. Denmark |
| GFEM | @MediaFunders | 1,648 | Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) is an association of grantmakers committed to advancing the field of media arts and public interest media funding. |
| Arts Engine | @arts_engine | 1,643 | Media That Matters + Big Mouth Films + MediaRights + Docuclub = Good social-issue indie media & documentary! |
| Mila Aung-Thwin | @EyeSteelFilm | 1,621 | Documentary film company. Previous subject matter includes: Migrant factory workers, Punk Muslims, Copyright and Cruise Boats. Upcoming: Fruit |
| Pat Aufderheide | @paufder | 1,577 | Prof, Communication, American University |
| STFdocs | @STFdocs | 1,543 | Stranger Than Fiction (STF) is a Tues. night documentary series held at Manhattan’s IFC Center, curated by Thom Powers. |
| Cathy Fischer ITVS | @ITVSInteractive | 1,330 | Produce new media projects, support independent film, digital storytelling and social media for ITVS.org and Independent Lens and Global Voices on PBS.org |
| Doug Block | @DougBlock | 1,300 | Documentary filmmaker: I shoot the human animal. Current films: @TheKidsGrowUp, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, 112 Weddings |
| Eddie Schmidt | @Eddie_Schmidt | 1,300 | Nominated documentaries; Wrtr/Producer; Ex-Board Pres of Int'l Documentary Association; Raconteur; Man of Zest & Opinion |
| Doc Space | @DOC_space | 1,277 | Toronto Doc. Community |
| Doc Geeks | @docgeeks | 1,261 | UK-based blog that aims to give you all sorts of cool stuff about documentaries. |
| DocuClub | @docuclub | 1,223 | Monthly screening of rough-cut docs with moderated feedback discussion post-screening. |
| David Tames | @cinemakinoeye | 1,211 | Documentary filmmaker & media technologist working in old, new, & future media, in both screen & physical space. |
| Point of View Magazine | @POVmagazine | 1,200 | Point of View is Canada's documentary film magazine, printed in Toronto since 1992. |
| Flaherty Seminar | @FlahertySeminar | 1,195 | The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar is named after Robert J. Flaherty, who is considered by many to be the father of the American documentary. |
| BBC Storyville | @bbcstoryville | 1,169 | Storyville: the BBC's international feature documentary strand.We aim to bring the most interesting character-based stories from around the world to the screen |
| Bassam Tariq | @curry_crayola | 1,155 | co-director of These Birds Walk. co-creator of 30 Mosques. i co-llaborate a lot. |
| Caspar Sponnen | @casparsonnen | 1,052 | founder of @Pluk_de_Nacht Open Air Film Festival Amsterdam. |
| Cinema Eye Honors | @cinemaeyehonors | 936 | Honoring exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film and promoting the highest commitment to rigor and artistry in the nonfiction field. |
| Documentary Tech | @DocumentaryTech | 908 | an open-source collaborative project exploring documentary filmmaking techniques and technology. |
| Jonathan Archer | @jonarcher | 906 | Programmer at ITVS / Transmedia & Documentary & Indie Film & more. |
| Marjan Safinia | @Marj | 900 | Documentary Filmmaker, IDA Board President, Activist, Iranian, Monkey |
| Reva Goldberg | @RevaGoldberg | 860 | Filmmaker, Brooklynite (by way of Newton, MA), currently heading up The Reach Film Fellowship and Communications dept. at Cinereach LTD. |
| Heather Croall | @heathercroall | 858 | director Sheffield Doc/Fest and Crossover Labs |
| Cat Bird Productions | @CatbirdProd | 840 | all documentary, all the time | platform agnostic, Montreal |
| Robert Greene | @prewarcinema | 637 | Present tense documentaries. KATI WITH AN I, FAKE IT SO REAL, etc. |
| IDF | @IDF_Prague | 636 | Documentary Film. Founded in 2001, IDF supports creative documentaries and filmmakers from C&E Europe. |
| DOX Magazine | @DoxMagazine | 603 | DOX is the leading international magazine for the European documentary film industry. DOX is released 4 times a year and has been published since 1993. |
| SunnySide of the Doc | @SunnySideDoc | 587 | The Sunny Side of the Doc global network stimulates documentary co-production through: SSD, the International Documentary Market, since 1989. |
| Bronx Documentary Center | @followbdc | 573 | The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is a gallery and educational space dedicated to showing photography, film, and new media from around the globe. |
| Senain Kheshgi | @Senain | 551 | Pakistani-American documentary director and producer. On the Board of the International Documentary Association (IDA) |
| Documentary Network | @Documentary | 549 | Watch free documentaries, long/short/interactive films. Get news and big moments with videos! The insider network for pros and doc fans. |
| POV Engage | @POVengage | 482 | PBS’ POV's free screenings, resources and all things engaging! |
| The Ross Brothers | @rossbros | 417 | ramblin' wreckless hobos with standard def cameras |
| Doc Alliance | @DocAllianceFilm | 350 | DocAllianceFilms provides online permanent access to more than 600 outstanding documentaries from around the world, Prague |
| Cynthia Lopez | @docuqueen | 324 | Cynthia Lopez, Co-Executive Producer of POV. |
| Stanley Nelson | @stanleynelson1 | 176 | Filmmaker. 3-Time Emmy winner. Cofounder and executive director of Firelight Media. |
| Open Doc Lab | @opendoclab | 159 | MIT's Open Doc Lab brings technologists, storytellers, and scholars together to advance the new arts of documentary. |