I am a huge fan of AFIDocs, the documentary Film Festival (formerly SilverDocs) and am proud to have been a sponsor for the past two years.  So I was delighted to hear that The American Film Institute has selected producer and Executive Director of the International Documentary Association (IDA) Michael Lumpkin as the new director of the festival.  With nearly three decades of experience in the film community as a producer, documentarian and Executive Director of IDA, Lumpkin brings a versatile perspective to AFI DOCS, a well-rounded appreciation for the impact of the art form and a thorough understanding of AFI.  In a press conference, Lumpkin spoke warmly about Washington D.C. as the location, saying that “a lot of what’s happened in the documentary world over the past few years in the documentary world is about impact and the way that documentary story-telling can change our world and have real concrete impact.  Our nation’s capital is where a lot of that happens — or conversely doesn’t happen — and it provides a great opportunity for documentary filmmakers to have direct access to the people who can implement change.”  One element of the festival that especially interested him was the opportunity to provide resources and tools to documentary filmmakers.  “One of the great things about documentary filmmaking is its ability to connect all of us on this planet and inform us about people different from us,” he said, promising to make sure the festival has a diverse program, from the filmmakers to the subject matter of the films themselves.  I look forward to seeing what he does with the festival.